Cowboys' offense still missing this crucial element after draft haul

[DrRage]

The 2024 NFL draft came and went for the Dallas Cowboys, who used eight picks trying to get better. Most of their needs were addressed, but despite the success over the three days, the team is still missing one big element on offense, speed. The Cowboys did a good job of rebuilding the offensive line, which should help improve their attack, but they didn’t find any game breakers who can threaten a defense. It’s hard to argue with what the team did in the trenches, the first-round selection of Tyler Guyton will help replace former starting left tackle Tyron Smith. It was unlikely the Cowboys were going to select a running back or wide receiver with that pick, so Guyton made sense. In the second-round many experts felt Dallas might try to add their running back of the future. Either Texas’ Jonathon Brooks or Florida St. RB Trey Benson could have added an element of speed and explosiveness to the offense. However, when the Carolina Panthers grabbed Brooks with the 46th pick, the Cowboys decided to go in another direction, opting not to select Benson and his 4.39 speed. Wide receiver might have been an option in the second round as well. With Texas WR Adonai Mitchell slipping in the draft, the Cowboys might’ve pulled the trigger on drafting his 4.34 speed with the 56th pick, but he was taken at 52 by the Indianapolis Colts. Just gonna go ahead and tell you Adonai Mitchell is a real possibility. A very real one. Something to keep in mind when the #Cowboys go on the clock. https://t.co/mkmLYCmkKI — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) April 27, 2024 Round 3 was surely the right time and place to find some speed. The Cowboys had two selections in the round, but with offensive linemen Cooper Beebe still available and just two RBs off the board at the time, fortifying the center position was a smart decision. However, the golden opportunity came with their second third-round pick at 87. The Cowboys had one of the premiere game breaking RBs available when they came on the clock but chose not to draft Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright. With his 4.38 40-yard timed speed and with over 25% of his carries going for over 10 yards in 2023, Wright was the perfect answer to what ails this offense. Dallas had a major need to add speed and explosiveness to an offense that has very little of both and they bypassed it to draft linebacker Marist Liufau. So it came down to LB Marist Liafau at No. 87 vs. a running back with a lower grade. Highly doubtful Liafau gets to the Cowboys in the fifth round in their minds. To get a pick in the 4th round, they would've had to given up a 2025 3, so they stood with what they had. — Todd Archer (@toddarcher) April 29, 2024 After that selection, the Cowboys didn’t have a pick until late in the fifth-round, and in the span of those 85 picks, 13 RBs and 10 WRs were drafted. Among the fastest options selected were Wright, Oregon WR Troy Franklin, Clemson RB Will Shipley, Louisville RB Isaac Guerendo, Arizona WR Jacob Cowing, and Oregon St. WR Anthony Gould, all of whom had a 40 time of under 4.4 seconds. There were also a host of other options who came in under 4.5 seconds in their timed speed who the Cowboys had no chance at picking. The team did find some athleticism for a skilled offensive position in the sixth-round with the selection of Ryan Flournoy. Flournoy made Bruce Feldmean’s ‘Freak List’ with his 4.4 speed at the combine at a size over 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds. That was good for top 15 at WR, but Flournoy is somewhat of a project at the position. Dallas bypassed the RB position altogether in the draft and added just one runner as an undrafted free agent, Missouri’s Nathaniel Peat, who runs a 4.37 40-yard dash. However, his status and inexperience with just 293 career carries makes him a long shot to make the roster. As it stands there isn’t much explosiveness to the Cowboys’ offense. Former running back Tony Pollard brought that ability, but even he didn’t provide much last season, with just eight plays of 20+ yards in 2023. There isn’t a RB on the roster right now capable of scaring defenses. There’s speed at receiver with starting wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks, but there’s not much home run ability. Lamb has that extra gear with the ball in his hands, and can get deep, yet the offense doesn’t ask him to do that. Cooks was brought in last year in to be the deep threat, but he wasn’t used in that capacity either. The veteran WR was used more as an intermediate option and came up big in key moments more than he was used to go over the top of defenses. Third-year wide receiver KaVontae Turpin could be the answer, but despite their insistence he’d be used more in the passing game last season, that never materialized. Turpin had just 18 targets. At tight end, Jake Ferguson has the athleticism to be a big-play guy, yet he had just eight plays of over 20 yards last season. Ferguson excels in the middle of the field, and he’s better as a runner after the catch, but he doesn’t scare defenses. The Cowboys finished fifth in the league in yards per game and first in points last year, but they don’t have enough speed or playmakers currently on offense. They were tied for ninth-worst in the NFL with just seven plays of over 40 yards in the passing game, and had just one rush of over 40 yards. Nothing the team has done this offseason has demonstrated they’ll get better at creating explosive plays in 2024. You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi
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