FRISCO, Texas â It s a bit anti-climactic, but it is here.
Monday marks the beginning of the Cowboys 2021 OTAs at The Star, as players are finally entering Phase III of their offseason program.
Prior to now, the team has been going through voluntary workouts with the offense and defense separated, as well as virtual meetings. But with Phase III firing up on Monday, the Cowboys can now practice with both offense and defense on the field, alongside their coaching staff. From this point on, their meetings for the rest of the offseason program can now be in person.
On one hand, it s merely a small and incomplete glimpse at what this coming season will look like. NFL OTAs are completely voluntary, so the Cowboys could be working with a limited roster at least until the mandatory June minicamp in a few weeks â though it is worth noting that the Cowboys traditionally have very good attendance for offseason workouts.
DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory and Tarell Basham are easy answers at defensive end.
We will guess that Neville Gallimore and Brent Urban are relatively easy answers at tackle.
But beyond that? Will the new Dan Quinn-led defensive staff like holdover Dorance Armstrong as much as the coaches did last year? Will they stiff Bradlee Anae like they did last year? Will they discover if Trysten Hill can (or cannot) play?
That s eight guys. Do you keep three rookie D-linemen in Chauncey Golston, Osa Odighizuwa and Quinton Bohanna? If so, that s 11, and that means that it might come down to Anae vs. newcomer vet Carlos Watkins as to who gets squeezed.
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We haven’t even had the OTAs at this point, so coming up with predictions about this year’s edition of the Dallas Cowboys is a bit fraught with peril. These are admittedly highly speculative. Feel free to bookmark this article so you can mock it in the future. However, the possibility of mockery will not deter.
Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch will both be starters - sort of
Look for them to line up for the first defensive snap of games, with Micah Parsons also on the field. But their usage will be different. Dan Quinn is talking about how there will be 3-4 looks, and that will likely be the case here. Parsons and Vander Esch will be the ILBs, and Smith will have one of the OLB positions. This will strictly be a run defense alignment, and Smith and LVE will come off the field for pass defense. Jabril Cox will come in to pair with Parsons in the nickel.