Is This Finally the Cowboys' Year?
We’re now at 28 years and counting since the Cowboys reached an NFC Championship Game. That’s been a fun punchline for NFL fans around the country. This season, however, Dallas is in position to make that streak finally come to an end.
There are plenty of reasons to be so optimistic. For two straight years, the Cowboys have been among the NFL’s best on both sides of the ball. This offseason, they addressed their holes in a substantial way, making them easily one of the three best teams in the conference on paper along with the Eagles and 49ers.
Defense
On defense, their biggest concerns were the cornerback position opposite Trevon Diggs and stopping the run.
So first they went out and acquired veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore via trade. Gilmore has spent more time playing zone coverage in recent years, and particularly in 2022. But he is still very effective when playing man, which is something he’ll be asked to do more of in Dan Quinn’s system. Over the last two seasons, quarterbacks have just a 50.3 passer rating when targeting Gilmore in man coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. That includes a completion percentage of less than 50%.
Regardless of the coverage he’s asked to play, Gilmore relies on great instincts and route recognition to win. He’ll give Quinn more flexibility with his scheme in 2023.
To address their run defense, the Cowboys drafted nose tackle Mazi Smith with the 26th overall pick. Smith should help a defense that ranked 17th in yards per rush last season and allowed the 4th-most runs of at least 10 yards.
If Smith can help this area of the defense improve, offenses will find themselves in more 3rd-and-long situations. Which is not where any quarterback wants to be against that pass rush.
Offense
On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys’ biggest issues last season were interceptions and a deficiency in pass catchers. The two are intertwined.
Aside from CeeDee Lamb, they didn’t have anyone who could separate consistently. So the Cowboys went out and traded for Brandin Cooks.
Cooks is a professional receiver and an excellent route runner. He has six 1,000-yard receiving seasons under his belt in his 9-year career. Those have come with 5 different quarterbacks, which tells you everything you need to know about the value he adds.
Cooks also will help solve Dak Prescott’s issue with interceptions. Prescott threw a league-leading 15 interceptions in 2022 despite missing 5 games.
The good news for Cowboys fans is that much of this was likely due to Prescott breaking the thumb on his throwing hand in Week 1. Prescott had the thumb surgically repaired and missed 5 games, but it’s not a huge leap to suggest that this played a role in the interceptions. There were some decision-making issues there as well, but much of that was driven by the thumb as well.
Either way, having more receivers who can get open will naturally reduce the amount of contested throws and resulting interceptions. That and a healthy Prescott should help this passing game continue to flourish.
Other Changes
There are still plenty of questions surrounding this team. Will the offense improve with Mike McCarthy calling plays? Will running back Tony Pollard be at full strength to start the season? Will he be able to handle more touches as the #1 back? Will wide receiver Michael Gallup get back to form now that he is one more year removed from his 2021 ACL injury?
On defense, will Micah Parsons spending more time on the D-line limit Quinn’s ability to disguise? Will it be easier for protection schemes to account for Parsons? It didn’t seem to hold him back a year ago as he doubled his time on the D-line from 40% of his snaps to 80% (PFF). But it’s something to consider.
Regardless of these questions, Dallas has all the pieces needed to win both the division and the NFC.
Before we officially move ahead into this season, here’s a look back at the Cowboys’ team stats and NFL rankings from 2022:
