Getty Dak Prescott was sacked five times versus the 49ers. But he wasn't the only All-Pro who struggled in that January 16, 2022 playoff win by the 49ers as noted by one analyst.
The NFL season hasn’t even kicked off yet, but there are seemingly myriad reasons to worry about the reigning NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys.
Not only did the Cowboys’ 2021 campaign come careening to an unexpectedly early end in a stunning loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card round back in January, but it is almost impossible to look at the roster that walked off the field at AT&T Stadium that evening and think the one that will open 2022 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be better.
When the Cowboys’ offense runs onto the field against the Buccaneers, it will feature four new starters, and the defense five.
Amari Cooper was dispatched to Cleveland, after catching eight touchdowns last season and surpassing 1,000 receiving yards in two of the past three seasons. La’el Collins will be protecting Joe Burrow’s blind side, not Prescott’s, in Cincinnati. And, making matters worse, injuries have decimated offensive line depth, including stalwart tackle Tyron Smith likely out through at last Thanksgiving — if not longer.
Dallas entered the summer with high hopes for rookie Tyler Smith, and signing 40-year-old Jason Peters less than a week before the opener can’t be considered much more than an insurance policy on the Tulsa product.
“If you’re Dallas, you have to be crossing your fingers Dak Prescott stays healthy,” an NFC executive told Heavy, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about another team.
Speaking of injuries, wide receiver James Washington, signed as a free agent from the Pittsburgh Steelers will miss at least a month, after fracturing his foot early in training camp.
Beyond changes in front of Prescott, Cooper’s departure thrusts third-round rookie wideout Jalen Tolbert into a starting role, and with Michael Gallup’s availability for the opener remaining uncertain due to injury, Noah Brown may open the season as a key contributor, too.
Brown has never produced more than 53 receiving yards in a single game.
“They’re going to have to survive hoping Dak plays really well early,” the executive said. “And the young guys get better each week. They’re going to have some young guys at receiver, and along the offensive line.”
Youth Movement Results From Offseason Re-Tooling
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys clearly took one look at the roster that ended the 2021 campaign and believed it was time to pass on overspending, and begin eyeing young talent at key positions — on both sides of the ball.
Straddling the line between a full-fledged rebuild and trying to win on the fly, rarely works in the NFL. Dallas is betting that having a franchise quarterback, like Prescott, helps buck that trend.
Losing Cooper could dramatically alter the identity of Dallas’ offense, even if as the executive suggests, it was time for both parties to go their separate ways.
“I can understand the Amari Cooper trade,” the executive said. “I feel like he wore his welcome out, and he was hurt, he missed games, and he may have ended up on Jerry Jones’ bad side. I feel like it was the right time both for Amari, and the Cowboys, to move on.”
Making up for Cooper’s lost production, combined with fellow wide receiver Cedric Wilson landing with the Miami Dolphins, will be a key early test for the Cowboys’ offense.
Much of the burden will fall on CeeDee Lamb, who aims to build on his 1,102 yards and 6 touchdowns during his sophomore NFL season, and the backfield duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.
Elliott and Pollard combined for 1,721 yards and 14 touchdowns, with 41 explosive runs of 10 yards or more between them.
“CeeDee Lamb is a good player,” the executive said. “The running back duo is a great one, because they play off each other. One’s more of a power guy, one’s an explosive, make plays in space, speed guy.”
Lamb, tight end Dalton Schultz, Elliott, and Pollard are more than adequate weapons surrounding Prescott, with the chance to be explosive.
But, will it be enough?
“If the offensive line can’t run-block or pass-protect,” the executive lamented. “I don’t care who you have at the skill positions. It’s not going to help. They have to hope the quarterback stays healthy.
“They’ll be tested right away because Tampa Bay’s going to come after them. The Buccaneers have some real pass-rushers, and they’re starting a rookie [Smith] at left tackle. They better pray they don’t have to take him out during the game.”
New Faces, Same Old Problems?
This will certainly be a new-look Cowboys team.
But, if the preseason is any indication of what may be to come, some of the same issues that dogged Dallas in 2021 continue to be a concern as 2022 looms.
Last season, the Cowboys led the league in penalties, flagged 127 times. That’s nearly 7.5 penalties per game. It is tough to win consistently when you’re flagged that often.
But, in Dallas’ three exhibition games, the Cowboys were called for 25 penalties. That total includes 17 penalties that were accepted in the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos.
It’s tough to win in the NFL that way.
In a division where some believe it is now the Eagles’ to lose, the Cowboys open the 2022 season simultaneously trying to win while young players get their footing, and overcoming the same issues that caused a promising 2021 campaign to end long before many expected.
Time will tell if they’re able to do either.