The NFL is back, and Sportsnet is breaking down everything you need to know about each of the 32 teams in the month leading up to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 7. Today, the Dallas Cowboys.
Head coach: Jason Garrett
Last season’s record: 13-3
Playoff result: Lost a heartbreaker at home in the divisional round to the Green Bay Packers.
Key free agent gains: Nolan Carroll and Robert Blanton were brought in to help add some veteran leadership to what is now a very inexperienced Cowboys secondary, while Damontre Moore (suspended for the first two games) and Stephen Paea were brought in to add depth along the defensive line.
Key Free Agent losses: The offensive line lost a pair of starters from last season as Ronald Leary left for Denver in free agency and Doug Free retired, but he was the Cowboys’ worst performing offensive lineman by the end of his career. The bigger losses to the team via free agency are the defensive backfield as Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox all left.
Key draft picks: The Cowboys looked to the draft to rebuild their secondary. Dallas chose Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, Xavier Woods, and Marquez White all as secondary players projected at some point in their careers to play meaningful snaps. Taco Charlton was their first-round pick and the hope is the six-foot-six, 270-pound defensive end can make an immediate impact as they look to generate a more consistent pass rush.
X-factor: Who will play along the defensive line and how will they do? Dallas’ run defence led the league last season, allowing just in 83.5 yards per game but don’t boast any elite one-on-one pass rushers. David Irving, Moore and Randy Gregory are all suspended to start the year. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins showed signs he could blossom into an impact rusher with five sacks and thirteen QB hits a year ago. Rod Marinelli is great at scheming up solid defence, but he’ll have his hands full with a team that spends most of their cap on offence and hasn’t drafted well, or based on character, defensively.
2017 will be a success if: They can find a way to survive the Ezekiel Elliott suspension. Assuming it isn’t reduced or outright reversed, Dallas will miss the league’s top rusher in 2016 for the first seven weeks of the season. That time includes six games, which is the penalty handed down from the league, plus the Cowboys’ bye week. As it stands Elliott would be eligible to return in Week 8 on the road versus Washington.
You could make the argument no single player is more valuable than the former Ohio State Buckeye, who was suspended for violating the league’s domestic abuse policy. The Cowboys offence with Elliott on the field averaged 6.2 yards per play last season; with him off the field they averaged 5.4 yards per play. Last season Dallas churned out 5.1 yards per rush, but that number dipped to 3.8 when Elliott was on the sidelines.
The threat of Elliott on the field brought extra defenders in the box. Plus, his adept blocking made the passing game more effective. Dallas had a passer rating of 113.5 when Elliott was on the field, while it was 88.1 without him. Dak Prescott’s completion percentage dropped from 73 per cent with Elliott on the field to 60 per cent when he was off.
The doing things. #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/JiR6dOtau5
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 14, 2017
Dallas does have a pair of backup running backs who have 1,000-yard rushing seasons, so the cupboard isn’t bare. Last season, behind the best offensive line in the league, Ezekiel Elliott lead the NFL in rushing as a rookie with 1,631 yards. Darren McFadden, who will start if Elliott misses time, had just 87 rushing yards in three games played. Alfred Morris (243 yards on 69 rushes in 2016) will also get time in the backfield, as will Ronnie Hillman (131 yards rushing last season).
All three have proven to be productive as No. 1 backs in the past: McFadden has 5,423 career rush yards, Morris is just behind with 4,956 and the younger Hillman has accounted for 1,976 rushing yards. McFadden did rush for over 1,000 yards in Dallas as a starter in 2015 but the team won just four games. Morris is a good runner but a terrible pass protector and struggles catching the ball out of the backfield.
One thing is clear, Dallas is going to have to get creative to make up for Elliott’s production and stay around .500 to start the year.
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