Dallas Cowboys

How the 2016 rookie class has shaped (and saved) the Dallas Cowboys season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Oct 9, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) celebrates with quarterback Dak Prescott (4) after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Think back to that preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks earlier this year. Think about your first emotions when quarterback Tony Romo left the game with an apparent back injury. Think back to a season ago when Cowboys fans had to endure loss after loss at the hands of inept backup quarterback play.

Fast forward five weeks into the 2016 regular season and look around at how Dallas’ newest rookie class has not only shaped this four win team, but also saved it.

This years Cowboys team faced an uphill battle after Romo’s injury. Even if owner and general manager Jerry Jones wasn’t going to say it outright like he had two years prior. With rookie starters scattered throughout the roster, including at the most pivotal positions, it is easy to see why Dallas fans were going into the season on edge.

Dak Prescott, a fourth round pick.. scratch that Dallas’ second fourth round pick was the teams developmental pick. He was supposed to sit behind Romo… and Kellen Moore, and be groomed to potentially take over the job down the road.

By now every Cowboys fan knows that Dak wasn’t the teams first option in the draft. He wasn’t even their second and he may not have been their third. Yet, there he sat. At a draft spot too sweet to pass up the Cowboys made the selection.

It would be easy to say the rest is history but some things happened in between there. injuries to QB1 and Qb2 didn’t hurt his playing time. A preseason full of big plays and no mistakes, a trend that has carried over into the regular season.

QB3 has led this Cowboys team to a 4-1 record that could easily be 5-0 if Terrance Williams makes a smarter play week one. He’s done it by protecting the ball, picking his spots, and playing within the offense. His legs have also contributed to his early success. He’s not an outright runner but he’s also not just a pocket scrambler like Romo. He has the ability to do both.

So if Cowboys Nation was feeling down in the dumps after Tony’s injury late in the preseason they are probably feeling pretty good right now, as their team sits atop the NFC East. So, if you’re feeling pretty good about that top spot you have to be feeling pretty good about the guy who got them there; QB3.

After all this is a fanbase that was in dire straights, begging for the return of Romo during last seasons debacle. A fan base that, after years of criticism, finally realized Romo’s worth during his absence. Until of course; his value isn’t as high as it was last year, due to a certain play making rookie wearing number 4.

Oct 9, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) runs for a touchdown against Cincinnati Bengals free safety George Iloka (43) and strong safety Shawn Williams (36) in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Prescott is far from the only rookie contributing to the current success of the Cowboys.

Look no further than Ezekiel Elliott’s 60-yard touchdown run to start the third quarter Sunday vs the Bengals to get an idea of his impact.

More from The Landry Hat

After a slow start, and a few mistakes, Elliott has become everything everyone thought he would be. The same runner who seemed to lack the patience to let the holes develop in Week One, is exploding through them in Week Five. Zeke himself has said that he looks like a completely different running back on tape, from Weeks One to Five.

Perhaps the biggest accomplishment thus far has been his yards per carry, which currently sit at 5. With such a high average the Cowboys offense has been able to stay ahead of the down and distance which in turn has made things easier on his fellow rookie QB when facing third down reads.

Elliott currently leads the entire league in rushing yards by a fairly large margin. But perhaps the best part of his game isn’t the sexiest. The most impressive part of Elliott’s success so far has been his blitz pickup, which has been sensational thus far.

Rookie runners often have trouble identifying blitzers as well as facing trouble in actually stopping them. Zeke has picked up right where he left off in college. Often times flying from one side of the formation to the other in order to stonewall a potential sack.

And while those two may be the most headline grabbing rookies there are a few more who are having equaled success.

Sep 11, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) against Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Maliek Collins (96) at AT&T Stadium. New York won 20-19. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Have you noticed the starting defensive tackle these last few weeks? It’s not the high priced free agent from Philadelphia. It’s not their highest paid defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford.

Nope.

That number 96 you see flying around twist stunts is 3rd round draft pick Maliek Collins. Collins has been playing well enough to steal and then secure the starting spot. If you are watching him on Sundays you will often see him affecting the pocket from his tackle position.

Collins was a big part of the success the defensive line had against the Bengals offense on Sunday.

Orlando Scandrick sure has looked good out there hasn’t he? Wait.. that’s not Scandrick. Who is that number 30 who is shutting down receivers from the slot?

Another rookie?!

That’s right. Number 30 is none other than 6th round rookie Anthony Brown from Purdue. The fact that a rookie corner is able to adjust well enough to start in the slot and have success is fantastic. The fact that he was drafted in the 6th round is hard to believe.

Yet that is where the Cowboys are this year, potentially hitting on nearly all of their picks thus far. Brown has been able to come in and play with a swagger while knocking away balls and sticking to opposing receivers like glue.

Indeed, he looks like a good one. A steal if you will. But then again all of these picks kind of do. They have all played a part in this four game win streak and they all deserve credit for the teams top spot in the division.

When you look at the reasoning in which each of these rookies are playing, it’s easy to say that they have also had a part in saving the season thus far.

Dak Prescott – Salvaging quarterback play that was so bad in the absence of Romo last year the backups were only able to muster a single win.

Ezekiel Elliott – Providing big play ability that keeps the team ahead of the down and distance and a selflessness that keeps his quarterback clean of blitzers.

Maliek Collins – The ability to kick Crawford outside where he has had far more success and the athleticism to run twist stunts that affect opposing quarterbacks

Anthony Brown – The defense hasn’t missed a beat in the absence of Orlando Scandrick and Brown deserves a bulk of the credit for his play.

This article originally appeared on