Q: “Other than the Rams, worst possible first-round matchup for Boys?”
- @Barish24
A: As of today, I feel pretty confident that the Cowboys would beat any of their potential first-round opponents in the playoffs, including the Rams. That’s not to say it’s a no doubt, Mike McCarthy guarantee, slam dunk victory for Dallas, but I’d pick them against any of the potential Wild Card teams.
The Rams would certainly be the opponent I’d have the most reservations about, but the only other one that’s close is San Francisco. The 49ers are a team that seems to be figuring things out at the right time.
Since Week 10, the 49ers have the best record in the NFC at 5-1. They lead the NFC in points scored, point differential, and rushing yards during that time. They’re 2nd in the conference in takeaways (behind Dallas) and passer rating (behind Green Bay).
Nick Bosa has always been a stud, and Arik Armstead is one of the most underrated defensive linemen in the NFL, but even guys like Arden Key and Samson Ebukam have come on strong for them in recent weeks. I’d prefer not to block that pass rush right now, especially with some of the issues Dallas has had protecting Dak in the second half of the season.
I trust the Cowboys would ultimately handle the 49ers and move on to the divisional round, but San Francisco and the Rams would give Dallas the most difficult time.
Q: “Cut one, restructure one, leave contract as is: Zeke, Tank, and LC.”
- @The_Tru_Th_0
A: Let me begin to answer this question by saying I don’t necessarily think this is what will happen. I’m just playing by the rules of the question.
The easiest one to assign is the “leave contract as is” question, and that is undoubtedly Ezekiel Elliott. Dallas already restructured Elliott’s deal in 2021, and it wasn’t exactly a good contract to begin with. Cutting him just isn’t an option next offseason given the restructure, and you certainly wouldn’t want to restructure him again and set yourself up with more dead money into the future. So just leave Elliott’s deal where it is.
I’d restructure DeMarcus Lawrence. I know Lawrence’s health hasn’t been stable in recent years, and that’s always a consideration when you choose who to restructure, but we’ve seen the last few weeks he’s still a top-tier, well-rounded defensive end. You can free up just under $12 million in cap space by restructuring him, per OverTheCap.com.
Under this scenario I’d cut La’el Collins. Now, to be clear, I would not release Collins if I was running the team. He’s still one of the game’s better right tackles, and he’s reasonably priced as well, but for this particular exercise, he’s the easy choice to cut. Terence Steele has played well at right tackle in his stead, and Steele is extremely cheap, and is under team control for the next few years. Once more taking a look at OverTheCap.com, we can see that designating Collins as a post-June 1 release this offseason would free up $10 million in cap space for the Cowboys.
So from a dollars and cents perspective, I think you’d leave Ezekiel Elliott’s contract as is, restructure DeMarcus Lawrence, and release La’el Collins.
Q: “Where is Coop? Trouble beating coverage? Doubled? Is Dak not seeing him?”
- @Codi_Wilder
A: Well, I think context is important. Through the first seven games of the season Amari Cooper had 38 receptions, 495 yards, and 5 touchdowns. That put him on pace for 92 receptions, 1202 yards, and 12 touchdowns. That would easily be the best year of his career.
Now his last five games haven’t been nearly as impressive, but that’s coincided with the entire passing game regressing a bit. CeeDee Lamb averaged 87 yards a game through the first seven games of the season, and has fallen to 52 yards a game since. Cooper was averaging 71 yards receiving through the first seven games of the season, and has fallen to 38 yards per game since. Lamb is down 35 yards per game, and Cooper is down 33 yards per game. The production is down across the board.
I think as soon as the protection gets better, as soon as Dak finds his rhythm again, and as soon as Kellen Moore finds a good way to attack the way defenses have adjusted, you’ll see Cooper’s production return to normal.
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