Top 30 Cowboys players rankings for Week 11 proves depth perception is no mirage
The Dallas Cowboys front office has been in their bag. While the results hadn’t shown it true in the previous two campaigns, in 2021 the job they’ve done to assemble the 70-some-odd players who are in rotation is front and center. Dallas now sports a 7-2 record through nine game after their dominating 43-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Once again, the Cowboys played without several of their star players and once again, the backups proved to be more than capable.
Depth is a key ingredient to a championship run, and it is showing itself week in, week out for Dallas. On Sunday, they played without their offseason projected starting defensive line. 3T Neville Gallimore hasn’t taken a snap all year and Pro Bowl DE DeMarcus Lawrence hasn’t played since Week 1. Brent Urban didn’t win the job as expected, but he has been out of the rotation for a couple weeks and Randy Gregory just went on the shelf for three weeks. It didn’t matter.
Just like moving along without Michael Gallup, La’el Collins and for single games Dak Prescott and Zack Martin, this team is able to play peak football almost every time out there. The one time they didn’t, in a Week 9 blowout loss, they came back the next week and had their best performance in years.
Depth is the reason.
There’s so much depth on the roster, a leading defensive player of the year candidate is barely squeezing into the top 10 this week. We haven’t done a player power ranking since Week 5, so it gives a great look into how things have changed from the quarter mark to halfway into the season.
Biggest Movers (from 2021 Week 5)
A collection of players who have leveled up since the win over the New York Giants in Week 4.
CB Anthony Brown (+13)
Center Tyler Biadasz (+13)
CB Jourdan Lewis (+11)
ST C.J. Goodwin (+11)
OT Terence Steele (+6)
Rookies
We’re only running the Top 30 this week, but all players have been ranked. Here’s a look where four rookies landed who sit outside of the rankings below.
No. 51: FB Nick Ralston
No. 47: DT Quinton Bohanna
No. 44: CB Kelvin Joseph
No. 38: CB Nahshon Wright
Biggest Drops (from 2021 Week 5)
Some players have fallen off their pace, others have been disappointments or just unable to get on the field to make an impact for one reason or another. A big drop doesn’t have to equal a failure by the player, it could just be an adjustment based on what others are doing.
CB Kevin Joseph (-15)
FB Nick Ralston (-12)
Safety Donovan Wilson (-10)
LB Keanu Neal (-9)
OL Connor McGovern (9)
30 ) LB Leighton Vander Esch - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 34 ) Change (+/-) 4
(AP Photo/Roger Steinman)
29 ) ST C.J. Goodwin - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 40 ) Change (+/-) 11
(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
28 ) DE Tarell Basham - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 27 ) Change (+/-) -1
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
27 ) DE Chauncey Golston (rookie) - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 22 ) Change (+/-) -5
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
26 ) S Donovan Wilson - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 16 ) Change (+/-) -10
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
25 ) DE Dorance Armstrong - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 30 ) Change (+/-) 5
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
24 ) S Damontae Kazee - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 18 ) Change (+/-) -6
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
23 ) OL Tyler Biadasz - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 36 ) Change (+/-) 13
Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
22 ) CB Jourdan Lewis - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 33 ) Change (+/-) 11
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
21 ) OL Connor Williams - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 23 ) Change (+/-) 2
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
20 ) WR Cedrick Wilson - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 20 ) Change (+/-) 0
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
19 ) DT Neville Gallimore - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 19 ) Change (+/-) 0
(AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
18 ) S Jayron Kearse - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 17 ) Change (+/-) -1
(AP Photo/Matt Patterson)
17 ) TE Dalton Schultz - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 15 ) Change (+/-) -2
(AP Photo/Roger Steinman)
16 ) DT Osa Odighizuwa (rookie) - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 10 ) Change (+/-) -6
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
15 ) OT Terence Steele - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 21 ) Change (+/-) 6
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
14 ) RB Tony Pollard - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 14 ) Change (+/-) 0
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
13 ) CB Anthony Brown - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 26 ) Change (+/-) 13
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
12 ) WR Michael Gallup - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 12 ) Change (+/-) 0
Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports
11 ) OT La'el Collins - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 13 ) Change (+/-) 2
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
10 ) WR Amari Cooper - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 6 ) Change (+/-) -4
(AP Photo/Jim Mone)
9 ) CB Trevon Diggs - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 4 ) Change (+/-) -5
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
8 ) DE Randy Gregory - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 11 ) Change (+/-) 3
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
7 ) DE DeMarcus Lawrence - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 3 ) Change (+/-) -4
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
6 ) WR CeeDee Lamb - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 9 ) Change (+/-) 3
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
5 ) LB Micah Parsons (rookie) - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 7 ) Change (+/-) 2
(AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
4 ) RB Ezekiel Elliott - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 5 ) Change (+/-) 1
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
3 ) OT Tyron Smith - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 8 ) Change (+/-) 5
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
2 ) QB Dak Prescott - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 2 ) Change (+/-) 0
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
1 ) OL Zack Martin - 2021 Week 5 Ranking ( 1 ) Change (+/-) 0
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
1
1
