3 Cowboys Players Hurt the Most by Irregular NFL Offseason

Every team has been hit hard by an unusual 2020 NFL offseason. Entire franchises are being operated remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. For a Cowboys team wanting to gel under new head coach Mike McCarthy, this couldn't have come at a worse time.

These three Cowboys are probably hit the hardest by the reduced offseason contact.

3. CB Chidobe Awuzie

Awuzie is in a contract year, and he's either expected to take over for Byron Jones as the No. 1 cornerback or move to safety. Doing either of those things would require extensive playbook study, workouts and general practice. Unfortunately, Awuzie might have to go into the season with a minimal amount of offseason work, which could come back to bite him as he learns a new defense.

2. WR CeeDee Lamb

This could really apply to any rookie on the team, but Lamb gets top billing due to his first-round status. He'll be expected to walk into the biggest organization in football, command the respect of everyone in the locker room, and master Kellen Moore's expansive playbook. Oh, and he gets minimal margin for error. Despite his superior talent, he might struggle a tad out of the gate in Dallas.

1. LB Leighton Vander Esch

Vander Esch's season was cut short last year by a debilitating neck injury, and he needed to get in as much work as possible to prove he can still be the type of player that was wildly impactful during his rookie season. Switching from Rod Marinelli's scheme to Mike Nolan's defense, which places a ton of responsibility on the linebackers, is also going to require a lot of improvement from Vander Esch. Starting off that climb back to an elite level in a new scheme was made infinitely harder due to the lack of in-person contact.