IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' Twitter mailbag is ready.
In it, we discuss:
Ezekiel Elliott, Day 1 starter
Spending money
Away we go:
@toddarcher will Zeke be the week 1 starter? #cowboysmail
— Tom Yi (@TomJYi) May 5, 2016
@toddarcher: Elliott better be. If he's not, then the Cowboys don't have the runner they thought they were getting. I understand Jason Garrett preaching competition with Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris, but sometimes coaches just have to say those things. Of just about any position, running back is the easiest to plug and play. There is the most natural carryover in the position. There are things to learn, like blitz pickup, but running the ball is running the ball is running the ball. The Cowboys probably won't give Elliott 392 carries like they did with DeMarco Murray in 2014 but if he's not the predominant ball carrier this year then he either got hurt or wasn't as good as advertised. Clearly the Cowboys had no reservations about Elliott to be a three-down back when they picked him. They lauded his ability to block. They lauded his ability to catch. But they really need him to be a difference-making runner and that has to be Sept. 11 against the New York Football Giants, as Garrett likes to say.
@toddarcher with some extra money from Carr's restructure, how do you see DC spending that money? O line resignings? FAs? #cowboysmail
— Jon Eccles (@CowboysFan88x) May 5, 2016
@toddarcher: I think the more likely thing to happen is the Cowboys save their money and carry it over toward the cap in 2017. It's always possible they sign Travis Frederick to a long-term deal but I don't get the same feeling I had when Tyron Smith signed his extension in 2014. There's nothing malicious there but there was always a sense a deal with Smith would come together easy. The Cowboys created about $3.6 million in room with Brandon Carr's pay cut, but you have to remember he will count against next year's cap as well because of the voidable year remaining. Just because a team has money doesn't mean they have to spend it. I think the more prudent play right now is saving that money for 2017.
@toddarcher Do you see Collins making a difference? What about Dominque Easley?
— Protect The Star (@Cowboys_71) May 5, 2016
@toddarcher: I had another reader ask if I see any other Day 1 starters besides Elliott, so I figured I can hit both topics here. Collins is the answer right now, but perhaps Charles Tapper could work his way into the equation after training camp. Hearing Jerry Jones tell it, Collins will play a ton of snaps early, so whether he starts or not doesn't matter. Collins is what Rod Marinelli wants in a 3-technique. He's quick. He can penetrate. He can disrupt. He's not put on pads yet so you don't want to get carried away but it is possible he could start at defensive tackle and push Tyrone Crawford to left defensive end to start the year with Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence missing. Tapper has some pure right end skills with his athleticism and the Cowboys don't have a lot of those guys. As for Dominique Easley or any other veteran, I think the Cowboys will be quiet for now. They will always look for players but there's a difference between looking and signing.