Skip to main content
Advertising

Mailbag

Presented by

Mailbag: Next special teams captain?

Temp-Mailbag_7_17

(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)

With the retirement of C. J. Goodwin, who do you believe will be become the Cowboys' special teams captain or leader? David Farina/*Trenton*, NJ

Nick: This is a good question but a tough one. It's so early in the process to see who is going to start and contribute on offense and especially defense that it's just tough to gauge who will take the lead on special teams.

And to be real honest, I'm not sure we're going to see a lot of CJ Goodwin's in the future. He was pretty rare because he was just really one-dimensional on the NFL level - but it goes to show how good he was in the kicking game and how bought-in he was. But in this league where roster spots are even tougher to keep, it's hard to fathom a player staying in the NFL that long just for special teams.

But to answer the question, I think you've got some candidates for guys to be the best in that area. I think Shemar James could be that guy because of his speed and tackling ability. And it doesn't matter if Marist Liufau is an edge rusher or linebacker, he could be a great fit on teams. PJ Locke is another candidate for that and Hunter Luepke isn't far behind that group either.

Mickey: Well, this might be a tad premature, since the Cowboys are a long way from figuring out their initial 53-man roster, but not sure they have an obvious veteran player with limited offensive or defensive responsibilities who will have a huge role on special teams. Now my initial response would be punter Bryan Anger, heading into his 15th NFL season. A very respected veteran with a locker room presence and ability to lead. Let's go with Anger. After that, and depending on his role on defense, one newcomer with special teams history – 1,360 special teams snaps in his six-year NFL career – would be P.J. Locke. Just from early conversations with the free agent defensive back, Locke seems to have the personality to slide into a leadership role.

mailbag_button

Mailbag

Here's your chance to ask a question for the staff writers. Submit your entry now!

Related Content

Advertising