Two young players the Cowboys should use more moving forward

It’s time for the Cowboys to turn their attention to the future.

2024 is a lost season for the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury that will force him to miss at least the next four games was the kiss of death for a Cowboys’ season that never really had any real hope. It’s time for Dallas to turn their attention to the future and make moves that will benefit them next year and for years to come.

With that big picture in mind, today we look at two young players the Cowboys should use more as they play out the stretch this season.

1) OL Asim Richards

Coming into the season there was plenty of hope that the Cowboys’ new-look offensive line could be their best in years. Dallas’ two rookie starters, Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe, have had plenty of ups and downs, but they have not been the biggest problem on the offensive line.

Shockingly, Dallas’ right side of their line, featuring All-Pro Zack Martin and right tackle Terence Steele, has been extremely disappointing. While Martin has not played up to his high standard, it’s unlikely the Cowboys would make a move involving him considering there’s a good chance he’s in his final season in the NFL. Steele, on the other hand, is a much different story.

This was supposed to be a big year for the 27-year-old tackle as he entered his second season post-ACL/MCL tear back in late 2022. So far, Steele has played just as poorly as he did last season. Steele has allowed 25 pressures and six sacks, both in the top five most in the league. He’s on pace to allow more pressures (56) than he did last season when he finished tied for fifth among all offensive linemen.

It’s pretty clear that Steele is not going to be a part of Dallas’ long-term future and they need to start considering their other internal options. One way to do so would be to give 2023 fifth-round pick Asim Richards some playing time down the stretch.

Richards got in for a brief moment in last week’s game at left tackle when Tyler Guyton departed with an injury. If the Cowboys were to insert Richards in the lineup, they could play him at right or left tackle, either keeping the rookie Guyton in his current spot or moving him back to his natural position on the right side and sliding Richards in on the left.

There’s a chance Richards isn’t able to live up to being a starting-caliber NFL tackle, but in an essentially lost season, the Cowboys have no reason not to figure out what he’s capable of. It’s time for the Cowboys to realize they must cut their losses and try to find out who can start at tackle alongside Guyton next season.

2) LB Marist Liufau

Similar to the offensive line, the Cowboys need to think of their long-term future at the linebacker spot. Veteran Erik Kendricks has been a nice addition to the defense and has played some good football at times, but at age 32 on a one-year deal it seems pretty unlikely the veteran will be back in Dallas next season. If that is the case, barring an unlikely early draft pick or free agency signing, Dallas will need 2024 third-round pick Marist Liufau to step up in a big way next year.

Liufau has gotten some decent playing time this year as a rookie linebacker, playing at least 25 defensive snaps in five of Dallas’ eight games. On the year, Liufau has 11 total tackles, and eight defensive stops and has allowed just three catches for 36 yards in coverage.

It hasn’t all been pretty, but Liufau has shown he has the potential to be a starting-caliber linebacker in the NFL. The Cowboys just invested a third-round pick on the Notre Dame product, so they’ll need him to step up alongside DeMarvion Overshown in the coming seasons as the faces of the linebacking corps.

Taking Kendricks off the field in favor of Liufau will hurt the Cowboys’ defense in the short term, but it’s the best move for the future of the franchise. It does not have to be a full switch, but the Cowboys need to start giving Liufau more snaps moving forward, even if it means sacrificing their most experienced linebackers’ playing time.