Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News recently said the Cowboys had drafted successfully during Will McClay’s tenure as Vice President of Player Personnel. Still, even earlier than McClay, the Cowboys had been nicely represented at Pro Bowls. In reality, given that in 2010, the Cowboys despatched 49 players to the Pro Bowl, just one participant shy of the league-main Patriots and Chiefs, who both despatched 50 gamers to the Pro…
Bowl up to now this decade.
To a certain diploma, the Pro Bowl is a popularity contest. However, it is a recognition contest heavily skewed toward the maximum number of hit teams at the cease of each season. And being a popular group doesn’t routinely assure you Pro Bowlers (the Patriots are pretty famous but only had two Pro Bowlers closing year). And even being a Cowboy isn’t an automatic shoo-in: the Cowboys have oscillated from lows of three Pro Bowlers in 2011 and 2012 to eight in 2014 and eight in 2018, although the latter included a few Pro Bowls. Alternates, but who’s counting?
The lengthy and brief of it is that the Cowboys have finished nicely drafting and growing future Pro Bowlers, each historically and in the recent beyond. It’s too bad it hasn’t resulted in extra put-up-season achievement lately.
But back to the subject handy: We’re seeking out Cowboys players who may want to make their Pro Bowl debut this season. And that might be a chunk difficult because 14 gamers currently on the roster have already made the Pro Bowl and have combined for 37 Pro Bowl invites because 2010:
5 Pro Bowls: Jason Witten (11x Pro Bowler over complete career)
- 6 Pro Bowls: Tyron Smith
- 5 Pro Bowls: Zack Martin
- 4 Pro Bowls: Travis Frederick
- 3 Pro Bowls: Amari Cooper (two with Oakland, one with Dallas)
- 2 Pro Bowls: Sean Lee, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Robert Quinn (with St. Louis)
- 1 Pro Bowl: L.P. Ladouceur, Byron Jones, Leighton Vander Esch, Randall Cobb (with Green Bay)
- That nonetheless leaves plenty of Cowboys players eligible to make their Pro Bowl debut.
The most apparent location to search for Pro Bowl inexperienced persons is former day-one or day alternatives who haven’t been to the Pro Bowl. Former second-rounder Jaylon Smith crowns that listing; however, he also consists of Chidobe Awuzie, Connor Williams, Randy Gregory (if he’s ever unbanned), Taco Charlton, and even honorary first-rounder La’el Collins, together with this year’s second-rounder, Trysten Hill. You may even amplify it to the latest 0.33-spherical alternatives like Connor McGovern and Michael.
Gallup, Jourdan Lewis, or Maliek Collins.
Some veterans have at least been on the periphery of a Pro Bowl conversation before. Last year, the subsequent players were ranked in the pinnacle 10 of the Pro Bowl fan poll at their positions but ultimately didn’t make it:
- Linebacker: Jaylon Smith (third among interior linebackers)
- Strong Safety: Jeff Heath (7th amongst robust safeties)
- Punter: Chris Jones (seventh)
- Special Teams: Jamize Olawale (7th)
- Free Safety: Xavier Woods (8th)
- Return Specialist: Tavon Austin (9th)
- Kickers: Brett Maher (tenth)
And there are likely different veterans who are worth thinking about. Could one of the defensive tackles benefit from playing between DeMarcus Lawrence and Robert Quinn? Could some veteran free-agent acquisitions have a career year in Dallas this season? You may want to feature greater names for attention, but I think the names above are an excellent organization to slim down the discussion to a few names. So, without further ado, here are the three gamers who could make their Pro Bowl debut this season.
Jaylon Smith: Smith had a superb season in 2018, and an equivalent attempt at other positions might have gotten him a Pro Bowl nod. Instead, Smith got caught in a numbers recreation at inner linebacker: there are most effective two slots for ILBs on the NFC Pro Bowl group, and it’s hard to pass Luke Kuechly and Bobby Wagner for one of the two spots. Leighton Vander Esch simplest got in as an exchange ultimate 12 months, and that might be Smith’s pleasant bet this 12 months as well.
Xavier Woods: The Cowboys drafted Woods within the 6th spherical l. However, they had a fourth-round grade on him, and according to Stephen Jones, Woods has been “even higher than we notion he’d be.” Woods plays greater of an unfastened protection function, and that’s where you’d assume a participant to get a few possibilities to take the ball away. It may be difficult for a safety to make the Pro Bowl if they don’t have some call recognition (last 12 months’ FS Pro Bowlers: Derwin James, Eric Weddle, Harrison Smith, Eddie Jackson), and Woods doesn’t simply have plenty name recognition out of doors of Dallas. Which method will he provoke with the handiest stat that counts for the Pro Bowl voters: interceptions?
Woods had just two interceptions last year. However, there’s a desire that a stepped-forward skip rush could result in greater takeaway possibilities. There’s no motive why Woods shouldn’t be capable of enhancing his two-interception overall; however, will he enhance sufficiently? A but-to-be-determined shielding tackle. Likee interceptions are the Pro Bowl foreign money of choice for protecting backs; sacks are fashionable for protective tackles. According to Pro Football Reference, 73 protecting tackles made the Pro Bowl in 2010, and approximately half published more than six sacks in their Pro Bowl season. Six sacks will likely be the minimum access threshold for a Cowboys DT; an 8-sack general might make any DT an Extreme Pro.
Bowl candidate.
Last year, Tyrone Crawford led all DTs with 5.Five sacks (even though many of those got here while moonlighting as a protecting end). Maliek Collins (3 sacks), Antwaun Woods (1. Five), and Daniel Ross (1.0) also got to the QB, and the Cowboys have now brought Trysten Hill. With some luck and the hope of extra outdoor strain, this kind of DT could reach that six-sack threshold. But predicting which DT gets the most sacks is next to impossible, even though I think Maliek Collins may also have a satisfactory threat – if he remains healthy.
