Post by Matt Meyer | @Bluto51 on X (Twitter)
Shaping up to be a make or break year for the Dallas Cowboys in 2023. Two straight trips to the playoffs but only one win to show for it as the Cowboys are still searching for their first trip to the NFC Championship Game since their last Super Bowl title in 1995. Changes on offense and a pair of solid veteran acquisitions have highlighted the offseason as the Cowboys once again attempt to level up in the pecking order of the NFC.
Mike McCarthy dismissed offensive coordinator Kellen Moore after last season, a move that raised eyebrows around the league as the Cowboys have put up a lot of offensive production in recent years. McCarthy has taken over play calling duties, and he was quoted in the Dallas Morning News a few months ago saying that “Kellen wants to light the scoreboard up, but I want him to run the damn ball so I can rest my defense.” McCarthy went on to say “I don’t desire to be the number one offense in the league. I want to be the number one team in the league with the number of wins and a championship.” There’s wisdom in what McCarthy said even if the quote was construed by some as McCarthy not caring about scoring points. Of course the head coach wants to score points; it’s silly to think otherwise. Moreover than just resting the defense, I believe McCarthy realizes that running the football and taking pressure off of Dak Prescott is the best approach for this team offensively. Prescott is a good player, but he has yet to prove that he’s an elite player, and coming off of a year in which he tied for the league lead in interceptions despite missing five games, I think that’s a wise approach. The offense had better produce, because with McCarthy taking over the play calling, the lion’s share of the blame will be on him if the offense struggles.
Tony Pollard takes over as the lead running back. We didn’t see Pollard in the preseason, or hardly any starters for that matter, as Pollard is working his way back from a broken left fibula and high ankle sprain suffered in last season’s playoff loss to San Francisco. If Pollard is fully recovered, he can be one of the better and more versatile backs in the league. He and others, including Rico Dowdle and rookie Deuce Vaughn, will run behind an offensive line that can be productive if it stays healthy. Zack Martin is still one of the better guards in football, RT Terence Steele is coming off a torn ACL and MCL, and LT Tyron Smith is a Hall of Fame caliber player but has been injury prone. It’s cliché to say that a team must stay healthy, because that goes for any team in any sport, but the depth of this OL concerns me.
At WR, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup are now joined by Brandin Cooks, and despite being on his fifth team in ten seasons, Cooks has six 1,000 yard seasons to his credit. Lamb is a star and Gallup is still looking to regain his form after tearing an ACL late in the 2021 season. Opportunity presents itself at TE as Dalton Schultz has moved on to Houston. Jake Ferguson appears to be the prime candidate to fill the production lost with Schultz leaving.
Defensively, the strength of this team is the pass rush with Micah Parsons emerging as a superstar in his first two seasons in the league. Parsons is expected to spend more time on the edge than he has in his first two seasons, and while this is the best use of Parsons, I do wonder about the depth at LB. Leighton Vander Esch has been up and down in his career but is coming off of a solid season a year ago. Damone Clark and Jabril Cox are listed as starters at the other LB spots, as rookie DeMarvion Overshown will miss the season with a torn ACL. The Cowboys spent their first round pick on DT Mazi Smith as Dallas’ biggest weakness a season ago was run defense. The Cowboys must be better at stopping the run this season as inevitably, the road to the Super Bowl will go through Philadelphia and San Francisco, two teams that are fantastic up front and can make hay on the ground. The defensive line is the deepest area of this team with Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence among others who can rush the passer, but stopping the run is the biggest area in which Dallas must improve.
Interesting acquisition this offseason of CB Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore was the defensive player of the year four years ago in New England, and if he can play at that level or somewhere near it, he and Trevon Diggs could be a very good tandem at corner. Diggs is a nice player but is susceptible to double moves as he’s very aggressive and is always looking for the interception. Donovan Wilson and Jayron Kearse provide a solid, physical presence at safety. This defense has been predicated on racking up sacks and turnovers, as the Cowboys have led the NFL in takeaways two consecutive seasons. For this defense to go from good to great, they must stop the run at a higher rate than they have in recent years.
Bryan Anger returns at punter and KaVontae Turpin is back at kick returner and punt returner. Brandon Aubrey will start the season as the place kicker. Aubrey is a 28 year old rookie who played soccer collegiately at Notre Dame, played soccer professionally with Toronto of the MLS, and was a member of the 2022 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions. Big difference kicking in the NFL as opposed to the USFL or on the soccer pitch.
If Dallas is to go farther in the playoffs than they have since the glory days of the mid 90’s, Prescott must take better care of the ball than he did a season ago, Pollard and the offensive line must get and stay as healthy as possible, and the run defense has to be better. The acquisitions of Cooks and Gilmore could prove key if both players can contribute at a level that they have in the past. The Cowboys are a good team, but have yet to prove that they’re a great one. Dallas goes 11-6 and wins a playoff game, but the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl drought will continue.