FRISCO, Texas - Football season is getting closer and closer.
The Cowboys are set to depart for training camp in less a month. That's when we'll get the first up-close look at Brian Schottenheimer's first season with this revised roster and coaching staff. When we get to Oxnard, that's when we'll start to get some real answers about this 2025 Cowboys team.
But what are the questions? We've compiled our annual list of pressing questions that need answers heading into the regular season. The staff writers, consisting of Patrik Walker, Tommy Yarrish, Nick Eatman, Mickey Spagnola, Kyle Youmans and Kurt Daniels, weigh in on some of the pressing issues.
Today, we'll continue the series with a question on holes to fill, and which position still needs some work as we get closer to training camp.
11) Which position is the most pressing need?
Tommy: I'll stick with what I've been saying all offseason: Defensive tackle. Yes, the Cowboys kept Osa Odighizuwa in the fold and that's a good thing. He's been their most consistent player on the interior of the defensive line and still has a lot of room to get better. Outside of Odighizuwa, I'm not the most confident in the rest of the room there especially with how much the Cowboys have struggled to stop the run in recent years. I hear the arguments about how teams had more success running outside on Dallas than on the interior, but the Cowboys still gave up 5.1 yards per carry on runs inside and outside in 2024. If you get to the runner before they can reach the outside, you don't have as many issues defending the outside run.
Mickey: Previously would have said wide receiver, but the Cowboys took care of that pressing need by trading for veteran George Pickens. That still leaves the Cowboys with a couple of pressing needs, but the good thing is, more so from a depth standpoint. First, the backup offensive swing tackle. Who is that? Currently would seem to be Asim Richards entering his third season but only having played in 21 games with but one start. Maybe veteran Rob Jones could be a candidate, but the Cowboys signed him to primarily provide some veteran depth at guard, though first rounder Tyler Booker seems to have that starting right guard already locked up. Jones did play tackle in college at Middle Tennessee State. They will stay on the lookout for an inexpensive backup alternative when roster cuts some down.
And then cornerback for sure, especially without knowing when two-time Pro Bowl corner Trevon Diggs will be ready to resume playing since still rehabbing from his knee surgery and at this point can only hope third round draft choice Shavon Revel, still rehabbing from his torn ACL suffered after the third game this past season at East Carolina, will be ready to start the season. After that, it's DaRon Bland, maybe last year's fifth-rounder Caelen Carson and veteran Kaiir Elam, the former first round evidently bottoming out in Buffalo.
Kyle: This is a tougher question to answer because there is a lot of potential at each of the biggest positions of need. Running back has two crafty veterans and a promising pair of rookies all fighting for carries. Cornerback is a banged-up room, but if everyone makes a prompt and healthy return, the talent and depth at the position could make it one of the best in football. That leaves one spot for me, defensive tackle. Specifically, the nose tackle spot.
Dallas still doesn't have a great answer for stopping the run, which has been the biggest thorn in the side of the defense for years. The biggest moves they made was drafting Jay Toia in the seventh round of this year's draft and adding Solomon Thomas in free agency. With the rotation being so thin, there's a need for players to step up their game in a big way or the Cowboys may be in for another long year at defensive tackle.
Nick: I think there are a few options for this question, but based off the injury situation and the unknown with some other players, I would see the most pressing need is to figure out cornerback. Now, if it all goes right, this position will be just fine and then the answer would likely be defensive tackle. But for some reason, I think Eberflus and his staff will patch it up just fine in the middle of the line.
It's cornerback where I just don't know what to expect right now. There are so many question marks. Will Trevon Diggs make it back and if so, when? What about the status of Shavon Revel? Can he be back to start the season or will he miss a few games on PUP? And then there's Kaiir Elam and DaRon Bland. Both of them need to be at their best to at least solidify the position. And then there's a question about the slot corner and who fills in there. I think the Cowboys have the pieces to make it work, but they have to get it done. And because of the uncertainty, that looks like a pressing need to me.
