My annual end of the season Cowboys evaluation:
Season Grade: B-
Could have been worse considering the team was 3-5. At that point, I would have never thought the playoffs would have been possible. So a good job by the team to turn it around and win the division and get playoff win.
Offensive Line: Too many sacks, especially the first half of the season. Returning a healthy Travis Frederick would be huge next season to go with Smith and Martin. Liked what I saw out of Connor Williams for the most part. Have to determine if Collins is a long term solution at RT.
Quarterback: I felt like Prescott rebounded a bit from last season. However, I want to see more consistency out of him. Too many times I saw him miss open receivers. If he can be more consistent on his accuracy, he’ll really take a step forward.
Running Back: Not much to criticize here. Elliott was the league’s leading rusher. Would like to see a third back on the roster with him and Rod Smith.
Receivers: Unit took steps forward after the Cooper acquisition. Liked what I saw out of Gallup and Beasley is is usual self when healthy. Would love to see what a full season from Austin would bring. Considering the surprise retirement of Jason Witten, the tight ends did alright. Both Jarwin and Schultz had good moments and will be better with experience. Cowboys need to cut ties with Terrance Williams.
Defensive Line: First thing to say is sign DeMarcus Lawrence long term. Liked what I saw out of Woods and Collins. Gregory showed flashes, but also a few bone head moments. Can you depend on him for the long term? Would like to see depth added to this group. Disappointed in David Irving. Probably unwise to depend on him.
Linebackers: Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch are stars in the making, if they aren’t already. According to a tweet I saw just before starting this post, Sean Lee could be considering retirement. As much as I like Lee, he needs to. He just can’t stay healthy. And that’s too bad, because he’s an All Pro caliber player when he is, which sadly isn’t often. Cowboys have to address this area in the draft.
Defensive Backs: Kind of a mixed bag here. Byron Jones is the star here, but inconsistency over the rest of the unit. If he’s healthy, Earl Thomas needs to be an option for the team.
Coaches: If Jason Garrett stays, and it’s likely he will, Scott Linehan has to go. So many play calls that I couldn’t believe. Both of them cannot stay on the same staff any longer. Am glad Kris Richard is staying in Dallas another year. He’s a future head coach in the making.
Offseason: The roster is young and really doesn’t need a lot of tweaking on it. Main thing I want to see in the draft is a linebacker and depth on the D-Line. As I mentioned above, Earl Thomas is an offseason target. On offense, depth on the O-Line, new offensive coordinator is the main points of interest here.
