Nice season ended all too familiarly as San Francisco beats Dallas 19-12 to end the Cowboys’ season. Dallas finishes 13-6 with a win in the playoffs but without a trip to the conference championship game for the 27th consecutive season.
Do you realize that over the last 27 seasons of NFL football, only 6 teams have not made an appearance in a conference championship game? Detroit, Washington, Cleveland, Houston, Miami, and…Dallas. That’s the company that the Cowboys have kept for more than a quarter century. I hate saying it, but the truth is unavoidable. Players and coaches come and go. The GM never changes…
Nice season though. Offensively, a lot of the numbers were better with Dak Prescott than without him for five games, although I thought as the season went along, the Cowboys gradually moved away from a run first approach. Towards the end of the season, Tony Pollard and a few offensive linemen were banged up, but I’d still like for the identity of this team on offense to be run first and set up the pass, using more play action and QB mobility. I think Prescott can be a very good player, but I don’t believe he’s in the upper echelon of QB’s that can lead a team to the promised land strictly with his ability. Few QB’s are, and Prescott hasn’t proven to be one yet. He needs a good running game and plenty of help at receiver, as do most QB’s. Focus on the running game and work off of that.
Defensively, Cowboys were pretty good this season. Excellent pass rush with the third most sacks in the NFL. League leader in creating turnovers for the second consecutive season, which is a rarity. Twelfth in total defense, eighth against the pass, and tied for fifth in scoring defense. However, the run defense must get better. Dallas needs to improve up the middle defensively, DT and LB, as San Francisco was able to churn out important drives in the season ending loss, just as other teams were able to do against the Cowboys during the season.
Interesting that offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and several other assistant coaches were not retained. Statistically, the Cowboys have been very good offensively under Moore, but with Prescott struggling with turnovers and the running game not being consistent, I can’t say it’s a surprise, especially after Mike McCarthy was completely non committal about Moore’s future in a press conference after the season. Moore is a bright guy who will have success with Justin Herbert in Los Angeles, but perhaps a fresh approach will be best for Prescott and this offense. Of course, that depends on who gets hired in Moore’s place. I hope that McCarthy will not call plays like he did for the majority of his time in Green Bay, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Go hire the brightest mind you can who will make running the football a priority and help Prescott cut down on the turnovers, and let that person do the job. Head coaches need to manage the game, which has been an issue with McCarthy at times already.
Terrific news that Dan Quinn is returning as defensive coordinator. I’m surprised that he wasn’t hired as a head coach somewhere, but the job he’s done with this defense over two seasons has been incredible considering where they were in 2020. Priorities in the offseason are becoming better against the run and developing depth at corner.
Cowboys have a long list of free agents this offseason, with Pollard, S Donovan Wilson, TE Dalton Schultz, RT Terence Steele, and LB Leighton Vander Esch among the most key. Pollard and Steele are coming off significant injuries, and that has to be considered when making decisions. Dallas also has a tough decision to make on Ezekiel Elliott. Yes, he’s had injuries, but he doesn’t have the same explosiveness he once had. Cutting him would bring an 11.8 million dollar cap hit, but there’s no longer guaranteed money on his deal.
Offseason priorities for the Cowboys include diving deep into Prescott’s turnover issues and figuring out how to avoid them, improving the run defense, and figuring out which free agents are worth paying and which are replaceable. Remember, CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs, and Micah Parsons will want big deals in the near future, and they all deserve them. I also think the continued development of Diggs is important as he has room to improve from someone who often takes risks to becoming a more complete corner.
Looking at the Cowboys’ list of opponents for next season, 10-7 or 11-6 is certainly within reach. If the Cowboys want to break through Philadelphia and San Francisco to become a legitimate Super Bowl quality team, the roster must get better, players 1-53, not just players 1-10. Can this GM and his front office accomplish that? 27 years of history post Super Bowl 30 says no.