Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News recently said that the Cowboys had drafted very 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 2010 the Cowboys have 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 that is heavily skewed toward the maximum a 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 Bowl. 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. 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 maximum 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 yr’s second-rounder, Trysten Hill. And you may even amplify it to the latest 0.33-spherical alternatives like Connor McGovern, Michael.
Gallup, Jourdan Lewis, or Maliek Collins.
There also are some veterans who’ve at least been on the periphery of a Pro Bowl conversation before. Last yr, the subsequent players have been 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 really worth thinking about. Could one of the defensive tackles benefit from playing between DeMarcus Lawrence and Robert Quinn? Could some of the veteran free agent acquisitions have a career yr 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, right here are the three gamers that 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 he’ll provoke with the handiest stat that counts for the Pro Bowl voters: interceptions.
Woods had just two interceptions last yr. 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 on 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 considering that 2010, and approximately half of them 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 yr, Tyrone Crawford led all DTs with 5.Five sacks (even though a number 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 a little bit of luck and the hope of extra strain coming from the outdoor, this kind of DTs would possibly get to that six-sack threshold. But predicting which DT gets the most sacks is next toimpossiblee, even though I think Maliek Collins mayalsoy have the satisfactory threat – if he remains healthy.
