The Dallas Cowboys are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 6-10 campaign in 2020. Not only did they have to deal with a condensed offseason program due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the Cowboys were ravaged by injuries on both sides of the ball, and never got any consistency going. All signs point to that being different in 2021 with a revamped coaching staff and defensive upgrades, but it will all hinge on if they can stay healthy.
When team Executive Vice President Stephen Jones joined the G-Bag Nation on 105.3 The Fan recently, he spoke about several topics, and one was Dak Prescott. He's currently nursing a shoulder strain but there's no concern with his availability for Week 1, and Jones mentioned how much Prescott is wanting to return to the field.
“We're about to have to incarcerate him, I think,” Jones said. “He's that ready to go. In his mind, he's ready to roll, so, like I said, we almost got to protect him from himself, but in a good way. He's such a fiery competitor and wants to be out there working, and sure you saw bits and pieces of it; get the feel for it off of ‘Hard Knocks,' but he wants to be out there and working like that. He'll be just fine. Just do it our way and this thing is going to work out perfect for us.”
Prescott was on a record pace before his ankle injury last season. He became the first quarterback in league history to have 450 yards or more for three consecutive games and had career highs in completion percentage (68), yards per attempt (8.4), and QBR (78.7). Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb were all on pace for 1,000-yard seasons before Prescott's injury as well. With a full season together in 2021 that could very well happen.
The safety position has been a major topic of discussion when it comes to the Cowboys for years because of their unwillingness to address it. Donovan Wilson showed he was the team's strong safety of the future with his breakout performance in 2020, but who would play opposite him going forward was still a concern.
In an attempt to put upgrades on the roster the Cowboys first signed Keanu Neal in late March but he has transitioned to linebacker. Damontae Kazee and Jayron Kearse were added as well, but another addition received the most buzz, Malik Hooker. When Jones was asked if where the Cowboys had him ranked before the 2017 NFL Draft made them comfortable with signing him he agreed and also mentioned his progress from his Achilles injury.
“Absolutely,” said Jones. “We had him right there where everybody else had him, top-10 type defensive player, a playmaking, and it's just been unfortunate. He's had a lot of injuries in his career, and he's coming off an Achilles, and they've held him back some. But we certainly see what made us like him coming out in practice. Now that he's working back into practice, he's going to get some good work in the game tomorrow against the Texans, and then hopefully even more work against the Jaguars. Feel good about him.”
Hooker's problem has been availability, not talent. Before tearing his ACL and MCL as a rookie, he snagged three interceptions and four pass breakups in the seven games he played in. The 2018 and 2019 seasons were where Hooker showed that he was an elite talent at safety. He combined for 95 tackles, four interceptions, seven pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries in 27 games.
Kazee and rookie Israel Mukuamu won't make it easy for Hooker to earn a starting role. However, if he gets back to anything close to what he was he's the better player of the three and should eventually take the lead.
The Cowboy's defense was a disaster last season. They finished 28th in points allowed (gave up a franchise-worst 473 points), 31st against the run, and 23rd in total defense. When the NFL Draft rolled around, the Cowboys used eight of their 11 picks on defense which included each of their first six picks in the first four rounds.
Several of them are already showing that they will contribute in 2021, and when adding that to the talented veterans on the roster, the Cowboys should be much improved defensively in 2021 right? Jones thinks so.
“I don't see any reason why it can't be top-half of the league,” Jones said. “Where that falls in the top half, that's yet to be seen. But, as I said all along, I think it starts with our coordinator, who's just brought a lot to the table in terms of his energy, his communication skills. It's made its way to the assistant coaches down to the players in terms of how they communicate with one another in terms of coaches and players, and then player to player on the field. Communication is outstanding, love for the scheme, the players are playing fast.”
The Cowboys, if health is on their side, should win the NFC East and make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. However, that's easier said than done, especially in the NFL which is arguably the hardest professional sports league to have success in with only a small number of games. The talent is there for the Cowboys, but it will be interesting to see how it all comes together and if that will lead to a postseason birth.
