With the start of NFL free agency quickly approaching and the NFL draft just 57 days away, the talk surrounding the Dallas Cowboys will continue to center around the Dak Prescott contract saga. However, coming off a 6-10 season there are a number of other needs Dallas must address this offseason.
The Cowboy’s defense last season was historically bad, they surrendered a team record 473 points and gave up the second-most yards in team history. Apart from Prescott’s injury, most of last season’s struggles can be a attributed to the defense. With last season’s struggles and the impeding loss of three starters, it’s been very easy to tab the secondary as Dallas’ biggest need by both fans and media alike. Nonetheless, Football Outsiders lists getting improved play out of their offensive line as the biggest concern for the Cowboys this offseason.
“From Prescott’s first year in 2016 to 2019, the team finished in the top eight in adjusted line yards every season. Last year, they finished 12th, and star running back Ezekiel Elliott suffered his career worst season by both yards per attempt (4.0) and rushing DVOA (-1.0%).”
The drop-off in rushing wasn’t only felt by Elliott. Backup Tony Pollard lost an entire yard per carry, from 5.3 to 4.3, off his 2019 average.
Injuries were the biggest culprit for the decline of a Dallas offensive line that surrendered 44 sacks in 2020. With the Cowboy’s top three tackles, Tyron Smith (two games) La’el Collins (zero games) and Cameron Erving (five games) all playing limited time due to injury, Dallas was forced to play with undrafted rookie Terrance Steele and second-year player Brandon Knight. Although the two youngsters fought admirably during the season and improved as the year went on, the drop-off in talent is considerable when comping them to Smith and Collins.
The interior of the offensive line had their share of struggles in 2020 as well. All-Pro RG Zack Martin was limited to parts of 10 games during the season and even had to fill-in at tackle during one point. At center, Joe Looney and rookie Tyler Biadasz split time, with the latter likely to take over as the full-time starter in 2021. While Connor Williams started all 16 games at LG in 2020, the former second-round pick continued to struggle at times. Look for former third-round pick Connor McGovern to push Williams for a starting job after filling in for Zack Martin and playing well last year.
If Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and La’el Collins can stay healthy the offensive line unit can still be formidable for the 2021 season. However, both Smith and Martin will be over 30 next season and while it’s not uncommon for offensive linemen to play well into their 30’s, Smith has missed time with injuries the last five seasons. With Joe Looney and Cameron Erving free agents, Dallas could look to add some depth this offseason.
Yes, the secondary will still be a position that Dallas will likely address in both free agency and the draft.
With Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis and Xavier Woods all preparing to enter free agency, the Cowboys may have to replace three starters. According to Football Outsiders, Dallas could have the hardest time replacing Lewis.
“[Lewis] finished among the top 10 qualifiers allowing 6.2 yards per target with a 60% coverage success rate playing primarily in the slot”.
During the last decade, the Dallas Cowboy’s best seasons seem to coincide with the play of their offensive line. When the big guys were healthy and on their game, success seemed to follow, whether it was Tony Romo or Dak Prescott that lined up behind them. Protecting the quarterback is and always should be the priority.
So while the case can be made that the secondary is the biggest need to fill for the Cowboys this offseason, the offensive may be the more substantial concern.
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