Cowboys conversation: Where things stand with Dak Prescott’s future in Dallas

 There is no bigger Cowboys topic at the moment than Dak Prescott’s contract. Dallas’ starting quarterback is coming off an injury-shortened season in which he played under the franchise tag following the two sides’ failure to get a long-term deal done. If Prescott and the Cowboys can’t work out an agreement this offseason, a second consecutive franchise tag is expected to be used. While that would keep Prescott in Dallas for 2021, it would greatly reduce the chances of him being back in 2022 and beyond.

https://theathletic.com/2353851/2021/01/29/dallas-cowboys-dak-prescott-qb-nfl/

Cowboys offseason shopping list: So many defensive needs, so little cap space

 Before we get going, it is important to be clear that a shopping list for the Cowboys offseason is generally best to compile around the final week in January. We know many things will change, but it is also good to try to recall what is badly needed so there are no delusions or justifications provided for jobs left undone once we go – or stay here, if I were to guess this year’s outcome – to training camp in late July.

https://theathletic.com/2350799/2021/01/28/dallas-cowboys-offseason-shopping-list-nfl/

Dak Prescott’s Cowboys future remains uncertain. And it’s entirely Dallas’ fault

 Thanks to the ongoing contract stalemate between Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys, no discussion topic is lobbed in my direction more often than the future of the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback position.

https://theathletic.com/2346511/2021/01/26/dak-prescott-dallas-cowboys-nfl-franchise/

Should the Cowboys keep Jaylon Smith? Our conclusions after watching the film

On Tuesday, we spent a very long time looking back at Jaylon Smith’s 2020 and his challenge to “watch the film” to really dig into what went wrong, why it went wrong and why he was definitely in the vicinity of on-field breakdowns so often.

https://theathletic.com/2334934/2021/01/21/dallas-cowboys-jaylon-smith-cut-2021/

Jaylon Smith challenged us to “watch the film.” Here’s what we learned

The Cowboys’ 2020 season was long and disappointing. It ended at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on a tiny margin that seemed a proper cap to a season that couldn’t end soon enough.

https://theathletic.com/2329759/2021/01/19/cowboys-jaylon-smith-film-coaches-nfl/

Why Dan Quinn is the Cowboys’ best bet to get their defensive overhaul right

 It’s rather easy to assume that the courting of new Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn did not just begin Friday when Dallas officially dismissed former DC Mike Nolan.

https://theathletic.com/2320260/2021/01/13/dan-quinn-cowboys-nfl-coordinator-defense/

Why the Cowboys fired Mike Nolan, challenges next defensive coordinator faces

 So much of football is about zooming in on specific strengths and weaknesses and isolating them to diagnose a problem. Were this golf or even baseball, where things do often work in isolation, we would have much more success. But when we examine the 2020 Cowboys defense to seek specific reasons why the team suffered and the defense was often to blame, we come back with an overview that lacks real specifics. They were just really bad. Well, OK. But where were they weakest? Who was bad?

https://theathletic.com/2315603/2021/01/11/dallas-cowboys-mike-nolan-coordinator-hire/

Cowboys conversation: Evaluating Year 1 of the Mike McCarthy era in Dallas

 Mike McCarthy’s first season as Cowboys head coach ended with a 6-10 finish. Numerous key injuries prevented the offense from ever reaching its full potential, and a defensive scheme change during a pandemic proved to be a mistake. To gain a better understanding of how things went in Year 1 of the McCarthy era, Jon Machota and Bob Sturm discussed what went right, what went wrong and where things could go in the near future. Here is a transcript of their back-and-forth on several topics.

https://theathletic.com/2309288/2021/01/08/dallas-cowboys-nfl-coach-mccarthy-analysis/

Cowboys defense horrific in finale. How much needs to change? Nolan Report

 Most people were starting to feel slightly better about the Cowboys defense heading into Week 17 after they stomped Jalen Hurts and the Eagles in the home finale. The takeaways flowed like a sweet river of forgiveness for all of the blown coverages and gap fits in a mess of a season.

https://theathletic.com/2305847/2021/01/06/dallas-cowboys-defense-nolan-draft-improve/

Cowboys O-Line crumples against NFC East foe again. What’s next? Decoding Kellen

 If you want to destroy an offensive gameplan, simply attack the offensive line. Better yet, attack previous offensive lines and spook a team before the game even begins.

https://theathletic.com/2303267/2021/01/05/dallas-cowboys-offensive-line-future-connor/

Cowboys take familiar path to another brutal defeat, end season: Morning After

 And so it ends, just as frustratingly as it began. As you may recall, when this journey awkwardly began with all of the bodies healthy and dreams fully intact back in September, the Cowboys went on the road to measure themselves against a nice roster in an empty stadium. They had a somewhat similar outcome.

https://theathletic.com/2300908/2021/01/04/dallas-cowboys-nfl-loss-giants-mike-mccarthy-challenge-jerry-jones/

Can Cowboys pull off one more wild plot twist in a ridiculous season? Riffing

 One hundred and forty days since the truncated Dallas Cowboys training camp held its first full practice in Frisco, 37 days until Super Bowl 55 in Tampa (we still assume) and just two days until the noon start at MetLife Field in East Rutherford, NJ, against the New York Giants…. The stakes are high. Much higher than anyone could have imagined a few weeks ago, when the number of things that had to fall right appeared far-fetched.

https://theathletic.com/2296289/2021/01/01/dallas-cowboys-giants-prediction-nfc-east-preview/