To instill hope in their fan base, the Dallas Cowboys desperately need to make an impact.
The Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, has stated that the team is going “all-in” for 2024 and has chosen to keep Mike McCarthy on the team for one another season in an attempt to see if he can lead the talented group past the opening round of the playoffs and perhaps even meet Jones’s lofty Super Bowl ambitions.
The issue? The Cowboys’ management has lost numerous important starting players on both sides of the ball, signed just one player through free agency, and hasn’t moved to extend the contracts of its three best players—Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons.
Following an incredible regular season in which Dallas finished 12-5 and won the NFC East, giving them home field advantage in the opening round of the playoffs, the Cowboys were outclassed by a youthful, talented Green Bay Packers squad.
Suddenly one of the league’s top defenses couldn’t stop the run and allowed first-year starting QB Jordan Love to look like Patrick Mahomes, while Dak Prescott and the offense sputtered which was rare for 2023.
Cowboys supporters are used to blaming Dak Prescott because of his past performance; since becoming the team’s franchise quarterback, he hasn’t been able to win in the postseason.
Some 49ers fans even advocated for the team to drop Prescott and try to insert Trey Lance, the former first-round pick that the organization paid a lot of money to advance and pick.
Lance ultimately failed to make a career in San Francisco, but they were fortunate to hit it off with Brock Purdy. He was the Dallas Cowboys’ third-string quarterback the previous season.
Prescott finished what was likely his finest regular season ever and was considered for NFL MVP this year. The Cowboys were two-score favorites against the Green Bay Packers, who had the youngest roster in the NFL and a first-year starting quarterback, going into their wildcard round game.
Prescott finished the 2023 NFL regular season ranked among the top five in a number of important passing metrics. Prior to facing the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in the playoffs, he had accumulated 4,516 yards (3rd), 36 touchdowns (1st), 9 interceptions, and a QB rating of 72.5 (2nd).
The Cowboys are now under greater pressure than ever going into 2024, from Prescott, who is now playing in the final year of his contract, to the head coach.
The Dallas Cowboys featured a defense that concluded the season rated fifth in the NFL, which went along with an explosive offense led by Dak Prescott that averaged 389 yards and 30 points per game and finished with 77 touchdowns in the regular season.
There are still components in place to keep the Cowboys near the top of the league in defense, even with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn leaving. A recent trade proposal has the potential to take the team to new heights and revitalize the fan base before 2024.
