Grading Cowboys’ offseason moves at midway point of 2022 season

It’s now what would formally be the exact midpoint of the 2022 season. That doesn’t really exist anymore following last year’s addition of a 17th game, but the Dallas Cowboys have a bye at the perfect time. Injuries are starting to pile up and guys are fatigued and tired after getting themselves to a 6-2 record despite only having their starting quarterback for most of three games. Dak Prescott re-established himself as one of the league’s best starting in the second half of his return in Week 7 and flourished all of Week 8. But just how well did the front office do in assembling the team around him?

Stephen Jones took a lot of flack for what was seen at best as inaction and at worst moving backwards when it came to the talent level on the team, but here they are just a game off last year’s 7-1 schedule against a perceived tougher slate of opponents. So just how well did Dallas do in their offseason decisions of letting guys go, trading players, signing free agents and the draft? Here’s a look, move-by-move, of how well moves made from February to July look in November.

1st-Round Pick: Tyler Smith | Grade: A-

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Maligned for this pick originally, Smith was in competition to start at left guard when Tyron’s injury moved him back to left tackle. That was supposed to wait until next year but he slid right in from Day 1. It hasn’t all been pretty, but his ceiling remains high and there are absolutely glimpses of a special player regularly on display.

2nd-Round Pick: Sam Williams Grade: A

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Williams looks like the real deal. He has a penalty issue but those of are aggressive nature which is much better than passivity. Quinn looks like he has a gem who can be a star opposite Micah Parsons when Tank Lawrence hangs it up.

3rd-Round Pick: Jalen Tolbert | Grade: C-

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

On the surface, this is an easy F grade. Tolbert has only been active in 4 of 8 games and has made zero contribution. However, in context, it’s not a bad omen. Remember, Tolbert was the 15th (!) receiver taken in the draft. Of those drafted after him, only Green Bay’s Romeo Doubs has really excelled and only Cleveland’s David Bell has shown a ton of upside. Fans need to remain patient, though there’s no way to call this a good pick at this moment.

4th-Round Pick: TE Jake Ferguson | Grade: A

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Although his catches aren’t going for many yards, Ferguson clearly seems on the way to being a key cog in Dallas’ offenses. He’s tied for the league lead in TDs for rookie TEs with 2, on just nine catches, and his aggressive nature is a welcomed sight for a team that went very young at the position.

5th-Round Pick: OT Matt Waletzko | Grade: Incomplete

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A seriously injured shoulder was supposed to keep him out all year but he made it to the 53-man roster and through six weeks before having to call it a season. Two OTs taken after him have seen major snaps in Thayer Munford and Braxton Jones, but the Cowboys haven’t needed to call on him at the same time. No way to know what he has.

5th-Round Pick: Daron Bland | Grade: B+

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Now the top nickel corner after Jourdan Lewis was lost for the year, Bland settled into the role. He was the top backup during the preseason and though he’s giving up completions almost every target he limited the yardage in this past game. The needle is pointing directly north for the Fresno State product.

5th-Round Pick: LB Damone Clark | Grade: A+ (for now)

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This could be a participation trophy, just for already playing after many thought he’d have to miss the entire season after spinal fusion surgery sunk his draft stock. An injury to Anthony Barr took him from special teams-only debut to playing a ton of snaps and he didn’t look lost. His speed is electric, faster than even Micah Parsons, and he was even used to rush the passer. Can’t get past the euphoria of seeing him on the field yet, check back later in the year.

5th-Round Pick: DT John Ridgeway | Grade: D

He was released and poached and Dallas just had to trade a future pick to acquire a nose tackle. He hasn’t been good in Washington.

6th-Round Pick: LB Devin Harper | Grade: Incomplete

Harper played the first three weeks as the team was bringing Jabril Cox back slowly, but he only played special teams. He’s been inactive since as the team gave no LB snaps to anyone other than Parsons, Leighton Vander Esch and Anthony Barr until Barr went down in Week 8.

2022 UDFA Class | Grade: A

Out of 19 UDFAs signed following the draft, three made the 53-man roster and another four made the practice squad.

TE Peyton Hendershot looks like a player already, RB Malik Davis and safety Markquese Bell have played as injury replacements

Dennis Houston, Dontario Drummond, Alec Lindstrom and Juanyeh Thomas are waiting on their opportunity.

Trading Amari Cooper for a 5th-round pick | Grade: B-

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Do the Cowboys miss Cooper on the field? Of course, but that’s not the only consideration here.

Cooper was being paid a lot of money and while he had big games like what was seen on Monday night for the Browns (5 catches, 131 yards, 1 TD), he also disappears like what was seen in Weeks 1 and 4 for the Browns (128 snaps, 10 targets, 4 catches, 26 yards).

The real value of trading Cooper, and again, the 5th was the best deal they were offered as 30 teams felt a 4th or more was too much for his $20 million a year salary, is that he freed up a ton of cap space.

Dallas needed it just to be right this year (he saved them $16 million and they entered the season with $12 million of it left) but his savings are directly tied to the pending paydays of Parsons and Trevon Diggs, which will break the bank.

But the Cowboys’ wide receiver corps is definitely not as good without him.

Releasing La'el Collins | Grade: A+

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Collins became a headache to the organization and thus had to go. His time in Cincinnati has been all struggle bus. He’s ranked 57th of 60 tackles (by PFF) who have played at least 300 snaps this season.

Losing Randy Gregory in Free Agency | Grade: B+

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If Dallas intended to let him walk, this would’ve been an A+ because the emergence of Dorance Armstrong (who has almost matched Gregory’s career-high sacks with 5 on the year already), and the play of the rookie Williams and free-agent signing Dante Fowler kept Dallas from missing a beat. In fact, they are the best pass-rush team by a comfortable margin.

But it was a contract mishap that led to Gregory landing in Denver, not foreshadowing.

Free-Agent K Brett Maher | Grade: A+

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In one of two season previews, I mentioned the possibility that Maher would be resurgent based on his previous release.

One of the reasons I based those candidates on is the bounce-back philosophy that seems to happen to kickers.

Maher firmly fits as a candidate for this to happen to him.

Boom.

Free Agent LB Anthony Barr | Grade: B

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Barr’s been decent, making a few big hits but he hasn’t been anything earth-shattering and isn’t the player he was during his Pro Bowl days. But he’s clearly better than any other option Dallas had as he was on the field all the time before his injury suffered while chasing Justin Fields on Sunday.

Free Agent Kavontae Turpin | Grade A+

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He hasn’t scored yet, but he’s broken multiple big returns and seems on track to make the Pro Bowl after coming over from the USFL. Dallas will likely feature him more on offense down the back half of the season, or maybe they’re waiting until the playoffs so there’s no real film on him.

Free Agent Jason Peters | Grade: B

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Signed after Tyron Smith’s injury, it took a while for Peters to get into game shape. He’s a spot player and hasn’t overwhelmed but he’s been needed on several occasions and what he’s doing as a veteran voice in the locker room is hard to quantify, but the players and coaches raved about it when he arrived.

Re-sign WR Noah Brown | Grade: A

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Career highs in targets, catches, yards, touchdowns in just seven games for $1 million in salary. He’s not Cooper, but he’s certainly way better than 1/16th of Cooper which is how much he’s taking up against the cap.

Re-sign Jayron Kearse | Grade: C+

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Kearse was transcendent in 2021 and signed back for two years. It’s been an injury struggle in 2022 as he missed four game and wasn’t great once he returned. Appeared to have worked out the kinks in Week 8 though (despite missing snaps with another injury) and it should be up from there.

He was the top safety in 2021 but probably behind Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker in 2022.

Re-sign Malik Hooker | Grade: A-

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It’s not a coincidence that Dallas’ worst defensive effort of the season came in the first game Hooker missed due to injury. His prior history makes it a concern, but thus far his play on the field has been excellent.

Free agent WR James Washington | Grade: C-

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He’s yet to suit up, but is close. He was injured twice before the foot during training camp. An auspicious start as the top WR signing the club made to replace Cooper.

Free agent P Bryan Anger | Grade: B

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

He has made a couple of bad punts this year, uncharacteristic.

Free agent LB Leighton Vander Esch | Grade: B+

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Oft-maligned, Vander Esch hasn’t been anywhere as bad as many fans try to make him out to be. He’s on the field a ton and has made some good plays, but he’ll never be what was promised by his rookie year performance.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire