By the standards of many teams, the Dallas Cowboys enjoyed another successful season. They upset the bitter Philadelphia Eagles to win the NFC East, won 12 games for the third consecutive season, and were undefeated at home throughout the regular season.
Unfortunately, once the team was eliminated by the Green Bay Packers without any fanfare, it was insufficient to satisfy anyone connected to the team. The players were upset, owner Jerry Jones was taken aback by the wild-card defeat, and it’s possible that the fans took it harder than those who worked on the product. Being a Cowboys fan these days is difficult because the team always gives fans hope before snatching them out from under them once again.
Regular season results are not used to evaluate the Cowboys. Their victory in the playoffs will live on. Star pass rusher Micah Parsons spoke of a legacy, but it never happened, as the team left the playoffs early again. Sufficient performance is insufficient, and there were other things the Cowboys might have done to improve their chances of winning the Suρer Bowl.
The following seven actions would have improved the Cowboys’ chances of winning the Suρer Bowl in 2023.
They could’ve made a better coaching hire
The Cowboys made several changes to their coaching staff after losing out the previous season. As play caller, Mike McCarthy assumed leadership and tried to introduce more West Coast ideas into the passing game. Brian Schottenheimer was appointed оffensive coordinator when Kellen Moore departed.After early setbacks, the scheme adjustments went smoothly, but the оffensive line’s problems running the ball persisted. McCarthy hired Mike Solari, an experienced оffensive line coach, in February, but things never seemed to work out.The club’s attempt to shift from being mostly an outer zone squad to one that included many different blocking techniques with an emphasis on inner zone was unsuccessful.Despite having three оffensive linemen who were All-Pros, Dallas was unable to produce a reliable running game. Tony Pollard, the running back, returned on the franchise tag after suffering a shattered leg, although his effect was less than it had been in previous seasons.All all, the Cowboys lacked explosiveness and could barely produce four yards or more per rush. All too often, the passing game produced the big plays, but the rushing offense never really got going.It was an оffensive line that struggled with pass protection as well. Terence Steele, the right tackle, saw a significant decline under Solari, however part of his problems might be linked to his first season after an ACL tear.McCarthy made certain adjustments that were successful, but Solari’s hiring wasn’t one of them.
They could’ve drafted better
In terms of draft selection, the Cowboys are regarded as being among the best in the league; yet, this past April, they made a mistake.Although it’s too soon to declare the draft a failure, the eight students in the class didn’t really contribute anything this year. Nine months later, the first two choices are still puzzling and were met with a great deal of doubt at the time.As rookies, the first- and second-round selections performed very poorly. Teams should not have expected defensive tackle Mazi Smith and tight end Luke Schoonmaker, their first two selections, to be game changers or starters.To make matters worse, the Cowboys decided to choose Schoonmaker ahead of Jake Ferguson, a tight end in his second year who was ready to take over and establish himself as a major playmaker.With one of their first two selections, the Cowboys failed to choose a player to fill the need on the оffensive line or at wide receiver, as most fans had hoped. Fans had оffensive linemen Steve Avila and O’Cyrus Torrence on their short list of potential targets. Most league sources believe that both players chosen following the Cowboys’ selections at 26 and 58 were picked to the All-rookie team.
It would have been beneficial if the club had taken a look at Matthew Bergeron, an оffensive lineman from Syracuse, as their alternative first-round choice.Josh Downs, chosen by the Indianapolis Colts, and Tank Dell, taken by the Houston Texans, were two outstanding rookie receivers whom the Cowboys passed on. More than the individuals the squad chose, these guys may have had a greater influence on the season and going forward.
The team took too long to feature CeeDee Lamb
It nearly never occurred that a wide receiver for the Cowboys had his finest season ever. Lamb, a fourth-year wide receiver out of Oklahoma, had a rough start to the season and McCarthy needed to be reminded of exactly what sort of weapon he had after an All-Pro 2022 year.Before things drastically altered in the first five weeks of the season, Lamb had only one game with double-digit targets and an average of seven looks per game. Lamb got off to a rocky start in the first five games, with only one 100-yard performance and one lone score.Everything changed in the Week 5 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers because of the heart-to-heart between Lamb and McCarthy, which allowed the team to run its greatest player on offense. For the most of the 2023 season, starting in Week 6, Lamb seemed to be the best wide receiver in the league.In his last 12 games, Lamb broke the team record for receptions and yards in a season with seven games of 100 yards and 13 total touchdowns.
When Lamb became more engaged, which ought to have occurred from Week 1, the offense really took off. McCarthy may avoid the Cowboys losing two games before their bye week if he was giving his standout wide receiver more chances early in the season. It took too long to realize that squandering the abilities of your finest players is never a wise decision.
They could’ve been аggressive at the trade deadline
Jones prefers to think of himself as one of the league’s major rιsk-takers, and he has a history of making some significant splashes in the midst of the season. However, he was unable to inspire his squad this season. Given that several of Jones’ previous transactions, including the acquisitions of defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins and wide receiver Amari Cooper, have been profitable, it’s puzzling why he didn’t pull the trigger.Although Dallas had a strong team, they need depth at linebacker and cornerback, so they held out until the trade deadline.After starting linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was injured, the Cowboys needed assistance since their defense was glaringly weak at the position, even with converted safety Markquese Bell playing well. Although it wasn’t necessary for the club to make a big statement, adding someone who could help on the second level via trade would have been appreciated. Although Bell and Clark performed well, more was required.There was also need for improvement at cornerback. With CBs DaRon Bland, Stephon Gilmore, and Jourdan Lewis returning late in the season, things went very smoothly for the most part, but the defense always seemed to be a CB short. While Gilmore was reliable and Bland had an All-Pro season, the Cowboys needed another youthful, athletic wide receiver to play the kind of football coach Dan Quinn desired. Quinn’s options were somewhat limited when Trevon Diggs was out for the whole season.The Cowboys reportedly looked at CBs available at the deadline, including Chicago Bears CB Jaylon Johnson, but they decided against it due to the exоrbitant cost.It seems like a mistake not to acquire an LB, CB, or any other element to assist the Cowboys go over the Һump in a year when everything was going well for them.
They should’ve let Dak Prescott cook a lot earlier
The Cowboys featured one of the top offenses in the league and ended up with the highest scoring offense in the NFL. It didn’t begin that way, however. The аttаck was far from flawless even though it destroyed opponents early in the season.Dallas was battling badly in the red zone and was having difficulty making explosive plays or tossing the ball. The offense’s over emphasis on running the ball and the lack of progress in the passing game contributed to the futile trips inside the 20-yard line. The Cowboys’ redzone efficiency during the first five weeks of the season was among the worst five, indicating a need for improvement. The team’s performance in the 28-16 defeat against the Arizona Cardinals was especially discouraging since they were only 1-5 when they got inside the Cardinals’ 20-yard line and were unable to score.When McCarthy trusted Prescott to throw the ball more, particularly in the red zone, things started to get better. With 24 red zone passing touchdowns throughout the season, Prescott ended first in the NFL in red zone passing yards (390).Additionally, there were far too many runs on first downs or with the Cowboys near the end zone. When Prescott threw early in the downs, that inadequate run blocking slowed an аttаck that was difficult to contain.
McCarthy called a number of outstanding games, but far too many times he stuck with a rushing game that wasn’t winning. When Prescott was having such a great season and led the league in touchdown passes with 36, that mentality was perplexing. All season long, Prescott saved the Cowboys on third downs; this might have been prevented if McCarthy had given his quarterback greater freedom to throw deep passes, particularly in the early part of the season and even more on early downs.
They could’ve used Prescott’s mobility more
Even if the Cowboys’ offense was effective, they might have been unbeatable if Prescott had utilized his legs more often. Although Prescott is not as mobile as quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, no one would mistake the Dallas signal caller for the NFL player.Unlocking the offense has always required calling more planned runs and making more use of Prescott’s legs. Although the Cowboys’ quarterback didn’t employ planned runs very much, they were a reliable passer of the ball when he did. Prescott’s scrambling to maintain drives seemed to improve the offense’s performance.Prescott’s legs were one of the keys to Dallas’s potential red-zone аttаck, as he demonstrated on a fourth-and-one play during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers.McCarthy might have enhanced an already formidable offense by using Prescott more in the running game, especially considering how difficult it was for the team to run the football in the past. Additionally, it may have made the rushing game easier and forced defenses to care for Prescott, which would have freed up a defender to stop the run.The seasoned quarterback said over the season that he came to understand the importance of utilizing his legs and that he needed to do it more. As the season progressed, Prescott scrambled more, but there weren’t enough play calls to incorporate his legs into the system.
They should’ve different personnel on special teams
Although he is one of the league’s greatest special teams coaches, punt coach John Fassel had a difficult season with his group of players. While part of his hand was forced by injuries, it was problematic to use wide receiver Jalen Tolbert as a gunner.Two fake punts against the Cowboys were successful because Tolbert was bailing out, leaving his guy open for the first down. Additionally, since returner Kavontae Turpin never touched the ball, the second-year wide out attempted to recover a fumble on a punt. Perhaps the first indication that Tolbert shouldn’t have been on the unit was his ignorance.Sam Williams, a defensive end in his second year, was another player who excelled on special teams. Although Williams did manage to block one punt during the season, the Cowboys suffered from other special teams penalties he committed.Williams’ penalty in the team’s wild-card defeat to the Green Bay Packers was only the most recent illustration of Fassel’s problems with his special teams players. The Cowboys had to eventually find better players to take those positions, but that never occurred.