Under The Radar Dallas Cowboys

Author: Jack Casabonne

Editor: Brian Symons

With kickoff just around the corner, 53 man rosters have been finalized across the league. While it’s always painful to see players lose their jobs, it’s also a time where opportunities are created for under the radar players, such as undrafted free agents. In Dallas it was no different, where dreams came true for many. There will still be changes to the roster in the coming days, with CeeDee Lamb, Connor Williams, Carlos Watkins, Damontae Kazee, and Noah Brown all expected to be removed from the Covid-19 list. For now, however, three Cowboys players have realized their dream of making an NFL roster.

Israel Mukuamu:

With a roster as talented as the one in Dallas, most late round draft picks are seemingly competing for a practice squad spot, with little chance of cracking the 53 man roster in their first year. However, due to the Cowboys’ consistent valuation of their yearly draft classes, every draft pick made the roster. This wasn’t the only reason Israel Mukuamu ended up on the final roster, though. The former Gamecock had a phenomenal season, leaving the front office with no choice but to include him on the roster. In the preseason finale against Jacksonville, Mukuamu recorded an interception to go along with his six tackles. Standing at 6’4” and weighing 205 pounds, Mukuamu is a physical specimen. As just a 6th round draft choice, he has shown to be much more developed in his game than the team could have predicted, which bodes well for his chances of making a contribution this season, and certainly in the years to come.

Azur Kamara:

The Hard Knocks fan favorite seemed like a longshot to make the Cowboys roster at the beginning of training camp. However, Kamara showed significant improvement from his stint on the practice squad last season. As an undrafted free agent from Kansas, Kamara’s speed off the edge caught the eyes of Cowboys scouts. He has continued to put on size, with room to go. Currently listed at 6’4” and 235 pounds, this season will be all about continuing to make improvements in the weight room, as well as on the field. This is something that he will continue to focus upon, as the Ivory Coast native’s commitment to the game is apparent. With his family watching, Kamara made his presence known against the Cardinals in Dallas’ second preseason game. While his sack was called back due to a defensive penalty, his technicality at the point of attack was impressive, and definitely something that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn noticed.

Simi Fehoko:

One of the fanbase’s favorite draft selections, Simi Fehoko seemed like he was on the outside looking in due to the depth Dallas has at receiver. Headlined by arguably the best trio in football with Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup, alongside veterans Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown, the Cowboys are stacked at receiver. Yet, they couldn’t resist selecting the Stanford product in the 5th round. He boasts top end height, weight, and speed measurables, coming in at 6’4” 223 pounds, while running a blazing 40 timed in the 4.3’s. Fehoko is still extremely raw, so anticipate him making most of his contributions through special teams in 2021. With Michael Gallup’s impending free agency, Fehoko’s development will be a top priority for coaches and executives within Dallas, with the hope that he can one day secure that 3rd receiver spot.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

Youth in the AFC East

Author: Zachary Patlin

Editor: Mark Awadallah

The AFC East quarterbacks are very young and very talented. Atop the division, the expected favorite of the AFC East, are the Buffalo Bills led by QB Josh Allen, coming off his new 6-year, $258 million extension. Josh Allen just a season ago carried the young Buffalo Bills into the postseason for just the third time since 1999. In just 16 games with the Bills in 2020, Allen completed 69.2% of his passes and threw for 37 TDs against just 10 interceptions. His season was nothing short of remarkable and he looks to continue to dominate the AFC East for many years to come.

The newest QB to the division is now Patriots starting QB Mac Jones, 15th overall pick out of Alabama, after Cam Newton was released early Tuesday morning. This move came with a lot of surprise, as Bill Belichick stated that Cam Newton is the starting QB until he is outperformed. He was clearly outperformed in training camp and in the preseason games, making Bill’s decision a lot easier to start the young bull. Jones finished third in 2020 Heisman voting, falling behind just his teammate DeVonta Smith and first overall pick Trevor Lawrence. Jones is scouted as a pocket passer with an extremely accurate arm, although maybe lacking velocity and throw power. Jones will look to take his experience from Nick Sabin and use it in a big way to make a splash in the AFC East.

Entering his second season in the NFL, Tua Tagovailoa will get 100% of the snaps for the Miami Dolphins this year as long as he remains healthy. Last year, after just a few brief plays in a blowout win against the Jets, Tua was named the dolphins starting QB, a team with playoff aspirations backed by a strong defense. Although the season had many ups and downs, including Fitzpatrick playing as the relief QB for a number of games, Tua is looking to grow in this offensive system built solely around him. Tua finished last season with a 64.1% completion percentage, throwing 11 TDs and 5 interceptions. In his time at Alabama, when healthy, Tua was a force that could place the football wherever he wanted to. I expect much of the same command of the football as he continues to master this offense and with Tua in-form the Dolphins can be genuine playoff contenders this season.

Lastly, the number two overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of BYU. The Jets and Joe Douglas fell head over heels in love with Zach Wilson’s tape and persona, prompting them to make a big move. In the offseason, the Jets traded Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for 3 draft picks, including a second rounder. Wilson will be acquainted into a new offense led by Head Coach Robert Saleh and Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur, brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Wilson had a very strong preseason for the Jets, showing shades of why he was the number two pick in the draft. If he is put in a position to succeed on offense, unlike Darnold was, Wilson can turn out to be the missing puzzle piece that can finally turn the franchise around. If the same old Jets show up with no pass protection, bad play calling, etc. they will forever wonder what could have been if they kept on to Sam Darnold. Wilson will need to play at a high-level almost immediately to not be overlooked in this very tough division.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

Baltimore Ravens Should Trade for Marlon Mack

Author: Max Greenberg

The Baltimore Ravens recently suffered a huge blow to their offense, as JK Dobbins was injured in their most recent preseason game and is now out for the season with a torn ACL. The second year pro out of Ohio State took over as the team’s lead back as the 2020 season progressed, and had high upside as the backfield workhorse this year.

With how much the Ravens depend on running the ball, this loss is going to hurt them badly. Whether or not you want to blame the help around him, Lamar Jackson has had some inconsistencies as a passer, and if he does not fix them, this offense could become quite one-dimensional.

It will be tough to replace Dobbins’ production no matter what, but they may have a chance to at least soften the blow of losing him. Their front office needs to be on their feet and looking into acquiring Marlon Mack from the Indianapolis Colts.

Mack’s 2020 season unfortunately came to an early end when he suffered a torn achilles in Week 1, but prior to that, he was showing real promise. He was part of a backfield tandem with Nyheim Hines and became a 1000+ yard rusher in 2019.

At this point in his career, he is 25 and still has plenty of years of good football in him. And he could use a fresh start, as he has seemingly fallen out of place with his current team.

He was willing to come back on a one-year deal for some reason, but at best, he will split a secondary role with Hines, as Jonathan Taylor has emerged as the clear workhorse for the Colts. And even then, Frank Reich might opt to use Hines because he provides the receiving and elusive element that Mack does not.

Mack could come into Baltimore and be their number one running back. Again, I am not saying that he would come in and replace what Dobbins was supposed to do, but he can at least be serviceable, if not more than that. I do not have confident that any other running back on the Ravens could.

It would also cost them virtually nothing. What would they have to give up? A fifth rounder? Maybe?

This trade would honestly be a win for both clubs and the player himself, so why not pull the trigger?

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE