Has there ever been a quiet offseason in Dallas? Following Mike McCarthy’s first season at the helm, Dallas now enters the offseason with roster holes abound. Questions surround the quarterback position with Dak Prescott, where there have been zero signs of contract extension banter between Prescott and Cowboys owner, president, and do-it-all team executive Jerry Jones.
In Dallas, shiny new toys and window dressing have drawn the common eye for decades, but as we enter 2021, Dallas is looking to restructure its identity after an abysmal 6-10 season. If the team is to re-sign Prescott, it would require a hefty sum of cash—not that Jones is shy—to keep one of the top under-30 signal-callers in the NFL under the lights of AT&T Stadium for the foreseeable future.
Dallas sits about $18M under the cap, per Over The Cap, and has plenty of flexibility to make the necessary moves to add worthwhile pieces, and of course, pay Prescott. Here are three offensive pieces to add around their soon-to-be healthy signal-caller in 2021.
Taylor Moton, OT, Carolina Panthers
Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, La’el Collins, Tyler Biadasz. All injured. All starters. That doesn’t include a recently retired Travis Frederick who, when in uniform, was the most dominant center in football. Their injuries limited everything Dallas did, or didn’t do, on offense.
In Weeks 2-5, Dallas was a juggernaut on offense, scoring 30-plus points in each of their matchups. Then the injury bug began to rear its ugly head. Smith and Collins were both placed on injured reserve following the Week 9 matchup against Pittsburgh, Cameron Irving and Brandon Knight missed time, Terrence Steele was thrown to the wolves, and despite it all, Connor Williams served as a lone bright spot starting every game up front for a unit that allowed 44 sacks, 21 more than in 2019.
With Smith’s future currently up in the air, the addition of Moten could prove ideal if Dallas wants to move on from the oft-injured two-time All-Pro who hasn’t played a full season since 2016. Despite Collins and Moton’s skill sets tailored to the right side, either of them can play left tackle, it just comes down to who’s better to earn the nod on the right side. Either way, it’s a win-win.
Moton thrives in a pass-heavy scheme, grading in the 90th percentile of all pass-blockers on true pass sets since 2018, via PFF. As a run-blocker Moton is average, but has traits to succeed include excellent hips and fluidity from his lower half. Within a line touting Collins and Martin, his addition would allow Jones to be creative elsewhere if he does decide to move on from Smith.
Tyrod Taylor, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
Again, this is under the assumption that Jones doesn’t outthink himself and simply re-signs Prescott, which is the single highest priority he should have as March 17 nears.
In a scenario that Prescott goes down again and Dalton signs elsewhere in free agency, relying on Garrett Gilbert to run Kellen Moore’s offense isn’t ideal. Taylor is a grizzled veteran that’s accepted his future in the league as a backup. He was moved on from in Buffalo with the arrival of Josh Allen, left Cleveland after Baker Mayfield took over, and following a fluke injury this past fall, Justin Herbert ran away with the job in Los Angeles.
He offers tremendous value for the dual-threat skill set he offers—similar to Prescott—with experience as a high-quality starter with Super Bowl pedigree during his days as a Raven. Like Dalton, Taylor would provide the insurance blanket Dallas needs in case of another injury-riddled season for Prescott.
David Moore, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Dallas has an embarrassment of riches in Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb flexed as their X and Z wideouts with Michael Gallup as the true WR3. Following the departure of Cole Beasley last offseason, Dallas lacked punch in the slot.
As a Seahawk, Moore displayed the ability to work both inside and out with excellent burst. A 4.4-speed threat, Moore’s tempo allows him to stretch defenses both vertically and within the second level on crossers and shallow concepts. He would be an excellent addition alongside Cooper and Lamb—and makes a Gallup trade even easier to make—who could garner a large number of targets via screens, option routes, and mesh concepts within the intermediate levels of the offense.
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