Improvements in run game could see biggest benefit for Cowboys as contenders in 2024

When the Dallas Cowboys turned the primary staff in NFL playoff historical past to lose to a seven seed on Wild Card weekend towards the Inexperienced Bay Packers, all of it however ensured an offseason filled with drama and arduous questions – even by Dallas’ requirements. Whereas this has already been the case within the weeks following the collapse at AT&T Stadium that ended a 16-game house successful streak for the Cowboys, it’s simple to lose sight of simply how a lot of a microscope each transfer the Cowboys make is below. As a reminder, final offseason’s drama started in March with a seemingly inconspicuous remark by Mike McCarthy about desirous to “run the rattling ball”.

McCarthy stated this in reference to a stylistic distinction between how the earlier offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, most popular to “gentle up the scoreboard” however McCarthy needed to “relaxation the protection” with a extra balanced method. Now after one season with full reign over the offense, McCarthy will see out the ultimate yr of his contract with the staff at a crossroads with how far their present core can take them in the direction of the last word purpose of a championship. Regardless of seemingly being nearer to a reset than they’re a convention championship sport look, Jerry Jones informed the media on the Senior Bowl the staff will likely be seeking to push all of their chips to the center of the desk with a refreshed “all in” method to subsequent season.

If the Cowboys are actually going to go all in for the 2024 season, they’ll begin by attempting to change into the primary NFC East staff to win the division in consecutive years for the reason that 2003-04 Philadelphia Eagles. the ultimate two years of a four-year stretch for Andy Reid’s staff. If the Eagles are going to stay the largest challenger for the Cowboys within the division, it means two excessive stakes video games between play callers McCarthy and Moore – now on Nick Sirianni’s workers as OC after leaving the Chargers.

The Cowboys may also have their third defensive coordinator of the McCarthy period, with the coach hiring cycle almost coming and going with out a lot change in Dallas till earlier this week when Dan Quinn left his submit as defensive coordinator to take the Washington Commanders head teaching job. With 4 video games towards Quinn and Moore to stay up for now, any new method by the Cowboys this season will instantly be put to the take a look at towards acquainted faces to assist the group uncover the roots of their struggles to be postseason contenders.

Regardless of all of this noise and hypothesis about the way forward for the staff from all instructions, the working again place was due for a reset now regardless of the end result of this season. Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle are set to enter free company, leaving simply final yr’s sixth-round choose Deuce Vaughn as the one different working again with a daily season carry below contract. If McCarthy goes to have a say in how the roster is retooled this offseason, he could get his want for a bolstered run sport at simply the proper time.

With the Cowboys left watching the remainder of the postseason play out a lot sooner than anticipated, they’ve seen different West Coast offenses just like the Packers, Lions, and 49ers discover rather more effectivity on the bottom to enhance their passing video games. The Cowboys offense was at its greatest when getting away from the bread-and-butter West Coast ideas that McCarthy got here up on, as a substitute letting Dak Prescott air it out and have a profession season alongside ascending WR1 CeeDee Lamb. When it got here time to choose up powerful yards on the bottom although, the Cowboys too usually requested Pollard to be one thing he isn’t by working bodily between the tackles.

In accordance with NFL’s Subsequent Gen stats, Pollard was one among 22 backs that completed with a unfavorable speeding yards over anticipated per carry, however is third amongst these backs in whole carries behind solely Rachaad White and Travis Etienne. The Cowboys had been out-gained on the bottom in all however one among their losses this season, the exception being a December loss on the Dolphins the place Pollard fumbled on the one-yard line on the opening drive. The potential factors proved pricey because the Cowboys protection allowed the Dolphins to maneuver the ball patiently downfield over the ultimate 3:27 of sport time to kick a game-winning subject purpose as time expired. The Cowboys lacked the depth within the backfield to make Pollard efficient in his position this season, and may be taught rather a lot right here from the groups that punched their ticket to the Tremendous Bowl on championship weekend. The Chiefs leaned on Isiah Pacheco setting a brand new profession excessive in carries, yards, and touchdowns this season to enhance Patrick Mahomes en path to the QBs fourth Tremendous Bowl in six seasons, The 49ers turned Brock Purdy into the last word level guard in Kyle Shanahan’s system with all-world RB Christian McCaffrey main the way in which.

Even the groups that got here up simply brief towards the Chiefs and 49ers, the Ravens and Lions, made commitments to their floor sport that noticed them play a lot additional into the postseason than the Cowboys. The Lions ran for the second most yards on the bottom allowed by the 49ers all season with not solely David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs getting concerned, however receiver Jameson Williams scoring the primary factors of the sport with a 42-yard run.

The Ravens inexplicably solely ran the ball 18 occasions at house towards the Chiefs, a brand new season low, down from their earlier mark of 24 makes an attempt in week ten towards the Browns. Even nonetheless, the Ravens led the NFL this season in speeding yards due to Lamar Jackson, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill giving defenses all they might deal with in a bodily run offense.

This physicality throughout the board from the groups nonetheless taking part in nicely after the Cowboys had been eradicated was one of many extra noticeable variations in how they execute offensively within the greatest moments. These groups appeared comfy testing defenses each sideline-to-sideline and vertically, the previous being one thing the Cowboys struggled mightily to do in an effort to manage video games. This led Dallas to a slender path to victory towards the very best competitors, and regardless of 12 regular-season wins for the third yr in a row, when not gifted the chance to play from forward the sport script hardly ever adjusted to permit the Cowboys again in video games. The 42-10 loss on the 49ers, 31-10 loss on the Payments, or season-ending 48-32 debacle by the hands of the Packers being examples.

Any opinion airing on the aspect of supporting Mike McCarthy over the approaching months goes to be about as arduous of a promote as Jerry’s remark about going all in for Cowboys followers. The entire criticism coming this staff’s method is earned given the acquainted faces up and down a roster that’s made underachieving the brand new norm. Drastically bettering from yr to yr with out main draft capital or cap room is difficult to come back by within the NFL, and the Cowboys can’t as simply change faces on the key positions like quarterback or head coach like they’ll at working again this offseason.

In our free agent profile of Pollard and what his market could seem like, it’s famous the Cowboys are believed to be taking a look at having a more cost effective backfield transferring ahead – probably with out Pollard ever carrying a star once more.

Cowboys Verdict: Pretty much as good as Pollard was throughout his time in Dallas, it’s impossible he’ll play one other snap for the Cowboys. In accordance with Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning Information, Dallas plans to undertake a extra “cost-conservative method” on the working again place this spring.

With all their different wants elsewhere on the roster, implementing this technique and solely paying $5-6M for 2 working backs mixed makes a lot of sense for the Cowboys. Dallas will probably carry again Rico Dowdle and signal a veteran working again in free company for $2-3M to pair with him. Or they might go along with Dowdle and a draft choose.

With McCarthy proving the Cowboys offense might be dominant (at occasions) with out Kellen Moore calling performs, the 2024 season will put to the take a look at the way it can complement a distinct protection from Dan Quinn’s model. McCarthy’s first rent of Mike Nolan to be his DC in 2020 failed miserably, however early stories are that the staff is contemplating extra established names with skins on the wall like Ron Rivera or Mike Zimmer. With a extra conventional defensive alignment, the Cowboys can higher contend in shut video games that decision on the bottom sport to be efficient. As an alternative of their greatest run protection being Dak Prescott dropping again continuously to place strain on the opponent to maintain up, the Cowboys can look to help Prescott in comparable methods the Packers did with Jordan Love, Lions with Jared Goff, and finally the 49ers with Brock Purdy en path to the convention championship.

Derrick Henry, Devin Singletary, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire are only a few intriguing working again names about to hit free company, whereas the Cowboys might additionally look to reset the place with a controllable rookie contract within the draft. The Cowboys have already been linked to offensive line prospects within the draft that may assist them be extra bodily up entrance and preserve Prescott upright, and pairing their success fee with drafting linemen with a brand new philosophy within the backfield might repay essentially the most within the shortest time. By doing so, the Cowboys wouldn’t simply be serving to McCarthy give this staff the very best probability to make a run they desperately want, however setting themselves up properly for the long run if that doesn’t occur and extra wholesale modifications are made round this time subsequent yr.

The Cowboys had been already talked about alongside fashionable offensive play-caller names like Bobby Slowik and Ben Johnson as potential hires to exchange McCarthy and transfer the offense even additional alongside when the season ended. Whereas neither ended up taking a head teaching job this cycle, they need to stay robust candidates whereas different names with an analogous method to how offense is performed in as we speak’s NFL will emerge. Any new coach evaluating the Dallas job might discover it intriguing due to a youth motion within the backfield and offensive line paired with a star receiver in Lamb, and naturally the potential of having Prescott in place long run coming off a MVP degree common season. Coordinators staying the place they’re if the proper head teaching setting doesn’t current itself is rising in popularity every offseason, that means the Cowboys could be sensible to taper their all in method with ideas in the direction of who may lead this group sooner or later.

If it feels just like the time to speak concerning the precise on-field enhancements the Cowboys can tangibly make for subsequent season is extremely far-off, that’s as a result of it’s with the Tremendous Bowl nonetheless to be performed. Like clockwork although, this time will come and loads of hype for brand new gamers being added to the lineup will probably embody a working again or two that stands to outline one of the crucial essential seasons for his franchise in current reminiscence. In spite of everything, if discussing the offseason for a Cowboys staff that fell brief within the playoffs is nothing new, the working sport discourse that’s continuously analyzed from each doable angle for Dallas is a logical place to begin for a staff with loads of narratives hanging over their head which are right here to remain till confirmed in any other case between the strains.