Under the Jason Garrett regime, the Dallas Cowboys rarely had much turnover in their starting lineups. If a player was starting, the Cowboys stubbornly stuck with him despite the fact that others may be more deserving.
This is why Jason Witten continued to start over Blake Jarwin despite being ineffective and a shell of his former self and Jeff Heath maintained his starting spot despite years of mediocre play.
Luckily, the Garrett era is over, and Mike McCarthy’s new regime will lead to some much-need turnover at some key positions. With that in mind, let’s dive into a few Cowboys who are in danger of losing their starting gigs in 2020.
Antwaun Woods, NT
Let’s get the easiest one out of the way first.
Antwaun Woods has proven to be quite the value since signing a two-year, $1.05 million deal in 2018. He’s started 25 games for the Cowboys, where he built a reputation for his effort and ability to disrupt.
When Woods is at his best, he’s able to penetrate and disrupt in the backfield. He’s shown the ability to beat one-on-one blocks and his effort level often enabled him to make plays outside his responsibility.
However, Woods lacked consistency, as he was just as likely to get displaced out his gap as he was to penetrate and disrupt. Woods also struggled mightily against double teams, which isn’t great given that a nose tackle’s first job requirement is to demand and absorb double teams in an effort to give the linebackers a chance to pursue without being immediately encumbered by blockers. When you add in Woods’ inability to make an impact as a pass-rusher, his inconsistency against the run became a bigger and bigger issue upfront.
Essentially, Woods was a backup caliber nose tackle who somehow found himself with a starting gig. The only reason Woods ever became Dallas’ starter is the team’s flat-out refusal to allocate any significant resources toward the nose tackle position. In 2018, Woods beat out the likes of Datone Jones, Brian Price and Caraun Reid to win the nose tackle job, and he beat Christian Covington for the same gig in 2019 — none of which will be vying for a starting gig in 2020 on their new teams.
When the Cowboys hired Mike McCarthy, he and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan made it clear that they wanted to get bigger at nose tackle, which all but resigned the 6-foot-1, 318-pound nose tackle to a backup gig.
This became abundantly clear when the Cowboys spent some real resources on the nose tackle position by signing the 6-3, 346-pound Dontari Poe, who didn’t sign a two-year, $9 million to be a backup. While Poe brings the same disruptive ability as Woods, he should also be much more consistent, as his 346-pound frame will have him much more prepared to take on and absorb double teams in the A-gaps.
While the others on this list are in danger of losing their starting gigs, Woods has already lost his, as Poe will assuredly replace him among Dallas’ starting defense.
Connor Williams, LG
Unlike Woods, Connor Williams is still the favorite to remain the starting left guard, but he’s going to be pushed for the first time in his career, as Connor McGovern is finally healthy and ready to compete for a starting gig.
Entering the league as a converted tackle and second-round pick, Williams hasn’t been bad as the starting left guard over the last two seasons, but he has been the weakest link among a Cowboys starting lineup that included three All-Pros (Zack Martin, Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick) and another who played at an All-Pro level in 2019 (La’el Collins).
Williams is a supreme athlete for the position who does well blocking in space and on the move. He’s shown promising growth each season he’s been on the field. As a rookie, Williams was deficient in the strength department, which forced him into technical inefficiencies in an attempt to compensate. However, in his second season, Williams added bulk and was much more prepared to deal with power inside, though he still had some maddening technical issues that caused him to struggle at times.
The man who will be pushing Williams for the left guard spot is much more of a mystery, as McGovern missed his entire rookie year because of a pec injury. McGovern is about 10 pounds bigger than Williams and plays with a much more aggressive demeanor. McGovern is a people-mover who did a great job clearing running lanes in college. Most importantly, McGovern displayed an innate ability to recover when initially put in a precarious position — one of the areas where he has a clear advantage over Williams.
Luckily for Williams, McGovern does have his fair share of issues, especially in terms of his footwork and hand timing. McGovern’s inconsistent footwork in pass protection often leads to variance in McGovern’s movement efficiency. McGovern will often overset shaded defensive linemen, which opens up the inside move for defenders.
Ultimately, while Williams’ starting experience gives him an early advantage, he’s still in real danger of losing the starting left guard gig to McGovern in 2020.
Jamize Olawale, FB
Through Jamize Olawale’s tenure in Dallas, much has been promised but little has been delivered. When the Cowboys acquired Olawale, many were excited to see what Jason Garrett and Dallas’ offensive staff could conjure up for the athletic fullback, as it appeared Dallas was transitioning from the old traditional fullback to a more modern one who was moved around the formation while contributing in the passing game.
Unfortunately, despite his athletic and receiving talents, Olawale has been used as a traditional lead-blocking fullback, which is a complete waste of his skill set. In his two years with the Cowboys, Olawale has just two catches on six targets, making Olawale nothing more than a below-average lead blocker whose biggest contribution came on special teams.
Luckily for Olawale, Mike McCarthy’s offense had done a much better job utilizing the fullbacks in the passing game. Now, it’s not like the fullback position is all of a sudden going to garner 30+ targets per season, but 10+ receptions are much more likely.
While Olawale’s new three-year, $5.4 million contract is a strong indication that he’s the favorite to win the fullback job, he won’t be gifted the position either, as undrafted rookies Sewo Olonilua and Charlie Taumoepeau will push him for the fullback gig.
While neither Olonilua nor Taumoepeau has much experience at fullback, they both have the size, athleticism and pass-catching ability to be effective weapons at the position. Olonilua is the better athlete and ball-carrier, but Taumoepeau projects to be a more effective blocker and consistent pass-catcher of the two.
Nevertheless, if either wants to beat out Olawale for the fullback gig, they will also need to prove themselves on special teams, an area where Olawale has thrived since arriving to Dallas.
If they can, it will put Olawale’s job in serious danger, as Olonilua and Taumoepeau are both younger and much cheaper than Olawale.
