Three takeaways from Dallas Cowboys offense after 2020 season
The 2020 Dallas Cowboys has come and gone. It did not go the way that many expected, and the offseason will have no shortage of storylines for America's Team. The expectation will be for the Cowboys to be much better in Mike McCarthy's second year. Obviously, the biggest story surrounding the Dallas Cowboys in 2021 […]
The 2020 Dallas Cowboys has come and gone. It did not go the way that many expected, and the offseason will have no shortage of storylines for America's Team. The expectation will be for the Cowboys to be much better in Mike McCarthy's second year.
Obviously, the biggest story surrounding the Dallas Cowboys in 2021 will be quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott enters the offseason as a free agent for the second consecutive year after the signal caller and franchise failed to come to terms on a long-term deal in 2020.
Prescott is also coming off of a season-ending compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle, and his recovery will be a huge talking point. Many assume Prescott will be good to go, but injuries are never anything to play around with. Assuming Prescott is indeed healthy, it will be paramount for the Cowboys to ink their quarterback to a deal.
That brings us to our first takeaway from the Dallas Cowboys offense after the 2020 regular season: this team needs Dak Prescott in order to succeed.
Dak Prescott is the man for the Dallas Cowboys.
With Dak Prescott behind center, the Dallas Cowboys offense was among the best in the entire league. The Cowboys were among the elite in football in passing offense, total offense, and scoring offense before Prescott suffered his injury in the third quarter of week five.
Prescott was on pace to shatter the NFL single-season passing record, and he was on track to have his most prolific season yet since entering the league in 2016. He appeared to be more confident behind center, continued to show improvement in his mechanics, and was finding a groove in Kellen Moore's offense.
There was an obvious and clear drop-off when watching the Cowboys offense after Prescott went down. The unit was far from its explosive self with Dalton behind center compared to number four throwing passes. Dallas scored at least 30 points in four of Prescott's five starts in 2020, while the team scored 30 or more just four more times the remainder of the season.
There are a lot of factors that go into that — such as Andy Dalton missing two games, Zack Martin suffering a mid-season injury, et cetera — but Prescott was undeniably the biggest factor in the offense taking a step back. Owner Jerry Jones knows how important his starting quarterback is to the team's success:
With Kellen Moore signing an extension to remain the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator over pursuing an opportunity to lead his alma mater, there is reason to expect that the Cowboys will ink Dak to a deal this offseason.
If that is the case, expect the offense to be explosive once again next season.
The big three at wide receiver will be scary in 2021.
One of the other reasons why the offense will be explosive and exciting in 2021 is the wide receiver corps in Dallas. Amari Cooper went over 1,000 yards yet again, CeeDee Lamb recorded over 900 yards as a rookie, and Michael Gallup was just under 900 yards himself.
And that is while playing with four different quarterbacks!
The Dallas Cowboys are fortunate enough to possess one of the most elite wide receiver trios in all of football. Perhaps only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — led by Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Antonio Brown — can say that they have a better three at receiver. If you want to include tight end, the Chiefs would also have an argument by simply having Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce as pass catching options for Patrick Mahomes.
Regardless of where you rank the Cowboys trio in the league, the trio is undoubtedly near the top. Amari Cooper is a bonafide top-10 receiver in the National Football League, and he really proved that again in 2020 — despite being snubbed from the Pro Bowl. Cooper put together one of his best seasons yet — even while catching passes from the likes of Dalton, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert — and continues to be one of the elite route runners in the game.
CeeDee Lamb entered his rookie season with a ton of hype — and he largely lived up to it. Despite being overshadowed by fellow rookie Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, Lamb produced a more-than-solid rookie campaign: catching 73 passes for 935 yards, and five scores. He likely would have easily cleared 1,000 yards had he spent 16 games catching passes from Prescott.
Finally, Michael Gallup has been a solid player for the Cowboys since Dallas acquired Cooper ahead of the trade deadline in 2018. The Colorado State product broke out in 2019 — totaling 1,107 yards and six touchdowns — and was once again a reliable receiver for the Cowboys in 2020. Gallup grabbed five touchdowns and averaged over 14 yards per reception this season.
There is a lot to be excited about regarding this trio in 2021.
Dalton Schultz emerged in a big way at tight end.
Finally, another takeaway from the 2020 Dallas Cowboys offense is none other than Dalton Schultz. The 2018 fourth-rounder was relatively quiet through his first two NFL seasons before growing as a player in a big way this season.
There was a lot of worry and concern when starting tight end Blake Jarwin went down on the second offensive series of the season. Jarwin entered the season with a lot of expectations, but a non-contact injury ended his season before it even really began. Schultz has stepped up in a big way during Jarwin's absence.
The Stanford product has 76 catches, 737 yards, and four touchdowns to his name through three seasons. 63 of those catches, 615 of those yards, and all four of those touchdowns occurred in 2020. Talk about quite the jump in production for the tight end.
Schultz finished behind only Cooper and Lamb on the team in receptions, providing Andy Dalton with a reliable target down the stretch of the season while also flashing early on when Dak Prescott was throwing the rock.
In fact, Schultz's most productive game came when Prescott was tossing him the ball — catching nine passes for 88 yards and a score in the come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Overall, two of Schultz's four touchdowns on the season came from Prescott. That could be an interesting connection next season once number four returns to the field.
Those three takeaways — combined with Kellen Moore returning as offensive coordinator — provide reasons for optimism next season. Assuming the Cowboys are able to get a deal done with Dak Prescott this offseason, there is no telling what this offense's ceiling is in 2021.
Featured image via Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
