The Dallas Cowboys have done a masterful job constructing their offense for the 2020 season. With training camp underway, finally, being able to assess the level of talent in the meeting room for Mike McCarthy and Kellen Moore has gone from an on-paper exercise to true evaluation.
The first looks at the newest addition, rookie WR CeeDee Lamb wowed with a spectacular catch as he one-handed snagged a ball in the opening stanza. Joining the rest of the Cowboys’ top-ranked (yardage) offense from last season appears a match made in heaven. In two separate articles, NFL.com has crowned Dallas as the league’s best offense thanks in large part to the third-best set of triplets. We’ll explain.
Ali Bhanpuri took his turn at the rankings game, identifying which combination of QB1-RB1-WR1 set the precedent for the league. Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper ended up with a composite score of 20, which was the second-best behind New Orleans. However Bhanpuri weighted the QB value and that nudged the Cowboys down to third behind the Saints and No. 1 team Kansas City.
Quarterback: Dak Prescott — Rank: 5 (One game: 10 | 2020 prod.: 2)
Running back: Ezekiel Elliott — Rank: 3
Pass catcher: Amari Cooper — Rank: 10Not sure the Star’s 91-acre campus is large enough to hold all the talent on the Cowboys’ offense. Prescott’s flirtation with the top five in our QB Index last year could turn into a career-spanning commitment after the Cowboys lucked out with the draft’s No. 1 receiver. Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup — a three-receiver set to rule them all. Elliott has apparently lost a step, according to some critics, which his pathetic 1,357 yards and 12 TDs on a 4.5 average clearly shows. Yep, the man who ranks second only to Jim Brown in scrimmage yards per game (125.5 to 125.4) clearly isn’t the same back anymore. Keep peddling that nonsense. The former No. 4 overall pick is the type of player you dream about on a $250 million mega yacht, while contemplating how life could be any better. Oh, what’s that, you say? Dallas still boasts a top-10 O-line? Yacht life is the best life. (I’ve heard.)
One has to love Bhanpuri’s refusal to go along with the crowd that there is anything wrong with Elliott.
Earlier in the week, Adam Schein put his opinions on front street when he looked at NFL offenses as a whole and surmised that the Cowboys are cooking with propane from top to bottom, ranking them first in the league.
The 2019 Cowboys ranked first in total offense and sixth in scoring. And honestly? You ain’t seen nothing yet! Dallas’ offensive numbers are about to explode.
Mike McCarthy is a terrific head coach — and a major upgrade over Jason Garrett. He’s going to get the most out of Dak Prescott, who is somehow still playing for a long-term deal. Dak set career highs in passing yards (4,902), yards per attempt (8.2) and TD tosses (30) in 2019. Jerry and Stephen Jones should’ve locked him up, because Prescott’s production — and his price tag — will only go up under the watchful eye of McCarthy. Especially with the wealth of receiving riches at the quarterback’s disposal. The Cowboys’ WR trio is eye-popping. Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup each eclipsed 1,100 yards last season. They obviously have a great rapport with No. 4. And then there’s the All-American wideout who fell into Dallas’ lap at No. 17 overall in April’s draft. CeeDee Lamb will be an instant star at The Star. In fact, I think he’ll be the best receiver on the team this season. Yes, he’s that big a talent, an absolute killer in big spots.
And I haven’t even mentioned Ezekiel Elliott, who remains the straw that stirs the drink on this Cowboys offense. In his four NFL seasons, he’s claimed two rushing titles (and led the NFL in rushing yards per game three times). Last year, he got off to a slow start following a 40-day contract holdout. And still, he rushed for 1,357 yards and 12 touchdowns, while catching 54 balls for 420 yards and two more scores. At 25, he remains squarely in his prime and will dazzle behind an offensive line that the grading gurus over at Pro Football Focus rank as the No. 3 group in football entering the 2020 campaign.
Simply put, America’s team has America’s elite offense.
Finally, senior analyst Bucky Brooks put the icing on the cake via his Twitter account, when he went into detail of how a high-octane offense is a defense’s best friend.
Also, the offense plays “keep away” in the 2nd half. They run the ball more in the 2nd half to drain the clock with a goal of 30+ mins of time of possession. That’s their winning formula. @dallascowboys
— Bucky Brooks (@BuckyBrooks) August 15, 2020
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