The Cowboys’ new head coach will need to focus on this specific part of the offense

After over a week of supposed “discussions and negotiating”, Jerry Jones has finally made a decision regarding the status of HC Mike McCarthy. Let’s just say that McCarthy is now free to interview with the Chicago Bears, and he has already done so at the time of this writing.

The Dallas Cowboys will have a new head coach on the sidelines in 2025 for just the tenth time in franchise history. McCarthy inked his name next on the list of the following coaches:

Tom Landry

Jimmy Johnson

Barry Switzer

Chan Gailey

Dave Campo

Bill Parcells

Wade Phillips

Jason Garrett

Mike McCarthy

Who will roam the sidelines and call the shots in-game for the Cowboys in 2025? There is no shortage of speculation around The Star. From Deion Sanders to Ben Johnson to Brian Flores, the rumors are swirling. As of right now, the only formal interviews the Cowboys have lined up are with former New York Jets HC Robert Saleh and Minnesota Vikings assistant Leslie Frazier.

Regardless of who comes in to lead this team, there will be many things to fix after a 7-10 season coupled with over 25 free agents that could possibly leave the team. Personally, I would welcome an offensive-minded head coach who actually calls plays from this century. I wouldn’t turn my head at a defensive coach, but he would have to bring in an innovative offensive coordinator who can design plays to put players in favorable situations.

One area I would like the new offensive play-caller to focus on is the redzone. Even with Dak Prescott under center, the Cowboys struggle to score when they get inside the 20, thanks to self-inflicted mistakes.

Redzone Woes

The Cowboys offense scored a touchdown on just 46% of their drives, ranking 31st in the NFL, and only ahead of the lowly New York Giants. Play calls in the redzone were terrible. The lack of a run game probably contributed most to the redzone woes because there was no threat of play action pass.

Dallas had 44 redzone opportunities. Here is a summary of what they did with those opportunities:

Touchdowns: 23

Field Goals: 10

Turnover on Downs: 2

Turnovers: 8 (4 interceptions, 4 fumbles)

Blocked FG: 1

Based on this data, there were 11 redzone opportunities where the Cowboys came up empty-handed. Either the team was put into bad situations by the play caller, or there were self-inflicted mistakes that a well-coached team doesn’t have happen repeatedly.

Let’s take a look at how these mishaps cost the Cowboys a few games.

4th Down & Out

The Cowboys failed to convert on 4th down in the redzone on two occasions. Neither of these times affected their record because the games were out of reach at the time, but they still showed glimpses of the team’s overall inefficiency.

First, Mike McCarthy decided to go for it on 4th & 4 from the New Orleans Saints 16 yard line in week 2. Dallas was down 41-19 at this point, and scoring touchdowns was the only fighting chance in the 4th quarter. Needing only four yards, but with no semblance of a run game, McCarthy called three consecutive pass plays.

The second occasion was the blowout loss to Houston on Monday Night Football. On 4th & 2 from the Houston eight yard line, McCarthy again chose to pass the ball, handing the ball back to the Texans.

Turnovers

The Cowboys biggest detriment in the redzone in 2024 was turnovers. They had eight turnovers in total, and they certainly cost them a few games. Let’s focus only on the games where they still had a chance to win.

Dallas’ first redzone turnover came against the Baltimore Ravens. They were down 14-3 at the time, but the offense was driving and reached the Ravens’ nine yard line. A holding penalty pushed them back to the 19, and on the next play, WR CeeDee Lamb caught a slant in stride, but couldn’t hold on to the football at the end of the tackle.

The Cowboys would go on to score touchdowns on their next three redzone opportunities. In a game that they ended up losing 28-25 after nearly completing an amazing 4th quarter comeback, those points were definitely valuable.

Another game that was lost due to a redzone turnover was the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. Dallas lost the game 27-20, and it was their last real chance to make a run at the playoffs. The key play was a muffed punt by the Cowboys’ return team after blocking a punt that would have given them great field position.

The turnover occurred on the first play of the 2nd quarter with the Cowboys facing a 2nd & 10 from the Bengals 12 yard line. QB Cooper Rush tried to fit a throw in to WR CeeDee Lamb, but Cincinnati S Geno Stone stepped in front of the pass.

Both teams were tied at 7, and points on that drive could have kept the Cowboys’ playoff hopes alive.