Newcomers bring talent, uncertainty to Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys had a controversial face-lift over the off-season. The jury is still out on the changes.

Here are five newcomers to watch:

1. Greg Hardy: The troubled defensive end will begin the season by serving a four-game suspension, but ranks among one of the bigger additions this off-season. Despite his off-the-field issues, the Cowboys opened their doors to Hardy, who is one of the elite pass rushers in the game. This is a sack-starved team, after all, that is clearly willing to look past just about anything.

2. Darren McFadden: Can he stay healthy? Does he still have that burst from his Arkansas days? There are plenty of questions regarding McFadden going into the season, but the Cowboys give him a much better chance at success than the Oakland Raiders. The Cowboys have established arguably the top offensive line in the league, and McFadden is in position to take advantage of that in what he hopes will be a season in which he finally lives up to expectations.

4. Randy Gregory: Failing a drug test made it possible for the Cowboys to land Gregory, a possible top-10 pick, with the 60th overall pick in the second round. That is a boon for a Cowboys defense that had only 28 sacks last season. Gregory is expected to make an immediate impact to the lackluster pass rush.

5. La’el Collins: Another coup for the Cowboys. Collins had been projected as a first-round pick before off-the-field concerns arose and left him undrafted. Collins had his choice, and opted to sign with the Cowboys in hopes of establishing one of the top offensive lines in league history. He still has to earn his way into the starting rotation, though, by supplanting either Ronald Leary at left guard or Doug Free at right tackle.

This story was originally published July 25, 2015 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Newcomers bring talent, uncertainty to Dallas Cowboys."