DALLAS — The NFL season is officially over with Dallas Cowboys fans letting out a collective sigh of relief when the Philadelphia Eagles blew a 10-point lead during the Super Bowl LVII loss.
Aside from the schadenfreude of watching their rivals come up short, the Cowboys can now start the process of preparing for the offseason.
Part of that procedure is a self-evaluation.
The organization must look at what worked during the 2022 campaign and, perhaps more importantly, what didn’t. Jerry Jones and the gang will need to determine where the Cowboys rank in relation to the top teams in the league, and how they can get the squad to the level that pushes them past the divisional round of the playoffs.
Here’s a look at where the Cowboys stand heading into another important offseason:
Good pieces remain in place
Despite plenty of work to do, Dallas begins in a good place as they try to get over the hump. Luckily for them, they have many of the key elements in place to provide a bit of a head start.
The NFL is a quarterback driven league and the Cowboys have one of the best in Dak Prescott. The interceptions were a problem last season, but Prescott has routinely been one of the better signal callers when it comes to protecting the ball prior to last year. There is little question that the Cowboys can win with Prescott under center.
The Cowboys also have elite defenders at two of the more important places on the roster, pass rusher and cornerback. Micah Parsons is in the conversation as the best defensive player in the league and finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Cornerback Trevon Diggs was an All-Pro last season with his 11 interceptions, and he followed it up with a Pro Bowl year where he played more consistently. Diggs only had three interceptions in 2022, but he didn’t have the opportunity to collect more turnovers as quarterbacks looked to throw away from Dallas’ best cover corner.
The Cowboys complete the big four of important positions with left tackle Tyler Smith. The rookie took his lumps and committed a few too many penalties, but the first-rounder showed that he has the ability to be a future Pro Bowl tackle. There was a lot thrown at Smith as a young player, including switching back and forth from left guard to left tackle, and he handled it well.
Teams that are well positioned at these four spots – quarterback, left tackle, cornerback, pass rusher – usually have a good shot at winning, and the Cowboys are proof of that with back-to-back 12-win seasons.
Coaching staff mostly stays put
The Cowboys had some uncertainty on their coaching staff heading into the offseason. Top coordinators Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn were interviewing with other teams for open head coaching gigs, and although neither got a head job, the Cowboys won’t have both back.
A source of much consternation among Cowboys fans, Moore and the team mutually agreed to part ways and he found a new place to coordinate quickly with the Los Angeles Chargers. Also leaving with Moore was quarterback coach Doug Nussmeier and offensive line coach Joe Philbin.
The Cowboys replaced them with veteran coaches Mike Solari on the offensive line and Brian Schottenheimer as the new offensive coordinator. Schottenheimer will be tasked with designing the offense but it will be head coach Mike McCarthy calling the plays.
McCarthy taking control of play calling means that there will be a new system in place for the offense, and you can expect to see some changes. That’s good news for an offense that had grown a little stale and predictable.
On defense, Quinn returns to coordinate a unit that has led the league in forcing turnovers in consecutive seasons. Despite the success of the offense in the last two seasons under Moore, the Cowboys managed to keep the better coordinator with Quinn coming back.
Stuck in the middle
It’s been a good run for the Cowboys over the last two campaigns with Prescott overcoming rust in 2021 and an early injury last season. McCarthy and his staff put together the pieces to win 24 games combined over the last two seasons which represented a stark improvement after injuries ruined his first year with the team.
An NFC East title and a Wild Card thrashing of Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been the results of the double-digit winning seasons, but it’s not enough. The Cowboys weren’t able to advance past the divisional round of the playoffs in either year, and their shortcomings have been laid bare.
Jerry and Stephen Jones continue to miss the boat when it comes to acquiring talent that would put the team over the top. The draft is a great way to build a team, but not being aggressive in bringing in difference makers in free agency has hurt Dallas’ ability to keep up with the best teams in the league.
Instead, the Cowboys have been merely good enough to make the playoffs without being a serious threat to win it all. They’ve been stuck in between, which appears to be fine with Jerry Jones.
The Eagles and Chiefs both made bold moves last offseason, and the Los Angeles Rams were extremely aggressive in their pursuit of a championship. The Chiefs and Rams both cashed in with titles, while the Eagles are set up for future success because they were intent on bringing in the best players available. The Cowboys cannot say the same.
Without that influx of premium, established talent, the Cowboys might not be able to get over the hump. Dallas doesn’t need an all-in approach but being a little more aggressive in signing quality free agents could do wonders. The only way to find out is to try it, which the Joneses have been resistant to do.
The bargain basement shopping and plugging of holes hasn’t gotten the Cowboys where they want to go and being good, but not great, isn’t winning this team a Super Bowl.
Do you think the Cowboys are in good shape ahead of free agency? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
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