The NFL started their voluntary offseason workouts today and the Dallas Cowboys are preparing for their workouts with stars like Dak Prescott on hand to try to build off a successful 2016 NFL playoff run. However, Prescott and fellow second-year superstar Ezekiel Elliott are not the only people who will be able to use these voluntary offseason workouts to improve as they head into the 2017 NFL season.
The Dallas Cowboys free agents
The biggest benefits for the Dallas Cowboys when it comes to offseason workouts is to acclimate the new Free Agents into the Cowboys system, teaching them the playbook, and prepare them for their roles on their new team.
The names that will benefit the most from the workouts are Nolan Carroll II, Damontre Moore, Stephen Paea, and Byron Bell.
The biggest loss for the Cowboys this offseason came in the defensive backfield, losing two cornerbacks in Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr and two safeties in Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox. Replacing them are holdovers in Orlando Scandrick, Byron Jones, Jeff Heath, and former Philadelphia Eagles star Nolan Carroll II. They will need to get things moving quickly to cover up for the loss of talent.
The biggest stumbling block for the Cowboys in 2016 was their lack of a pass rush and they brought in Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Stephen Paea and Seattle Seahawks defensive end Damontre Moore.
Also joining Dallas is Byron Bell and Jonathan Cooper, who will try to cover for the loss of Doug Free, who retired.
The returning injured Dallas Cowboys
Last year, the Dallas Cowboys made the playoffs despite injuries to starters like Tyron Smith, Dez Bryant, Orlando Scandrick, and La'el Collins. Those players could use some practice but the players that really needs to work on their games are the ones who suffered serious injuries in 2016.
First up are defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford.
DeMarcus Lawrence was one of the leading pass rushers in 2015, with eight sacks on the season. However, thanks to back injuries, Lawrence only played in nine games in 2016. Tyrone Crawford had five sacks in 2015 and 4.5 in 2016 but joined Lawrence to undergo offseason surgery.
They need to be back to full strength when the 2017 NFL season starts.
Finally, there are two players that the Dallas Cowboys drafted in 2016 that should be back to help in 2017. The Cowboys drafted linebacker Jaylon Smith, who was one of the best linebackers in the 2016 NFL Draft if not for a serious knee injury from college. He will be able to finally take the field in 2017 for the first time. Charles Tapper is the second player, a former pass rushing specialist from the Oklahoma Sooners, who missed all of 2016 due to a stress fracture in his back.
