Brett's Cowboys Corner

The Cowboys have high expectations early in the season for their 2024 draft class. Six of the eight draft picks made the initial 53-man roster, the first time since 2019 we have seen this many rookies make the initial roster. Dallas also has one undrafted free agent, Brevyn Spann-Ford making the initial roster.

Round (pick)	Player	Position	College
1 (29)	Tyler Guyton	OT	Oklahoma
2 (56)	Marshawn Kneeland	DE	Western Michigan
3 (73)	Cooper Beebe	G/C	Kansas State
3 (87)	Marist Liufau	LB	Notre Dame
5 (174)	Caelen Carson	CB	Wake Forest
6 (216)	Ryan Flournoy	WR	SE Missouri State
7 (233)	Nate Thomas	G/T	Louisiana
7 (244)	Justin Rogers	DT	Auburn

The rookies will have plenty of opportunities this season to make an impact. Linebacker Marist Liufau and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford will be rotational pieces to their position groups, Ryan Flournoy can have a role on special teams, and for Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, Caelen Carson, and Marshawn Kneeland will all have starting roles to begin the year.

Dallas Defensive Line: 99 Chauncey Gholston, 94 Marshawn Kneeland, 58 Mazi Smith

One interesting element to the season is the amount of pressure is on the 2024 draft class, but for most members of the 2023 class it is more the hope they do anything to be somewhat contributors towards the season. Players like Mazi Smith and Luke Schoonmaker need to make up for their prior season and show they are worth keeping around.

Regardless here are four Cowboy’s rookies that will not only have to get comfortable at their position quickly, but them starting off well is crucial for the Cowboys this Sunday.

Tyler Guyton, Left tackle

Guyton is the 1st round draft pick and will be expected to replace an All-Pro in Tyron Smith on the left side. Guyton’s first task as an NFL tackle is to take on the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, which is a tough task for the best of the best let alone a rookie. The Browns will move Garrett around but you will likely see Garrett attacking Guyton early on to find any rookie mistakes. Garrett was 2nd last season in pass rush win rate (30.5%) right behind our own Micah Parsons. I believe Guyton has shown that he is strong and athletic enough to handle someone of Garrett’s caliber, but the speed off the edge might trick Tyler into making mistakes with his hand placement, which can lead to penalties or running into the back of your QB.

Cooper Beebe, Center

In a draft day trade the Cowboys acquired an extra 3rd round pick, that turned into their starting center, Cooper Beebe. This will be a new challenge as Beebe played guard in college, so far there is zero concern for Beebe’s ability to dominate as a blocker in the pass and run game. The challenge, snapping the ball…We saw in training camp that this was the toughest learning curve for him and it was not until the last few weeks of camp that he overtook Brock Hoffmans’ starting job. Playing on the road generally means a louder crowd on offense and working with the ‘silent count’ instead of the “Yeahhhh..Here we gooo” offense. A mistake with the snap is the easiest way to create unnecessary turnovers, the Cowboys will have to simplify their pre-snap offense and make the snap count a quicker motion, ready get set and go. Of course, this makes your timing predictable but it’s better than a turnover.

Caelen Carson, Cornerback

The other three rookies were the first three choices, all in the top 75. Carson stands out as he was taken in the 5th round, pick 174, but the Cowboys will tell you that he was a 3rd round player on their board and I know I had him graded a lot higher than the 5th. An injury to Daron Bland will slide him into the starting outside corner on Sunday. Carson has shown a lot of good traits during the preseason but there are two areas of concern, he had a few moments where he would get burned on a deep ball and not get a proper jam at the line of scrimmage, Coach Zimmer will likely provide safety help for Carson but the Browns see the tape and will likely try him a few times deep. The other concern is the matchup with Amari Cooper, who is not the receiver he once was. However, he is still a phenomenal route runner and can still catch a lot of defensive backs lacking…hopefully Carson can keep on his toes.

Marshawn Kneeland, Defensive end

The Dallas Cowboys are still working on rebuilding a bottom three run defense last year, and their first matchup is against one of the better running offenses in the NFL. Marshawn Kneeland much like Carson is stepping in for an injured starter, Sam Williams, Kneeland the 2nd round pick is going to start at defensive end, on opposite sides of Pro Bowler Demarcus Lawrence. Now Kneeland will likely be rotated with Parsons when he’s asked to rush the edge, but when Kneeland is in the game, you don’t want the Brown’s focus to be attacking you. The key factor is his ability as a run defender, as mentioned before Cleveland can run the heck out of the football and some of the dominance is their players but a lot of it comes from the creativity of Kevin Stefanski’s scheme. Cleveland will run the ball creatively and show a lot of pulling blockers and motions that Kneeland may not have ever seen, the importance is to trust your job and don’t lose sight of the football.