5 Cowboys poised to have unexpected big seasons in 2022
Whether it be an emergence or a comeback story, nothing captivates the sports world like an unexpected big season from a player. Of course team championships are the ultimate goal, but those don’t happen unless a large percentage of a team’s roster plays above their pay grade and turns in high-quality performances. As the Dallas Cowboys descend upon Oxnard, CA for training camp so they can begin their journey in the 2022 season, there are some players who are expected to have big years.
Quarterback Dak Prescott will be two years removed from his horrific leg break. WR CeeDee Lamb has ascended to No. 1 status and is expected to see an uptick in targets. LB Micah Parsons has a full season under his belt and fresh to the league came in second place for Defensive Player of the Year; the sky is limitless. Although no one expects CB Trevon Diggs to reach double-digit interceptions again, he’s only played the position for four years and should be better even if the stats drop. But what about those players who aren’t necessarily expected to have big years?
Here’s a look at five players who could have surprising seasons in 2022.
Elliott
Osa Odighizuwa
Jabril Cox
DE DeMarcus Lawrence
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In 2021, Lawrence missed a significant number of games for the first time since 2016, breaking his foot in practice following Week 1. He returned for the final seven games of the regular season and showed extremely well, earning a 90.9 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus for his three sacks, 23 QB hurries and stellar edge-setting in the run game.
His sack totals have diminished from earlier in his career, when he notched a career high 14.5 in 2017. In fact, his total over the last three seasons is just 14.5. However his play has not slipped, just the shiny sack totals. That should bounce back in 2022.
Even at age 30, Lawrence is still among the best in the game, and with opposing coordinators now having to focus their blocking game plan on tracking Micah Parsons’ whereabouts, Lawrence should thrive. One of the most double-teamed edge players each season throughout his career, Dan Quinn should be able to get Lawrence in one-on-ones with a chance to thrive.
2022 Prediction: 12 sacks, 3 forced fumbles.
CB Jourdan Lewis
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Lewis checked in with a career-high three interceptions in 2021 and appears to be hitting his stride as an NFL player. After suffering through the Kris Richard regime where him and the defensive passing game coordinator didn’t see eye-to-eye, Lewis really came on strong under the tutelage of Joe Whitt and Al Harris.
Lewis established himself as one of the game’s better slot corners, and could see his opportunities rise as teams may look to shy away from throwing at Diggs, but more importantly if the pass rush is improved to force more quick throws.
Also, worrying about the rushers could lead to a resurgence of blitz options for Lewis, who has proven his ability to close quickly and bring down QBs, with a career high four sacks in 2019.
2022 Prediction: 5 interceptions, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble
LB Jabril Cox
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
The Cowboys lost two talents to ACL tears last year, WR Michael Gallup and the rookie from LSU. Cox suffered his the first week of November, and combined with his youth and lack of professional wear and tear, this writer has much more confidence in him being ready to contribute to start the year than he does in Gallup.
If Cox is as he claims, close to his normal self, that will go a long way towards the continued ascension of Dallas’ defense. Leighton Vander Esch had a resurgent 2021, finally able to stay healthy. However Keanu Neal’s signing was a failure and having a player of Cox’s athleticism and coverage ability on the field for most downs could lead to a huge season.
2022 Prediction: 105 combined tackles, 2 interceptions, 6 PBUs, 2 forced fumbles
RB Ezekiel Elliott
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While most of Cowboys Nation is clamoring for Tony Pollard to get a larger share of RB touches, this space is not going to dismiss Elliott’s chance for a career resurgence. The line is better — with Tyler Smith taking over for Connor Williams and Terence Steele having another year under his belt— and built to maul in the run game. Teams dared the Cowboys to beat them running the ball towards the tail end of last season, but the line was bad and both Elliott and Pollard were playing hurt.
Elliott hurt his knee in Week 4 and it got progressively worse to where he had to wear a brace while playing. During the first five weeks (5.3 yards per carry, 5 rushing TDs) of the season though, he looked a lot more like Elliott circa 2016-2018. He doesn’t have breakaway speed anymore, but he’s still capable of churning out runs of 10 yards or more on a consistent basis.
2022 Prediction: 1,250 rushing yards on 4.6 yards per carry, 13 TDs, 58 receptions, 4 receiving TDs.
DT Osa Odighizuwa
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
After a strong start to his rookie campaign, Odighizuwa faded down the stretch. In the first eight games he had two sacks, four QB hits and 16 hurries. In the last nine games he had zero sacks, two hits and 13 hurries.
Expect a full season like his first half of 2021. The Cowboys now have a second run stuffer in the mix in fifth-round pick John Ridgeway to match with 2021 sixth-rounder Quinton Bohanna. How Odighizuwa and Neville Gallimore can focus on three-tech duties more often as the line will have a full rotation of capable DTs. Expect the UCLA product to capitalize.
2022 Prediction: 6 sacks, 45 total QB pressures.
