FRISCO, Texas – Pro Football Focus (PFF) has ranked all 32 teams in the league based on their prospective rosters for the upcoming 2018 season. Along with each team’s rank, PFF listed the biggest strength, biggest weakness, and by the numbers. Each team’s projected player lineup come fall on offense and defense were put into categories from elite to poor.
PFF named the Dallas Cowboys as the eighth best team in the National Football League. You may be surprised the Cowboys are listed so highly on the board with such a young roster and a lot of players and new assistant coaches going through a transitional period/year, but keep in mind this ranking is based off the 2017 season.
Here is what PFF stated in its three categories:
Biggest Strength: Center Travis Frederick continued last season right where he left off in 2016 and is well on his way to establishing himself as one of the greats at the position. Frederick allowed just 12 pressures from his 555 pass-blocking snaps and has now gone three straight seasons without allowing a sack.
Biggest Weakness: While the team’s biggest strength is on the offensive line, its weakness lies on the opposite side of the trenches. Entering his third year, defensive tackle Maliek Collins has yet to register a grade above 46.8 and has struggled against the run, scraping together just 15 stops from his 471 run-defense snaps over the past two years.
By the numbers: In 2017, no player embodied the term “breakout” more than Dallas edge defender DeMarcus Lawrence, who ended the year with an elite grade of 94.1—the third-best mark among edge defenders. Lawrence put together a spectacular campaign, producing 79 total pressures, which was second to only Von Miller (83), and throughout the season, he managed to produce pressure on a whopping 18.6 percent of his pass-rushing snaps, which ranked first among all edge rushers.
The PFF has three players in the projected starting lineup listed as “poor” – Terrance Williams, La’el Collins, and Maliek Collins; three players listed on the other end of the scale as “elite” – Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Williams had his worst season in 2017 with 568 total receiving yards, 53 total receptions, and 10.7 average yards per game. In his five -year career with the Cowboys, he has never hit the 1,000-yard point. His best season was in 2015 when he had a career high 840 total receiving yards, but Williams has never been a dominating receiver on the field for the ‘silver and blue.’
The Cowboys offensive line is solid with Pro-Bowlers Travis Frederick, Tyron Smith, and Zack Martin in leadership. These guys are as durable as they come and rarely make a mistake. They make the scheme happen, block defenders or areas on run plays, and protect their quarterback on pass plays with precision. Martin is now the highest paid guard in the NFL for his performance on the gridiron week after week. Last year, PFF gave Frederick an overall grade of 90.8 and Smith an overall grade of 79.7, the average grade due to his absence from the field during his rehab from injury. The Cowboys need to get receivers in connection with Dak to fix their passing game, and their offense will be strong. From looks during off-season practices, the new receivers such as Tavon Austin, Michael Gallup, and Allen Hurns, have great speed and fit in well with Dak’s QB style of play.
The edge of the Cowboys defensive line is set with the “tank,” but needs work on the inside with Maliek Collins at tackle. During his two years with the Cowboys in 32 game starts, he has accumulated 45 combined tackles, 27 total, and 7.5 sacks. Collins will have to bump up his work to the next level in order to keep his starting position with the Cowboys or one of the newbies will take his place in order to secure a forcible wall against rushers.
