Now that the Cowboys are in the thick of training camp, aside from quarterback, what injury at what position can they ill afford to lose? – Jesse Lozano/Corpus Christi, TX
Patrik: Well, you only have two kickers and neither have proven yet they deserve the nod, so an injury there would be less than ideal. But if you're asking for a more potent position here, then I'd probably go with the obvious: quarterback. There are a couple of others I could point at, justifiably (e.g., tight end, linebacker, offensive line), but I keep mentally circling back to Dak Prescott. Give Cooper Rush roses for helping the defense to keep the train on the tracks in Prescott's absence last season, but it's safe to say this offense is only ever going to reach its max potential with QB1 under center. So if Prescott can remain on the field for the entire ride AND get back to protecting the ball, you'd be looking at an offense (that now includes Brandin Cooks and Deuce Vaughn) that has the potential to match serve with the lights-out defense; but Prescott can't lead it fully if he's not in pads; so it's a good thing he looks exceedingly healthy right now.
Nick Eatman: I don't like this question because I'm a believer in the jinx. Once you put something out there, I feel like it tends to happen more often than not. So I don't want to say a specific position and definitely not a player. But any spot that loses an All-Pro or Pro Bowl player would be a tough blow. I think this is a really talented team with a lot of firepower. But just look at the best players and see where the big drop-off is behind them... that's the spot this team can't afford to lose. And that's a few positions - pass rusher, guard, center, wide receiver, cornerback and running back.
