DALLAS — The story of the 2022 Dallas Cowboys is a fascinating tale.
After the 2021 season elevated expectations, the Cowboys produced a quiet offseason in free agency, coupled that with a highly questionable trade, and saw the draft bring a first-round pick that was met with immediate trepidation.
Training camp served to reduce optimism. Starting left tackle Tyron Smith went down with a torn hamstring that would cost him close to the entire season, which caused a ripple effect on the offensive line. Rookie Tyler Smith was now forced to accelerate his learning curve at left tackle and sapped the offensive line of its depth. Meanwhile, the wide receiver position was woefully thin.
Ultimately, by the time the season came around, estimations had the stock dropping for Dallas' chances. A team that had set records and won the NFC East in 2021 didn’t look like the title contender that the previous year had inspired hope for.
The first look at the Cowboys in Week 1 didn’t add to that inspiration, either. The season kicked off with a blowout loss at home in which the offense failed to score a touchdown and quarterback Dak Prescott left with a broken thumb that would shelve him for five weeks.
A season that looked like the team needed everything to break their way suddenly became a complete bust. Without Prescott, the Cowboys would be in the running for a top five pick.
But a funny thing happened on their way to a wasted season, Dallas continued to fight under Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys went 4-1 under backup quarterback Cooper Rush and the team rode that momentum when Prescott returned. After all was said and done, the Cowboys produced a surprising 12-5 season, which ultimately ended as too many of their campaigns have over the last 25 plus years, with a lackluster loss in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Count the 2022 campaign as a roller coaster ride for the Cowboys, who got more out of the season than most anticipated. Among the accomplishments were the first consecutive double-digit winning seasons since 1995-96, and their first back-to-back playoff appearances since 2006-2007.
For a team that was suggested to be "mailing it in" over the summer, Dallas was among the best in the NFC. It didn’t end in ultimate success, but it was a better season than expected.
Here’s what else we learned about this year’s Cowboys:
They were quick to recover
The Cowboys were counted out before the first game, and the injury to Prescott put the team well behind the eight-ball. However, McCarthy rallied the team and guided them to another 12-win season. It wasn’t good enough to win the division, but the Cowboys beat both Super Bowl participants from last year and had a 6-2 record against winning teams.
Dallas also fought back in many of their wins, getting down scores but responding with points to either take the lead back or steal the momentum.
Micah Parsons chasing down a Detroit Lions ball carrier short of the goal line only for the next play to be a fumble to save points is an example of the fight the Cowboys had this year. There was no quitting on a play, in a game, or the season.
It was a resilient group of Cowboys, a team who exceeded expectations from where they started the year.
Dak Prescott needed more weapons
The offense for the Cowboys came into the season with one decent option at wide receiver, and that was new No. 1 threat CeeDee Lamb. Veteran receivers Michael Gallup and newly-signed James Washington were both hurt and unavailable early, and the team tried to sell the fans on a group of wideouts who had a total of 39 career receptions on the roster, all belonging to Noah Brown during his five seasons in the league.
That wasn’t a strong enough receiver room, even when Gallup returned, but he was a shell of himself while still recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered at the end of the 2021 season. Gallup never got to full strength and needed an additional surgery when the season ended.
Third-round selection Jalen Tolbert was hyped as a potential big part of the offense during the summer but he barely ever made the active roster as he struggled in his rookie season with just two receptions in two games played.
The offseason trade of former top option Amari Cooper became more magnified as the year went on when the offense had only one viable outside option, relying on Lamb. The tight ends were a help in the passing game and Dalton Schultz was second on the team in receptions, yards, and scores, but topping out at 577 yards and 57 catches wasn’t nearly enough.
The NFL is a passing league and it’s clear that the offense needed more weapons in the passing game. Going forward, Prescott needs another good option to pair with Lamb at wide receiver, that’s the reality of the situation that the Cowboys have created.
Prescott’s didn’t protect the football enough
While it’s true that Prescott needs more playmakers, he also didn’t make great decisions with the football. Coming into the season, Prescott was one of the league’s best at protecting the ball in the history of the game, having never thrown more than 13 interceptions in a season.
In 2022, however, the veteran signal caller was tied for the league lead with 15 interceptions while playing in just 12 games. Many of Prescott’s mistakes came inside of the last few minutes of the second quarter as he tried to force the action before halftime, robbing the Cowboys of points.
Most of the interceptions didn’t come back to haunt Dallas, but Prescott’s two mistakes cost the team dearly in the divisional playoff loss. The errant throw that was intercepted in the red zone near the end of the first half against the San Francisco 49ers was a killer and among the biggest plays in the season-ending game.
Prescott’s inability to avoid giving the ball away was a major reason for why the Cowboys couldn’t advance to the final four yet again.
Defense provided sequel to big year
Dan Quinn came to the Cowboys a season ago and helped make a difference immediately. In his first year leading the defense, the Cowboys led the league in takeaways. Prevailing wisdom says getting turnovers aren’t generally repeatable and Dallas wouldn’t come close to having a repeat of the 34 that they forced in 2021.
However, Quinn’s unit backed it up with another stellar performance with 33 turnovers in 2022, once again leading the league. The Cowboys also produced 54 sacks, good for third best in the NFL, which was 13 more than the 41 that they had in the season prior.
The defense also gave up one fewer point in 2022, allowing just over 20 points (20.1) per game which was good enough for fifth best in the NFL.
Quinn’s group did struggle to stop the run for most of the season, like 2021, but overall, the Cowboys had a better defense in 2022, showing that 2021 was no fluke. Quinn staying as defensive coordinator is a huge win for the Cowboys.
Do you think the Cowboys had a good year in 2022? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
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