DALLAS — A new era will begin in 2020 as Mike McCarthy takes over as the ninth coach in Dallas Cowboys history. In order to help the Cowboys rebound from an 8-8 record that kept them out of the playoffs, Dallas is going to need these four players to step up.
1. DE DeMarcus Lawrence — The two-time Pro Bowler had a down season by his own standards in 2019. The five sacks Lawrence generated were the fewest he has produced in a full 16-game season over his six-year career. The same goes for his 10 tackles for loss.
With defensive Robert Quinn now with the Chicago Bears, the Cowboys are going to need Lawrence to return to his high level of play that compelled Jerry Jones to sign him to a five-year, $105 million contract extension ahead of last season.
2. WR Amari Cooper — The four-time Pro Bowler finished the 2019 season with 79 catches for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns. Aside from the catches, the other totals were career highs for Cooper. However, there were games where Cooper just disappeared. In Week 6 at the New York Jets, Cooper had one catch for three yards. At the New England Patriots in Week 12, he only had two targets.
Stat-wise, it all balanced out because Cooper would have explosive games, such as against the Green Bay Packers in Week 5 and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, where he would eclipse the 100-yard mark.
With CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup in tow, Cooper may not have such prolific stats again in 2020, but the least he can do is eliminate paltry production games like he had against the Jets and Patriots and give quarterback Dak Prescott a more consistent top option.
3. TE Blake Jarwin — To be fair, the former 2017 undrafted free agent from Oklahoma State was playing behind Jason Witten last year in what ended up being the swansong in Dallas for the future Hall of Famer. However, it doesn't take away from the fact that the offense would take another step forward if he elevated his production.
Jarwin showed promise with 31 catches for 365 yards and three touchdowns in 2019. While the scores tied his previous career highs set in 2018, the catches and yards were new marks.
Defenses are going to be keying in on Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb, which should leave Jarwin with opportunities to take advantage. If Jarwin can excel as a relief valve, the Dallas offense should still be churning first downs.
4. CB Chidobe Awuzie — With Byron Jones now with the Miami Dolphins, the Cowboys don't have a shutdown corner on the roster. Even though new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has indicated he wants playmakers in the secondary, Awuzie needs to make improvements at lowering his opposing passer rating.
In 2018, the number was 96.4, and it dropped to 89.1 last season. In Jones' Pro Bowl season of 2018, the former first-round pick had an opposing passer rating of 84.7. Of course, Jones didn't record an interception at all that year.
Awuzie is slightly better at takeaways with an interception each season. If Awuzie, who had 14 pass breakups in 2019, can convert some of those deflections into interceptions, it will line up with Nolan's vision for the defense and give the offense more opportunities.
Who do you think needs to step up the most for the Cowboys to have a successful campaign in 2020? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
