The regular season is coming to a close this week. Week 18 also signifies the final game of the season for the Dallas Cowboys. For the first time since an injury-stricken 2020 season, the Dallas Cowboys will not be in the playoff bracket.
Like 2020, this year has proven to be a difficult one on the injury front. Dallas lost its starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, to a torn hamstring, but that was just the cherry on top of the Injured Reserve sundae the Cowboys were served in 2024. In all, 19 starters or key contributors missed at least one game:
- QB Dak Prescott
- RB Rico Dowdle
- WR CeeDee Lamb
- WR Brandin Cooks
- TE Jake Ferguson
- LT Tyler Guyton
- C Cooper Beebe
- RG Zack Martin
- DE Sam Williams
- DE DeMarcus Lawrence
- DE Micah Parsons
- DE Marshawn Kneeland
- LB DeMarvion Overshown
- LB Eric Kendricks
- CB Trevon Diggs
- CB DaRon Bland
- CB Caelen Carson
- S Juanyeh Thomas
- S Markquese Bell
Out of these 19 players, seven made the Pro Bowl in 2023, so you can make your own assumptions about how those losses affected the team’s record. Somehow, the Cowboys are still sending five players to the Pro Bowl. I’m not saying the players voted in aren’t worthy of the honor, but Pro Bowl voting has more input from fans than any other accolade, so it should be taken with a grain of salt.
WR CeeDee Lamb
If you watched Cowboys football this season, CeeDee Lamb making the Pro Bowl seems like a given. Lamb was the brightest light on offense, and his absence from the field shows. He fought through a shoulder injury the past few weeks, but was finally sidelined for good after the week 16 victory over Tampa Bay.
It’s for the best. With the Cowboys out of playoff contention, there is no reason to risk further injury to Lamb’s shoulder. Beginning rehabilitation for 2025 is the smart decision, but the putrid offensive performance against Philadelphia shows just how important he is to the offense.
This is the fourth Pro Bowl nod of Lamb’s career, and he did it this season by bringing in 101 receptions for 1,194 yards and 6 TDs. He was also involved as a rusher, carrying the ball 14 times for 70 yards.
WR/KR/PR KaVontae Turpin
Dallas is sending another wide receiver to the Pro Bowl, but it’s not for offense. KaVontae Turpin remains the most explosive and dangerous kick and punt returner in the league, and fans recognize him for it.
Turpin did most of his damage on kick returns. Here are his ranks in each category:
- 26 returns (2nd)
- 874 yards (1st)
- 33.6 yards per return (2nd among players with at least 10 returns)
- 1 TD (T-1st)
The diminutive returner wasn’t as electric on punts, but still did some damage:
- 17 returns (T-19th)
- 186 yards (14th)
- 10.9 yards per return (2nd among players with at least 10 returns)
- 1 TD (T-1st)
Turpin was one of seven players with a kickoff return in 2024, and he’s joined on that list by S Juanyeh Thomas. Turpin was also on a short list of just five players to return a punt for touchdown, and is the only player to return a touchdown on both kick and punt return units.
LT Tyler Smith
The Cowboys might not have too much to brag about this season, but they can say that they have a 1,000 yard rusher. Rico Dowdle surpassed 1,000 yards for the season, and it could not have been done without some good blocking along the offensive line.
In a down year for the offense, LG Tyler Smith is the only offensive lineman to be voted to the Pro Bowl. It’s Smith’s second appearance, and it’s good to see him getting recognized despite being surrounded by a bad team.
Smith is one of the best young left guards in the NFL, and it just another example of the Cowboys getting it right in the 1st round of the NFL draft when picking offensive linemen.
DE Micah Parsons
DE Micah Parsons has played four seasons in the NFL, and has just been voted to his fourth Pro Bowl despite missing four games with a high ankle sprain. The Cowboys went 1-3 in Parsons’ absence, and the defense has looked brand new since he came back into the fold.
Parsons has recorded 9.5 sacks this season, and leads the NFL in pressure rate when he is active. He is 0.5 sacks away from starting each of his first four seasons with double-digit sacks, and if he can take down the Commanders’ quarterback this Sunday, he will be just the fifth player in NFL history to accomplish this feat.
K Brandon Aubrey
The last, but certainly not least, player to be voted to the 2024 Pro Bowl is K Brandon Aubrey. He isn’t as perfect as last season, but I can comfortably say that Aubrey is currently the best kicker in the NFL.
ST Coordinator Jon “Bones” Fassel has an embarrassment of riches on his special teams unit. Aubrey is considered the best kicker in the league. Turpin is considered the best returner, and ST ace CJ Goodwin is widely considered one of the best gunners in the NFL.
Aubrey has one game left to go, but if his season ended today, here is how he would rank among his kicking peers:
- 36 field goals made (2nd)
- 43 field goal attempts (T-1st)
- 83.7% accuracy (18th among players with at least 20 attempts)
- Long of 65 yards (1st)
The difference this season is that Aubrey actually missed mid-range kicks, and wasn’t perfect from 50+ like last year. Still, he was perfect from 20-29, made the most kicks from 40-49 (13) and from 50+ (14), including 3/5 from 60+ yards. He was also a perfect 29/29 on extra point attempts.