There was a popular thought that Williams was headed for a breakout in his second year, but the talented edge rusher never took off. Williams did have 4.5 sacks, which was a half-sack better than his rookie year, and his best play of the season came on special teams when he a blocked punt which resulted in a safety.

However, Williams never broke out or into more playing time in Year 2. He saw just 30 more snaps in his second season as he failed to eat into fellow rotational pass rusher Dorance Armstrong’s playing time and was outproduced by the veteran. Williams did show he could get to the quarterback on limited opportunities, finishing third on the team in sacks, but more was expected.

The bump in the speacial teams also saw a few bad penalties that extended drives and hurt the team.

With Armstrong and fellow veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler now in Washington with former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, this could be the time for Williams to shine. The path for the young pass rusher doesn’t get any clearer, he’s the first guy up in the rotation after Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, so he’ll have ample chances to get to the quarterback. There isn’t much competition standing in Williams’ way for playing time.

One of the underrated positions of need for the Cowboys is at edge. If Williams can be the player they drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft, there will be less worries about the pass rush.

There isn’t much more that can be said about Smith’s rookie year, it went about as poorly as it could for a first-round pick. Smith couldn’t crack the starting lineup until fellow DT Johnathan Hankins got hurt and played in just 28% of the snaps.

It typically takes time for DTs to find their footing in the NFL and that was certainly the case for Smith. The rookie dropped weight, got pushed around, and was late off the snap for much of his first year.

The learning curve needs to be flattened. Hankins is gone, which seemed okay with the Cowboys, and Smith is going to be thrust into a larger role. The hope is new DC Mike Zimmer can get the most out of the young DT. There isn’t much competition standing in Smith’s way for playing time and the team is thin in the middle of their defensive line.

Smith didn’t have the rookie season the Cowboys envisioned when they selected him, but there’s no reason to give up on the young DT. He’ll need to grow up fast for Zimmer’s defense if they’re going to improve against the run in 2024.

The Cowboys moved on from veteran wide receiver Michael Gallup and now the offense needs a third option behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks. Gallup never returned to the same receiver he was before his 2021 knee injury, but Dak Prescott trusted him and now the quarterback has to find another WR with whom to put his faith.

Tolbert could be that. After two disappointing seasons, it’s time for the third-round pick to give Dallas a return on their investment. With just 24 receptions and two scores in two years, the former South Alabama product has an opportunity to earn his way into a bigger role.

Tolbert won’t be handed anything, he’ll have to fight off second-year WR Jalen Brooks, reclamation project Martavis Bryant, and any receiver the Cowboys are likely to draft in April, but he’s got the best chance at filling Gallup’s role. The potential is there, Tolbert did average close to 16 yards a catch last season, but he has yet to play consistently enough to garner more looks in the passing game. That could come with Gallup no longer in the picture, there are now 57 more targets that could go Tolbert’s way.

There’s a clear path for Tolbert to shine in Year 3, but he has to take advantage of his opportunity. The offense needs a reliable third WR, and the Cowboys have to hope that Tolbert can step up.

The Cowboys got very little contributions from their rookie class and Schoonmaker was a part of that discouraging first year. After being drafted in the second round, Schoonmaker had a foot injury that sidelined him for most of training camp, putting him behind for his rookie season. Tight end is one of the tougher positions to adjust to in the NFL and Schoonmaker never gained enough momentum to make an impact.

That should change in his second year, but Schoonmaker recently underwent shoulder surgery which will keep him out of the offseason program and he won’t return until training camp.

The potential is there for him to make a solid pair at TE with Jake Ferguson. With the league running more 12-personnel on offense and without a reliable third WR, the Cowboys could use Schoonmaker more in 2024.

Schoonmaker has shown he can make plays and can work the middle of the field; his touchdown against the Carolina Panthers demonstrated that play-making ability. The rookie also got better as the year went on, improving on his work in the trenches, confirming he could’ve had a bigger impact if he were able to get actual work in the field.

The Cowboys will need more from Schoonmaker in his second year, he should be part of an efficient passing game and pairing him with Ferguson could make for one of the best TE duos in the league.

The offensive line in Dallas has lost two starters in free agency and they’ll be trying to figure out a way to replace both left tackle Tyron Smith and center Tyler Biadasz. That’s a lot to rebuild in one offseason, even with a good draft for offensive linemen.

It wouldn’t feel as daunting a task if the Cowboys weren’t trying to get more out of their right tackle as well. Steele had a rough year on 2023 and the hope is that it was an anomaly after watching the undrafted free agent improve in each of his previous three seasons.

The obvious reason for Steele’s regression was because he was coming off an ACL injury that occurred late in 2022. It’s an injury that can take some time to recover from and often the best results aren’t seen until a player is two years removed from it. Before the injury, Steele has ascended into a quality RT and was rewarded with a lucrative extension.

That wasn’t the Steele that showed up in 2023, which was a difficult version to watch and the Cowboys need him to be better for the upcoming season. Replacing two OL isn’t easy, but worrying about a third player on the unit is cause for concern. The Cowboys need Steele to get back to the level he was at if they are to continue to make the playoffs. When he’s right, Steele is a dominating run blocker, and solid pass protector on the right side.

Getting the best out of Steele is one of the keys to the 2024 season, it’s vital that he return to being a solid RT in Dallas.