The Dallas Cowboys are back to the drawing board as they look to round out their roster that won 24 games in the past two seasons but still can’t get over the hump in the playoffs. With several positions that need to be upgraded, they should be more active this offseason than last — even if they continue to avoid the splashy free agents.
With those additions on the way, several players will be headed elsewhere. Here, we look at three such members of the roster who won’t be sorely missed.
3 Cowboys players who will not be missed in 2023
Cowboys, Jason Peters. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
3. Jason Peters, OT
Don’t take this the wrong way because Jason Peters ended up being a huge help for the Cowboys this season. It’s not often that a 40-year-old offensive lineman gets added as the regular season begins and then gets asked to play a key role. But that’s the position Dallas put themselves in when they declined to get trusted depth at offensive tackle.
Despite having Tyron Smith, who hasn’t played a full season since 2015, the Cowboys went with Josh Ball as the swing tackle who was a liability when he did play. That led to them kicking Tyler Smith out to left tackle and Peters joined as the primary reserve.
In 10 games, he had just one start but would fill in when needed at guard or tackle. He wasn’t bad at all but also couldn’t play every down at his age.
Now heading into the offseason, the Cowboys will have to make a move — or even two — in order to get some legitimate depth on the O-line. That means Peters is unlikely to return, and he might even be done in the NFL altogether.
Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brett Maher ( Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
2. Brett Maher, K
When the Cowboys released Dan Bailey in favor of Brett Maher in 2018, it was a shock. They weren’t exactly proven right either as he was up and down that season, making 29 of 36 field goals. Then in 2019, he was awful as he was 20-of-30 — although he did hit a franchise record 63-yarder, which is why they liked him as much as they did.
Maher was released late in the 2019 campaign and then had an eight-game stint with New Orleans in 2021. He did enough there to convince Dallas to bring him back for an audition when Jonathan Garibay was unable to win the job.
There was some apprehension but Maher proved to be a vastly improved player, hitting 29-of-32 kicks. However, he missed three extra points, including his last regular season attempt against Washington.
Those issues carried into the postseason as he whiffed on four straight against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It got so bad that there was a belief he would lose his job before their next game.
Dallas did stick with him but a fifth miss came early against the Niners, and while this one was blocked, it clearly was not heading in the right direction anyway.
Maher did knock in both field goal attempts against the 49ers, which had to help his confidence but it’s tough to see him returning after that playoff meltdown. And for that reason, he might not be missed much at all.
Cowboys, Anthony Brown. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
1. Anthony Brown, CB
This is a tough one since Anthony Brown is actually a very good defensive back. A former sixth-round pick out of Purdue, Brown was added in 2016 and developed into a trusted starter. He was on the wrong end of four pass interference calls against the Raiders in 2021, which hurt his image, but outside of that game, he’s been one of the top cover corners on the team.
In his seven seasons with the team, Brown has 324 tackles, nine interceptions, 59 pass defenses, and five forced fumbles. He also had a pick-six in 2021 as he helped Dallas blow out the Giants in an October meeting.
Picked and going the other way 🙌 #DallasCowboys
📺: #NYGvsDAL on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/udF3bUcrPN— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2021
Even with all that being said, it’s highly unlikely Brown returns in 2023. Instead, Dallas should look to get younger at the position and will also like to see what DaRon Bland can do with a full season under his belt.
Getting younger isn’t the real reason Brown won’t be missed, instead, it will be simply due to the fact that he’s been gone for much of the past four seasons anyway.
Outside of 2021, Brown has spent a lot of time sidelined due to injuries. He played just nine games in 2019, 10 in 2020, and 12 this past season. And with him turning 30 this year, it’s a safe bet this will continue.
Overall, Brown was a steal as a Round 6 selection but it’s time to move on and the defense will be just fine.
