[tps_header]We are now officially less than one month away from the Dallas Cowboys first preseason game of 2016.
Rejoice, Cowboys Nation, this is supposed to be a fun time. July is the time for hope, for expectations, and for excitement over the upcoming season. However the past few weeks have brought with them very little hope and excitement for us Cowboys fans. Suspensions have weakened an already weak unit, and nobody is happy about it, and rightfully so.
I think it is time to lighten the mood once again, however, and look on the bright side of things for a minute. The Dallas Cowboys have a ton of both new blood and veteran players who will be looking to make more of an impact on 2016 than they could in 2015.
Let’s take a look at some of the players we are all most excited to see with a Star on their helmet this season.[/tps_header]
[tps_title]The Offensive Vets[/tps_title]
We all know what happened last year. To simplify things: Tony Romo went down, Dez Bryant went down, and the entire season crumbled.
But the injuries of last season actually give us more hope for this season.
Our captain, our leader, and our quarterback Tony Romo will be back and healthy from day one this season. The best playmaker on the entire roster, Dez Bryant, will also be back fully healthy this season. And both of them have a whole lot to prove.
Due to their injuries a year ago, we almost never see either Romo or Bryant listed with the games elite this offseason. Dez Bryant fell to number 51 of the “Top 100 Players of 2016” list done by NFL Network, and Romo failed to even make the list. Odell Beckham and Kirk Cousins are the new flavors of the month in the NFC East, but I am willing to bet that Romo and Bryant will have something to say about that once the season kicks off.
Either I'm the biggest Brice Butler skeptic or there are just far too many optimistic Cowboy media types in existence. It seems every guy that writes in any capacity for the Cowboys has been stricken with a case of BB love. It's kind of like seeing a beautiful woman and then she opens her mouth to speak and blows everything! I can only guess the only reason for having any excitement about Butler is that he will be paired with Romo. He had exactly 12 catches for 258 yards and 0 TD's last year and 8 of those came in the last two games. The rest of the season he was nursing a hammy injury and occasionally finding his way on the field. Further evidence is two seasons in Oakland where he could not secure a starting job in a team that has really nothing to offer in the way of a wide receiver and hungry to find somebody! He "looks" like a wide receiver but the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Thirty catches for 393 yards and 2 TD's in 2 seasons in Oakland was nothing to write home about. no I think Butler is going to be one of those guys whose appearance belies his results. But I hope I'm wrong and your excitement is warranted.
I don't think you're wrong at this point, I just hope you end up being wrong for the Cowboys sake. When he got his opportunities I felt like he capitalized on them, but it is far too early to be certain that Butler is our number two guy for the next few seasons. My excitement comes more from the possibility of him becoming that guy.
Brice Butler and Jaylon Smith when he comes back,soon I pray to God and all my prayers, full recovery, thoughts are with him . Thanks.
Very good choices! I am definitely excited to see what Jaylon Smith can bring to the table once he gets healthy.
I think Butler can get it done. He was hurt too soon to show it. I want to see.. Tapper, Mayowa & hopefully Gathers.
Gathers is definitely going to be an interesting player to watch during the preseason. Tapper and Mayowa may have to be more important than any of us expected when they first added to the roster.
SPARQS HAVE 2 fly right! Just hoping multiple players start 2 shine on both sides of the ball! Butler – NEED his stretch speed ,of course Elliott,Jackson is intriguing! Any of the defensive line & maybe the new corner Brown, also someone tall enough & stout enough 2 hold that MLB position that's NOT Lee!
I have to wait until Week 5 but I'm really pumped to see what DeMarcus Lawrence brings. He finished 2016 with seven sacks in eight games. Now he enters his third year and has major breakout potential. As long as Randy Gregory, Benson Mayowa, and other guys can handle the right end position, Lawrence will be able to go up against other teams' right tackles and get better opportunities.