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The NFL is a total meritocracy, and that is proven at the start of every season. Training camp and the preseason almost always lead to some players losing their jobs while others rise up the depth chart. The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of roster spots that are up for grabs, in part due to the great depth Dallas has. Their offensive starters are essentially locked into place, but the defense has a plethora of good position battles that are worth monitoring as the NFL season gets closer and closer.
Here are two Cowboys starters that are in danger of losing their jobs this offseason.
Cowboys roster cliffhangers:
Anthony Brown
Cornerback Anthony Brown has been with the Cowboys for his entire career, playing a big role for them over the last five seasons. While Brown was never a full-time starter throughout the start of his career, the expectation heading into this offseason was that he would be the starting slot corner for this Dallas defense.
After the Cowboys drafted two cornerbacks, it seems like Brown's future as a starter is in danger.
General manager Jerry Jones drafted Kentucky cornerback Kelvin Joseph in the second round and Oregon State corner Nahshon Wright in the third. Both of these players were brought in to help fix a pass defense that was one of the worst in the league last season. The Cowboys defense was hit hard by injuries, but it was clear that the secondary was outmatched last year.
Jourdan Lewis and Trevon Diggs manned the boundary cornerback positions, with Brown being responsible for the slot. However, Lewis is a more natural fit for playing inside than he is outside. Brown is also better in the slot than he is outside, creating an odd-man-out situation. With rookie Kelvin Joseph looking to play on the outside, it's easy to see defensive coordinator Dan Quinn moving Lewis into the slot, leaving Brown on the bench.
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Leighton Vander Esch
Dallas was almost a lock to select a cornerback in the first round of the 2020 draft, but the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos ruined those plans by taking two cornerbacks in back-to-back picks in front of the Cowboys.
Dallas was forced to settle for linebacker Micah Parsons, a freak athlete with incredible potential. It's hard to see the Cowboys spending a first-round pick on Parsons and not playing him, which means that either Vander Esch or Jaylon Smith will be headed to the bench. Vander Esch is the more likely of the two for a bevy of reasons.
Prior to the draft, the Cowboys declined to pick up Vander Esch's fifth-year option. That means that the Boise State product is likely playing his last season in a Dallas uniform. Jaylon Smith recently signed a huge extension with the Cowboys, ensuring that he stays in Dallas until the 2026 season.
It's extremely unlikely that the coaching staff benches a player who is being paid so highly for so long in favor of a player that probably won't be a member of the Cowboys in 2021. Vander Esch is odd man out of this trio, so expect to see him on the sideline quite a bit this season. The reality that the team fired its previous defensive coordinator (Mike Nolan) and hired a new defensive coordinator, former Super Bowl-winning coordinator and Super Bowl head coach Dan Quinn, shows that Dallas means business on defense.
Being sentimental with roster decisions is not an option for the Cowboys.
