The sadness from how the Dallas Cowboys’ season ended will last a long time. If the Cowboys make the playoffs for a fourth time, it might last until next postseason.
No one wants to hear about winning a third NFC East championship with a 12-5 record again.
But it’s important to mention that the Cowboys had many good things happen.
Seven players were chosen for the Pro Bowl game and three more were added later to replace other players. Dak Prescott, the quarterback, is one of the top contenders for the Most Valuable Player award. Once again, Micah Parsons, a linebacker, is nominated for Defensive Player of the Year. CeeDee Lamb could win Offensive Player of the Year.
A week after talking about the bad things that happened in 2023, let’s talk about the good things that happened for the Cowboys in 2023. I know you might not be ready to hear about the good stuff yet.
Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy working together.
Aside from the disappointment of not making it to the playoffs, McCarthy’s first season of calling plays for Dallas was a success. The difference in Prescott’s success when Kellen Moore was calling the plays (2019-22) is something people can argue about. Prescott threw the most touchdown passes in the NFL, 36, even though he missed five games. Last year, he threw 15 interceptions, which was tied for the most in the NFL. Prescott did really well passing the ball this season and threw for a lot of yards, but the running game wasn’t very good.
Prescott and McCarthy are in the last year of their contracts in 2024. They both need to do even better next season.
The rising up of a lamb.
Lamb caught 135 passes and gained 1,749 yards, setting team records. He caught the most passes in the NFL and came in second for yards gained. He got recognized as one of the best players and is in the running for the Offensive Player of the Year award.
He proved in 2022 that he could be a top player. 1 person who replaced Amari Cooper as the receiver. In 2023, he proved that he is one of the best players in the NFL. Now he is waiting for a job offer that will make him one of the highest paid in his field. He can cause problems for defenses by attacking from different positions like the outside, slot, and even the backfield.
Can he do as well next year as he did this year. His catches and yards have been getting better every season.
A delicious corner snack
When the Cowboys lost Trevon Diggs for the season because of a knee injury during practice before their third game, they trusted that DaRon Bland could do a good job. In 2022, he had the most interceptions for the Cowboys in his first year.
They could not have guessed that he would be successful in 2023. He had the most interceptions in the NFL, nine, in a season. Two seasons earlier, Diggs had the most interceptions in the NFL with 11. He was given top honors for his football skills and was a finalist for a major award. He broke a record in the NFL by running back five interceptions for touchdowns in one season.
He still needs to improve, but he’s really good at playing the ball, which makes him stand out from other cornerbacks in the league.
They discovered a person who kicks the ball.
The Cowboys got in trouble for not hiring an experienced kicker in the summer, but Brandon Aubrey showed that they made the right choice.
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He kicked the first 35 goals of his career without missing, which set a record in the NFL. Overall, he only missed two goals in the whole season. He scored the most points in the NFL with 157. He made all of his 10 attempts from 50 yards or more this season. He made 99 really good kickoffs in NFL games. He has only been kicking professionally for three years. He spent two years with the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL. Other teams should consider looking at former top players in MLS, like Aubrey, to find their kicker.
Ferguson’s second year improvement
For his first seven seasons, Prescott had a reliable tight end to throw to, either Jason Witten or Dalton Schultz. In 2023, Jake Ferguson took on that job.
In his first year, Ferguson caught 19 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. In his second year, he caught 71 passes for 761 yards and five touchdowns. He showed that he was dangerous when running down the middle of the field. He caught the ball in a difficult situation. He defended well. In simple terms, he can do everything that you expect a great tight end to do. He was chosen to play in the Pro Bowl instead of George Kittle from the 49ers.
The Cowboys want Luke Schoonmaker, their 2023 second-round pick, to improve a lot in his second year in 2024.
