As we gear up for the 2024 NFL Draft, one of the key exercises is to see where the holes are on the current Cowboys roster. So using only current talent, we’re going to try to put together a 53-man projection. This is one of the clearest ways to identify how Dallas will prioritize its draft selections this week.

This is especially intriguing right now given the mass exodus of players this offseason with few replacements. Gone are Tyron Smith, Stephon Gilmore, Tyler Biadasz, Tony Pollard, Leighton Vander Esch, Michael Gallup, Jayron Kearse, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, and others who’d have probably made the team this August. So far, Dallas has only retained a few of last year’s free agents while adding two external free agents; a major disparity in departures over arrivals/keepers.

Thankfully, we know the Cowboys have this year’s draft and some remaining free agency work to improve on the current situation. But if they did have to play a game this weekend, what would the team look like?

OFFENSE (25)

Quarterback (3)

Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, Trey Lance

Running Back (3)

Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman, Deuce Vaughn

Fullback (1)

Hunter Luepke

Wide Receiver (5)

CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cook, Jalen Tolbert
KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks

Tight End (4)

Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker
Peyton Hendershot, John Stephens

Offensive Line (9)

Tyler Smith, Zack Martin, Terence Steele
Brock Hoffman, T.J. Bass, Asim Richards
Chuma Edoga, Matt Waletzko, Josh Ball

The most glaring issue here is along the offensive line, of course. Smith, Martin, and Steele are your only clear starters going forward. While there are positive signs from prospects Hoffman and Bass, asking them to start next year is dicey. Hopefully, some of Dallas’ recent draft picks like Richards and Waletzko will be able to make it a competition. But even with this group of nine, you may not have a backup center. You can understand why most mock drafts have Dallas going OL early, perhaps even with their first- and second-round picks.

Keeping four tight ends and a fullback may seem rich, but John Stephens is sort of a hybrid WR/TE and gives depth at both spots. The Cowboys will probably shed weight here to keep more depth on defense, but based on current talent there was literally nobody else to keep on the other side of the ball. So for now, we’re leaning into offensive flexibility and being able to attack teams with a variety of looks and personnel.

At the top of the depth charts, we’re mostly good except for the offensive line and at running back. How early Dallas invests in a new starter at running back is one of the major talking points in this draft. The second round feels possible if Trey Benson or Jonathan Brooks are there, but many would prefer that the Cowboys wait until at least the third round to see what trickles down. You wait too long, though, and you may not be any better off than if Dowdle was the starter.

DEFENSE (24)

Defensive End (6)

Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams
Chauncey Golston, Villiami Fehoko, Tyrus Wheat

Defensive Tackle (3)

Osa Odighizuwa, Mazi Smith, Carl Davis

Linebacker (5)

Eric Kendricks, Damone Clark, DeMarvion Overshown
Markquese Bell, Buddy Johnson

Cornerback (6)

Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Jourdan Lewis
Israel Mukuamu, Nahshon Wright, Eric Scott

Safety (4)

Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson
Juanyeh Thomas, Sheldrick Redwine

This got ugly in a hurry, especially in the front seven. We couldn’t even move Markquese Bell to safety yet, as we know the team intends to do, because they’re so thin at linebacker. So it feels almost certain that at least one mid-round pick may be going there, and perhaps higher depending on who falls. Eric Kendricks is only here on a one-year deal, so having someone to compete with Clark and Overshown for the future would make sense.

We could only name three defensive tackles right now because that’s all Dallas has. Defensive ends like Golston and Fehoko may have been able to move inside some in Dan Quinn’s scheme, but Mike Zimmer likes bigger guys in more traditional roles. The Cowboys will almost certainly draft at least one defensive tackle this week, but could also be looking for some cheap veteran signings to fill the depth chart in the coming months.

The secondary feels pretty solid. Once Bell returns to safety, that’s probably curtains for Sheldrick Redwine. Younger prospects could take roster spots from the likes of Nahshon Wright and Israel Mukuamu, but at least Mukuamu gives some versatility as a corner and safety. It’d be nice to have at least one new corner with some upside, especially with Jourdan Lewis only back on a one-year deal.

SPECIAL TEAMS (4)

K Brandon Aubrey, P Bryan Anger
LS Trent Sieg, ST C.J. Goodwin

We don’t even call Goodwin a cornerback anymore because that’s not why he’s here. The veteran is all about special teams, serving as a gunner and leader for John Fassel’s crews. For years, we’ve assumed younger guys would step up and take his place. And every year, we’re proven wrong. Until the Cowboys actually decide to move on, just keep on penciling him in for the roster.

School safety, teacher retention and student success are the key focuses of candidates as two seats on the Dallas school board are up for grabs.

The new trustees will join veteran representatives in working with Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde to steer the second-largest district in Texas as it works to boost academic performance and manage a roughly $1.9 billion budget.

Trustees set DISD priorities for serving the district’s roughly 140,000 students, pass legislative agendas and evaluate the superintendent’s effectiveness. Election day is May 4; early voting runs now through April 30.

District 1 trustee Edwin Flores is stepping down to pursue a seat on the Dallas College board. District 9 trustee Justin Henry – who is currently board president – also is not seeking reelection. Both have endorsed candidates who they want to succeed them.

Dan Micciche, who represents the District 3 area that includes Northeast Dallas, is running unopposed for reelection.

District 1

Three people are seeking the Northwest Dallas District 1 seat.

Flores is endorsing Lance Currie, a law firm partner with two kids in DISD. Currie has worked with multiple organizations supporting public education, including Reading Partners and EducateDallas. Currie said it’s vital to have a parent’s perspective on the board.

Currie has worked alongside Flores for years to understand the district’s direction and priorities, including as the trustee’s appointee on a racial equity advisory council.

“He has the right experience, the right demeanor, the right understanding,” Flores said of Currie.

Currie said he wants the district doing additional work to figure out what happens to students after they graduate and set goals based on their success. He’s supportive of one of the district’s key reforms: the Teacher Excellence Initiative, a pay-for-performance compensation model.

“If you’re gonna have to live with some turnover, I’d rather keep the really effective [teachers] and have the other ones find the places that they need to be so that our kids can continue to learn,” Currie said.

He’s running against nonprofit field director Maureen Milligan and Chris Roberts, who works in information technology.

Milligan wants school leaders to pause and determine what is succeeding – and what isn’t – as the district grapples with budget challenges and declining enrollment.

“We really need this comprehensive assessment of what programs have been working – how our facilities and our investments, staff and the rest of the system can really be strategically designed,” she said.

Milligan acknowledged that could mean fewer schools in the future. DISD’s enrollment has decreased by more than 15,000 students since 2018-19.

She is involved in many civic organizations, including the City of Dallas 2024 bond taskforce. As trustee, she said she would increase the number of parents and community members who participate in campus-level decision making.

Prior to Roberts’ career in technology, he was a middle and high school band director. He’s an advocate for additional music education, more restrictive technology policies and stronger discipline.

“If we have strong discipline, it would actually be a recruiting tool,” Roberts said. He added that he wants DISD known as a place where “we’re good with discipline. We have a tight ship.”

He said his ideas would likely be met with a lot of “noise” initially but would be in the best interest of the district.

DISD overhauled its discipline practices in recent years, aiming to keep more kids on campus and solve underlying behavior issues. The district wanted to tackle the negative impact of exclusionary discipline, which removes students from class and disproportionately affects students of color.

District 9

Four candidates are seeking to represent District 9, which includes South Dallas along with parts of downtown, Pleasant Grove, Deep Ellum, Uptown and East Dallas.

Henry supports Ed Turner, an insurance broker and longtime DISD volunteer who previously sought the same seat.

Henry said Turner will keep his focus on what’s best for kids and can build relationships even with those he disagrees with. Turner is the only candidate with a significant campaign finance balance. The latest reports online showed he had roughly $16,000 cash on hand.

Student safety is top of mind for candidates. A DISD student wounded a classmate in a shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins High School earlier this month, raising concerns about how a teenager brought a gun onto campus despite the use of metal detectors and clear backpacks.

Turner – whose daughter attends a DISD school – said he wants to see more focus on keeping students safe from fentanyl.

“Every teacher, everyone in the building, should be trained on identifying overdoses,” he said, adding that there should be easy access to medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses.

One of his opponents, Oralia Alonso, a parent instructor/liaison at Ann Richards STEAM Academy, said she’s in favor of more mental health resources.

“The district has programs available,” she said. “But are they reachable to every school? Do the parents have that information?”

The candidates have various ideas on tackling teacher retention.

Da’On Boulanger-Chatman, a fine arts teacher in Garland ISD, said that while he supports the overall idea of the Teacher Excellence Initiative, he wants to make changes to the system so educators don’t feel in competition with each other.

“This is not to say that the TEI program is not effective in many ways. It is,” he said. “However, the verbiage and the selection criteria that is presented to the teachers is not a morale booster.”

He also wants educators who win “Teacher of the Year” awards to get a seat at the boardroom table for trustee meetings.

Community organizer LaKashia Wallace suggested moving to a four-day school week to attract successful teachers. Fridays could be used for academic remediation for students who need it, she said. A few smaller area districts have moved to shortened weeks, including Anna, but large urban districts have stayed away from this model.

“Since we’re in a budget crisis, what can we do to look and see incentives for teachers and staff?” she said. “Get what we need done and give teachers an opportunity to rest.”

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.

3rd Quarter Report

The Clippers and the Mavericks have shown up to the matchup, but their offenses sure haven’t. Sitting on a score of 66-65, the Clippers have looked like the better team, but there’s still one more quarter to play.

If the Clippers keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 2-0 in no time. On the other hand, the Mavericks will have to make due with an 0-2 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who’s Playing

Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Clippers

Regular Season Records: Dallas 50-32, Los Angeles 51-31

Current Series Standings: Dallas 0, Los Angeles 1

How To Watch

• When: Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 10 p.m. ET
• Where: Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California
• TV: TNT
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Ticket Cost: $49.00

What to Know

On Tuesday, the Dallas Mavericks will fight it out against the Los Angeles Clippers in a Western Conference playoff contest at 10:00 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena. Despite being away, the Mavericks are looking at a two-point advantage in the spread.

The Mavericks are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 221.5, but even that wound up being too high. They fell 109-97 to the Clippers on Sunday. Dallas didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.

The Mavericks’ loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Kyrie Irving, who scored 31 points along with seven rebounds and two steals, and Luka Doncic, who dropped a double-double on 33 points and 13 rebounds. Doncic’s afternoon made it 11 games in a row in which he has scored at least 30 points.

The Mavericks have some ground to make up, as the Clippers currently lead the series 1-0. Check back here after the game to see if the Mavericks can even up the series or if the Clippers can really take the lead.

Odds

Dallas is a slight 2-point favorite against Los Angeles, according to the latest NBA odds.

The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Clippers as a 1-point favorite.

The over/under is 215.5 points.

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Los Angeles has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Dallas.

• Apr 21, 2024 – Los Angeles 109 vs. Dallas 97
• Dec 20, 2023 – Los Angeles 120 vs. Dallas 111
• Nov 25, 2023 – Los Angeles 107 vs. Dallas 88
• Nov 10, 2023 – Dallas 144 vs. Los Angeles 126
• Feb 08, 2023 – Dallas 110 vs. Los Angeles 104
• Jan 22, 2023 – Los Angeles 112 vs. Dallas 98
• Jan 10, 2023 – Los Angeles 113 vs. Dallas 101
• Nov 15, 2022 – Dallas 103 vs. Los Angeles 101
• Feb 12, 2022 – Los Angeles 99 vs. Dallas 97
• Feb 10, 2022 – Dallas 112 vs. Los Angeles 105