DALLAS — Training camp is just over a month away, yet the beat goes on for the Dallas Cowboys. Players might not be under the team’s supervision, but most will continue to work out before camp opens.
The Cowboys enter this final phase of the offseason in good shape, the team addressed their significant holes on the roster and have the feel of a contender.
As Dallas begins to make their plans to head to Oxnard, CA for camp, the offensive side of the ball has the weapons to be a top five unit for the third consecutive season.
The offense over the last two campaigns with a healthy quarterback has been difficult to stop. The Cowboys finished fourth in scoring last year – 11th in yards per game – after being first in both categories in 2021.
With Prescott missing five games last year, it’s easy to predict that the offense could’ve been higher in points and yards last year if he had played all 17 games.
That was also an offense led by Kellen Moore, who is now the OC for the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach Mike McCarthy takes over the play calling duties with Brian Schottenheimer as the new coordinator. The duo will be working together for the first time, and they’ve got a new offense dubbed the "Texas Coast."
The new offense will feature a mixture of the scheme that the team ran under Moore, as well adding in principles of the West Coast offense that McCarthy ran during his time in Green Bay.
Quarterback
If it's an offense that we haven’t seen, that means it’s a bit of an experiment that we don’t know will work. But make no mistake, the Cowboys have the pieces to pull it off.
Prescott remains one of the league’s best QBs and he produces in key moments as a top third down passer.
After a season where the Cowboys tried to play without more than one quality wide receiver, the team traded for their missing element on offense, speed.
Wide receiver
The trade for WR Brandin Cooks improves the depth and skill at the position, giving Prescott three good receivers in the passing game.
CeeDee Lamb jumped into the upper echelon of wideouts last season as the No. 1 option and became a star.
Veteran WR Michael Gallup being a year further away from his ACL injury means he should be rounding back into form and gives Dallas a trio of former 1,000-yard WRs.
Receiver is also a position that needs to find some depth at the bottom because there isn’t much past the first three options.
Last year’s third round pick Jalen Tolbert is trying to put his disappointing rookie season behind him to make the most of his sophomore campaign.
Tight end
Tight end is also in for a shakeup as the Cowboys added to their young, emerging group by drafting Luke Schoonmaker in the second round. The rookie from Michigan has a top athletic profile and will be paired with a duo of second year TEs who made an impression last year.
With last year’s starter Dalton Schultz leaving in free agency, Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot lead the youth movement at TE and adding Schoonmaker gives the Cowboys one of the deeper TE groups in the league. Schoonmaker’s potential to win down the seam and run after the catch ability could help take the offense to the next level.
There is potential for Dallas to have three quality options at TE, making the passing game better than it’s been in the last five seasons, even as questions about the depth at receiver remain.
Running back
In the backfield, the Cowboys have a deep rotation, but it’s an unproven group. The new full time starter is Tony Pollard, who takes over for former NFL rushing champ Ezekiel Elliott, who was released this offseason.
Pollard has game-breaking ability that hadn’t been fully activated in tandem with Elliott. Now one of the league’s most elusive runners gets his shot at a No. 1 back workload.
Over the past two seasons, Pollard has averaged over 5.3 yards per carry and went over the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career in 2022. Pollard’s 12 total touchdowns were tied for sixth in the NFL at RB last year, and that was with Elliott contributing 12 scores as well.
The signs are there for Pollard to be one of the best RBs in the NFL for the upcoming season.
Behind Pollard lies some uncertainty, but there’s no shortage of skill. RBs Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis return as solid options after showing glimpses of handling larger roles in the past.
Veteran Ronald Jones also arrives as a free agent who has had an impact as a back who ran for 978 rushing yards and seven scores for the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
There are also a couple of intriguing rookies, sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn and undrafted free agent Hunter Luepke, who will be vying for a role in the backfield at Oxnard. Vaughn’s stature made him a late round pick, but his production at Kansas State was among the best in the nation over his last two seasons.
Luepke, meanwhile, is a jack-of-all-trades type who can play some FB and TE, as well as RB. McCarthy has had some success with players of Luepke’s ability during his days in Green Bay. Don’t be surprised if he makes a run at a roster spot.
Offensive line
What might keep the offense from staying amongst the top tier is the offensive line. This offseason has seen a struggle to find the right combination of potential starters due to injury history and age, leaving the line a question mark for the Cowboys.
With veteran LT Tyron Smith’s recent injury history, and with RT Terence Steele not guaranteed to be ready for training camp following his own injury last season, the trenches are in flux. The plan seems to be to have last year’s first round selection Tyler Smith at LG when Tyron Smith is healthy.
If Tyron Smith goes down with injury, Tyler Smith would slide over to LT while the veteran is unavailable. That strategy is sound but leaves LG a spot where the team currently doesn’t have a quality starter if something goes awry with either of the Smiths. It also means another season where the future LT isn’t settled at his position.
Free agent signee Chuma Odoga and third-year lineman Matt Farniok are the options at LG if Tyler Smith is on the outside, which the Cowboys seem comfortable with.
At RT, if Tyron Smith or Steele are not healthy enough to start, second-year tackle Matt Waletzko looks like the answer. An injured shoulder cost Waletzko most of his rookie season, but he has impressed at workouts ahead of year two.
Rookie fifth-round pick Asim Richards and undrafted free agent rookie T.J. Bass are also in the mix for bigger roles, as well as Josh Ball, who has been working at guard and tackle this offseason.
One area where Dallas is set is RG with future Hall of Famer Zack Martin. Additionally, the team seems content to have Tyler Biadasz under center in his fourth year after being drafted out of Wisconsin.
While the offensive line is one the biggest concerns on offense, it's not the only potential issue. McCarthy calling the plays and working with the different OC on a new offense brings questions as well.
Schottenheimer was known for being a bit run heavy during his time with the Seattle Seahawks and McCarthy’s insistence that running the ball will be the foundation of the offense adds to the intrigue.
In a passing league, and with the offensive weapons that the Cowboys have, the untested nature of the new offense is a valid concern and one that Dallas will aim to work through at camp.
All of the pieces are in place for Dallas to have another outstanding season with the ball in their possession. If Prescott stays healthy, the line comes together, and the play calling meshes with the talent, the Cowboys appear set to be among the best offenses in the league once again.
Do you think the Cowboys will have one of the league’s best offenses in 2023? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.