The Dallas Cowboys are hoping for bigger things this upcoming season, but what if they magically came up with an unexpected breakout player to pull it off? The team is banking on a revamped coaching staff, headlined by new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, to help them make the leap into true contention. But schematic upgrades only go so far. They need some of their young cast members to take a massive step forward, but who will those players be? A more interesting question is, which player would
provide the greatest overall benefit to the team if they earned their first-ever All-Pro nod?
Before we dive into this, go ahead and make your guess. Write it down in the comments, or just hold it in your head, and let us see how close we line up as we take you through our thought process.
First off, to clarify the ground rules, previous All-Pros are not allowed. This is deliberate because we are already expecting those players to be elite. Stringing together another great season would be fantastic, but that is only adding a little extra value. We want that jump to be massive and come from an unexpected hero. So, for that reason, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Quinnen Williams, and DaRon Bland are officially deemed ineligible.
Now that we have that squared away, let’s dive into this.
Logic dictates that a truly great performance should come from an important position. While it would be fun to see Javonte Williams run wild over the league, how far would an All-Pro running back move the needle? DeMarvion Overshown might actually be the betting favorite to achieve this honor, considering he flashed serious potential during his first healthy action in the league, at least until he got hurt. Turning into a superstar is not something anyone would complain about, but he is still just an off-ball linebacker. Even rookie safety Caleb Downs could hit the ground running, but does a star safety help the team the absolute most? Remember, we have a magic wand here. We can do better.
Following this line of reasoning, we should consider limiting our choices to a “money five” position, a label coined by BTB alum KD Drummond. That means we look carefully at quarterback, edge rusher, left tackle, wide receiver, and cornerback. We have already taken Prescott off the table, so the other feasible options are as follows:
- a young edge rusher
- left tackle Tyler Guyton
- a breakout wide receiver
- a cornerback not named DaRon Bland (ineligible)
For the sake of simplicity, let us assume these other four positions have equal value, even though their contrasting market prices prove they do not. That puts any players from those positions on the table, so let us run through the options.
It is easy to rule out a wide receiver because the roster already features two great targets. If Ryan Flournoy or anyone else emerged as an All-Pro star, it likely means Lamb or Pickens got hurt, since it would take a massive influx of vacated targets to earn that kind of recognition. That’s not desirable. With the team already loaded at the position, this would not be a spot that helps them in a revolutionary way.
Guyton, on the other hand, would be a fantastic choice. A young tackle in charge of protecting the blindside of the most expensive commodity is hugely important. Having him turn a corner and set himself on a path of manning that post for a decade would be wonderful. That might be hard to beat. The only thing we have to ask ourselves is whether added protection for Dak gives this team the largest possible type of improvement. Dak and the offense can still be pretty good without having all day to throw.
Because an improved defense would spark the biggest team turnaround, we should give special consideration to that side of the ball. What about a young corner? Shavon Revel Jr. was once touted as having elite talent. Now that he is fully healthy and has some experience under his belt, he might be able to do some serious damage roaming the secondary. Year two has been the magic number for young cornerbacks in recent years, at least it was for Trevon Diggs and Bland.
Finally, that brings us to the edge rushers, where there are plenty of directions to go. Rashan Gary has the premier draft pedigree. If he somehow earned All-Pro honors, think of the spicy sack volume he would be adding to his already stout run defense. And what about Donovan Ezeiruaku? He is younger and full of potential. As the outside linebacker who would probably get the most votes from fans as the most likely candidate, would he be the best choice for our exercise?
That brings us to Malachi Lawrence. He is an edge rusher, he is a first-round pick, and he comes with ready-to-serve pass-rushing moves to be an immediate force. He possesses lightning-fast speed and is a natural play-destroyer.
Guyton, Revel Jr., and Ezeiruaku are all good choices, but the icing on the cake for Lawrence is player control. He is a rookie, meaning he comes with four years of control plus a fifth-year option. If Lawrence turns into an immediate star, the front office gets a stud at one of the most important positions for the maximum amount of cheap time. This is as good as it gets.
Imagine a rookie All-Pro edge rusher to go along with a beefed-up interior and a soon-to-be wiser secondary. That could create some permanent problems for opposing offenses.
Now that we have made our case, where do you stand on this? Has that name you thought of earlier changed? Let us know in the comments who you think would be the perfect choice for this ultimate hypothetical question.
