The Cowboys are at a crossroads at both the running back and tight end positions. At running back, Tony Pollard is a free agent and Ezekiel Elliott is potentially on the chopping block. At tight end, Dalton Schultz is also a free agent and the top option behind him only has 430 career offensive snaps to his name.
The natural instinct is to worry about the impact of these potential losses and act proactively in free agency. A veteran player, internal to the org or from the outside, may not be the ideal answer, but it’s the safest answer. It raises the floor and protects Dallas from a worst-case scenario but it comes at a cost, both monetarily and in opportunity share.
Luckily for the Cowboys, the 2023 draft is regarded as a deep draft for both tight ends and running backs.
It’s a good draft to be needy at these positions because viable starters could be available into the third day. When the stars align like this, smart captains set their sails and charge forward accordingly.
Whether Dallas is looking for a potential starter or for depth, a windfall of options should be available. Running back starters are routinely found in the mid-to-latter portions of the draft, Dallas needn’t force the issue early or commit long-term to a veteran unless they’re absolutely sold on said player.
Similarly, tight end is stacked with talent throughout. At the very least, they should find depth to work behind second-year players Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot. Given their success rate in finding rookie tight ends, the Cowboys should have no problem adding another viable player to the mix with one of their first five picks.
Aiding the situation is the slate of players set to hit free agency. There are over a half dozen starting caliber tight ends hitting the free-agent market. Every expensive veteran who signs with a different team is one less team on the hunt during the draft.
Never been a better time to need a TE or RB. Not only are these position groups some of the deepest in the 2023 Draft, but the free agent pool is setting up to be deep as well. pic.twitter.com/D9hZR9Kt77
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) February 16, 2023
Rinse and repeat with the running back position. As of this moment, there are ten soon-to-be free agents who rushed for over 800 yards in 2022. All have lead back ability and likely all will get a commitment from an NFL team in some way this off-season.
Both running back and tight end figure to cash in this off-season in free agency. It’s fair to say teams that commit starter-level money to veteran free agents are going to be less likely to force a pick at those respective positions in the upcoming draft.
In other words, the market is about to be flooded with talent at tight end and running back, so now is a great time to on the hunt for young controllable talent in the draft.
The Cowboys would be wise to remain patient in this effort and shouldn’t commit to a high-priced veteran out of fear of the unknown.
This isn’t like last off-season when Dallas painted themselves into a corner, so to speak, on their offensive line and simply had to walk away with a plug-and-play starter early.
Tight end and running back offer notorious value in the latter rounds and in an extremely deep draft like this, they provide ample opportunity for teams like the Cowboys to cash in on the value of the strength of the 2023 draft.
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