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Rico Gathers' upside is too great for Cowboys to just stash away on practice squad again
Dallas Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers tries to dunk the ball over the goalpost while warming up before an NFC divisional round playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, in Arlington. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
By Jon Machota
3:05 PM on May 5, 2017 CDT
Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer for SportsDayDFW.com and The Dallas Morning News, answered questions about the team in a live chat Friday. Here are the highlights:
Question: Which of the late-round guys do you envision having big impacts at some point down the road?
Machota: Xavier Woods. He came into a great situation with Church and Wilcox departing in free agency. He should play a lot this season and possibly step into a starting role. The Cowboys don't view him as a sixth-round player. He should be in the safety mix immediately. They need playmakers on the back end. Over the last three seasons at Louisiana Tech, Woods forced six fumbles and intercepted 14 passes.
Question: Do you see Rico Gathers being on the opening-day roster this season without an injury clearing the way for him?
Machota: I am predicting that he will open the season on the 53-man roster. The Cowboys will keep four TEs and I see it being Witten, Rico, Hanna and Swaim. Not sure what Rico will be able to do, but his upside is too great to try stashing him on the practice squad for another season. I would think at the least he could be used to create mismatches in red-zone situations.
Question: Heard Stephen Jones describe Taco as a "low-floor" prospect. What exactly would you say is his floor?
Machota: As long as he stays healthy, I'd say his floor is being a contributor who averages 3-4 sacks a season. His ceiling is a Pro Bowl-caliber player who averages double-digit sacks every season. What do I expect in Year 1? An end who plays multiple positions, is among the Cowboys' D-line leaders in snaps played during the season and finishes with 5-6 sacks.
Question: Which of the rookies do you expect to start for the Cowboys next season? How many does Dallas need to start considering the holes from free agency?
Machota: They Don't HAVE TO start any. They could start veterans at DE and CB. It's not like they don't have enough bodies. Charlton will get every opportunity to start at right DE. I expect him to start but also wouldn't be shocked if he wasn't out there for the very first snap Week 1. When all is said and done, I expect him to play about as many snaps this season as any other Cowboys D-lineman. Awuzie would be my favorite to start at one of the CB spots. But they could also take their time working the young guys in, going with Scandrick, Carroll and Brown ahead of them.
Question: What do the Cowboys need out of Byron Jones this season after all the DB departures?
Machota: Turnovers. There just haven't been enough plays on the ball from Dallas' defensive backfield over the last few years. Jones has been a quality player over the last two seasons but he now has to become one of the leaders on the back end. With Church gone, the young guys need another player to show them the ropes. Jones is the ideal fit. He has great knowledge of all the defensive back roles in this scheme. I expect him to be one of the leaders in the DB room.
Question: What are your storylines to watch at rookie camp?
Machota: No. 1 is Jaylon Smith. After missing all of last season, he is supposed to be participating in next weekend's camp. I'm very interested to see how he looks. No. 2 is Taco Charlton's offseason debut. No. 3 is which of the defensive backs looks best out of Awuzie, Lewis, Woods and White.
Question: Any post-draft record predictions for Cowboys?
Machota: Mine has not changed. I'm sticking with 10-6 and getting one of the wild card spots.
Jon Machota
jmachota@dallasnews.com @jonmachota
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