Nothing but Bad News for the Dallas Cowboys
By Jon Dove
The Dallas Cowboys have not had a good start to training camp with more negative news surrounding the team than expected.
There are a lot of NFL teams dealing with some problems early in training camp, but the Dallas Cowboys seem to be worse off than most. They have several key players serving suspensions, mounting injuries and some legal trouble.
The latest news has backup quarterback Kellen Moore suffering a significant leg injury that will keep him out for a long-period of time. This means that Dallas will either need to bring in a veteran quarterback or go with rookie Dak Prescott as the backup.
Rumors are that Nick Foles could be the main target for the Cowboys. Losing Moore means that Dallas will need to get a new quarterback up to speed with their system, but someone like Foles has a lot more physical talent than Moore.
The bigger issues facing this team are the off-field problems keeping players off the field. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Rolando McClain or Randy Gregory are ready to take the field after their suspensions.
Reports are that McClain is dealing with a substance abuse issue. Football should be the last thing on his mind as he needs to focus on his health and safety. Gregory is dealing with a similar situation and is currently in rehab.
On top of all this, rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott is under investigation for domestic violence.
These issues are a major distraction for a team with playoff hopes. They not only need to answer questions about these situations, but it also takes away from the roster depth. Dallas’ defensive line is a complete mess.
Losing Gregory and Demarcus Lawrence to suspension is forcing the Cowboys to go with inexperienced starters at defensive end. They are counting on the likes of Ryan Russell, Charles Tapper, David Irving and Benson Mayowa to generate pressure off the edge.
At this point, the Cowboys are just trying to make it out of training camp with out self destructing.