Nobody's job is truly safe in the NFL, but some Dallas Cowboys players certainly have more job security than others. With so much uncertainty and inexperience surrounding Cowboys training camp, these are two of the players that could lose their starting job by the time the season ends.
Cowboys First-Stringers In Danger Of Losing Starting Jobs In 2022
After Ezekiel Elliott's first four years in the league, it would have been hard to imagine him as anything else besides the feature running back and number one option in the Cowboys' offense. Since 2020, injuries and the rise of Tony Pollard are starting to raise questions about whether or not Elliott is still up to the task.
Elliott got off to a good start last year, averaging over 100 total yards and a touchdown per game through the first five weeks of the year. Just when it looked like the Cowboys running back was back to his old self, his production fell off a cliff. Elliott averaged less than 50 rushing yards per game for the rest of the season after week five, further receding into the background of the Cowboys' offense. Once the season ended, it was reported that Elliott played most of the 2021 season with an injured PCL, an injury he sustained during Dallas' week four matchup against the Panthers. The injury might explain Elliott's lack of production, but it won't make doubters of the former Buckeye's viability as Dallas' number one running back any less skeptical.
Elliott's overall numbers work in his favor. A 1,000-yard rushing season and 11 touchdowns in 2021 on an injured PCL is better than most running backs in the NFL can muster. If he's healthy this year, it is entirely possible that Elliott is still capable of putting together another quality season. The real threat to Elliott's position as Dallas' starting running back may not be his own abilities or health, but the progression of Pollard as one of the Cowboys' most dynamic playmakers.
Pollard played just 35% of Dallas' offensive snaps last season and still managed to rack up over 1,000 all-purpose yards. The fourth-year running back's receiving ability paired with an uncommon burst of speed when he gets a block as a runner make him a serious threat to replace Elliott as the number one running back in Dallas' offense. Not only is Pollard a major part of Dallas' offense in 2022, he also appears to be a part of Dallas's future as well, at least as far as executive Vice President Stephen Jones is concerned. Jones said during an interview on 96.7 The Ticket on Aug. 3 that the Cowboys hope to keep Pollard around beyond this season.
“There are some things as we move forward that we just have to take a look at,” Jones said, “In terms of that running back position and the cap and how that works, in terms of Zeke and Tony and how we work those two together. So, we’ll continue to see how that’s evolving as the year goes. But the goal is to have Tony Pollard back here next year.”
1. Dante Fowler Jr.
Unlike Elliott, Dante Fowler Jr. does not have years of service as a Cowboys starter vouching for him. Dallas brought Fowler in this offseason after they missed out on a few other, higher-profile edge rushers. The addition didn't stop Dallas from spending their second-round pick on Ole Miss pass rusher Sam Williams in this year's draft. The steps Dallas has taken to bolster their pass-rushing unit after signing Fowler might suggest the front office doesn't believe he alone is the answer at the position.
Williams might be the best candidate to overtake Fowler as Dallas' first option on the right end of their defensive line. The rookie is one of several players making waves in Oxnard this summer, enough to draw the eye of Demarcus Lawrence. A report by WFAA's Mark Lane detailed some of Lawrence's first impressions of Williams.”
“Sam already has some pretty good tools in his box that I don’t think he understands what he has yet, like his speed to power and his double-hand swipe is pretty good,” Lawrence said. “But just focusing on the things that he’s good at and he’ll keep developing.”
Fowler has more NFL experience than any of Dallas' other edge rushers besides Lawrence, so he becomes a de facto starter over younger players like Williams, Tarell Basham, and Chauncey Golston. Fowler has plenty of potential as a former top-three overall pick in the draft. If he plays to his ceiling he may be the Cowboys' best option, but Dallas' depth at the position could lead to more of a committee approach at right defensive end.
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