Cowboys don’t need to make a big splash this offseason to take the next step

The NFL and its 32 teams throw us surprises every year, with some more shocking than others. One thing none of us expected was the way that the Dallas Cowboys’ season unfolded in 2016.

The team had reasonable expectations coming into the season, with a healthy Tony Romo and a highly touted rookie running back, Ezekiel Elliott. However, an injury to Romo in their third preseason game paved the way for Dak Prescott to enter the picture. The formidable rookie seized the opportunity, and then some.

Prescott wasn’t just a “game manager,” as we hear often, nor did he make tons of rookie mistakes along the way. He was one of the better quarterbacks in the league, throwing for over 3,600 yards, with 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He capped off his impressive campaign with the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

In 2015, the Carolina Panthers had a similar breakout season. But after their 15-1 season and a Super Bowl appearance, the Panthers came out ice cold in 2016 with a 1-5 start, finishing 6-10. The Cowboys will be looking to avoid a similar slide, and there’s a path for them to do that.

Hardly do we see a rookie who comes into one of the more complex positions in sports and tear it up the way that Prescott did this season. The Cowboys’ offense was a joy to take in on weekends, and he played so damn well that not even Jerry Jones could force Romo back onto the field, as much as he might have wanted to.

With the Cowboys expected to release Romo on Thursday, now Prescott really doesn’t have to look over his shoulder. At the NFL Combine, Jason Garrett said, “Culture and chemistry is important to us in all that we do and always has been, and you want to make decisions that foster a good team culture and healthy team chemistry.”

By having Romo out of the picture, there leaves no doubt that this is Prescott’s team moving forward.

He’s armed with some solid weapons around him. Between Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, he’s got two reliable sets of hands to look for on any given down. In the backfield, he’s got arguably the NFL’s best running back in Elliott, who ran for a league-leading 1,631 yards and can also slip out and catch a few passes. Dak and Zeke are aided by an offensive line that’s received some of the most praise we’ve ever seen for any unit on a football field.

That unit is one reason why Dallas will hope that Elliott will be able to avoid a sophomore slump. It’s one of those offensive lines that people will claim anybody can run behind. Which might be the case, but few would do it as well as Elliott.

The Cowboys entered the offseason with one of the worst cap space situations in the NFL, but since then, they restructured the contracts of left tackle Tyron Smith and center Travis Frederick to free up over $17 million in cap space. Sean Lee also restructured his contract to give the team $5 million more room to work with, though Dallas still has just under $9 million before the new league year begins.

The defense needs work, particularly in two areas: the defensive line and defensive backs. There are a bunch of free agents out there for the Cowboys to select from — even if they don’t land a marquee name. Brandon Williams and Jabaal Sheard are two of the better defensive linemen on the market, but they’re probably priced out of the Cowboys’ range. They have several cheaper options, like John Simon or bringing back DeMarcus Ware.

The Cowboys are already losing safety Barry Church to the Jaguars during free agency, but they could re-sign J.J. Wilcox or target someone like Johnathan Cyprien who wouldn’t command a huge payday.

The also have one potential new contributor who is already on the roster. Linebacker Jaylon Smith, who missed his entire rookie season recovering from an ACL tear, could see time this year if his injury heals up. Although Garrett said Smith will participate in the offseason program, there’s still concern.

“We’ll have to watch him as we go, just as we would with anybody coming back from an injury,” Garrett said.

Jones was more optimistic about Smith.

“Everything that he’s about in terms of his competitiveness, in terms of what you want — his makeup, you could call it — is off the charts,” Jones said. “We have every reason to think that he’s going to come in here and be an impact player.”

Then there’s how Dallas helped build itself into a contender in the first place: the draft. In Dan Kadar’s latest mock draft for SB Nation, he has the Cowboys selecting cornerback Marlon Humphrey out of Alabama. The defensive backs at the combine largely impressed, and this is a great draft for the Cowboys and other teams to try to capitalize on. Various mock drafts across the internet have them taking defensive ends like Derek Barnett of Tennessee, Taco Charlton of Michigan, Charles Harris of Missouri, Carl Lawson of Auburn, or Takkarist McKinley of UCLA, who visited with the Cowboys at the combine.

The future success of any franchise is typically estimated by who is taking snaps under center. The Cowboys pass that test with Prescott. But the offensive line is going to go a long way in making sure that (at least) Prescott is protected, making him as effective as possible.

The offensive line has three All-Pros on it, with left tackle Smith, right guard Zack Martin, and center Frederick. Keeping an offensive line with those caliber of players is about as good as you can have it, and it should only help ensure the development of Prescott. He will also have familiar faces like Bryant and Witten as targets, as well as Cole Beasley and Brice Butler, who was just re-signed before the league’s new year.

That, combined with arguably the most versatile back in the NFL, is going to make sure the offense is chugging along for years to come. Elliott has received much praise for his ability to rack up yardage and find the end zone, but he also happens to be an excellent blocker in pass protection. Even Garrett attributed much of the Cowboys’ success to Elliott.

“Great runners make a big difference,” he said. “They make the offensive line better. They make the quarterback better. They make the receivers better.

“Everyone is hunkered down to stop the run if you have a great one.”

Garrett also noted that the control a strong running game provides only makes the defense and kicking game better.

The Dallas Cowboys have a foundation laid down. A franchise quarterback combined with the league’s best running back and offensive line is a great start. The defense wasn’t horrible, and could improve not with huge changes, but with the proper adjustments.

And that’s all the Cowboys need to build off of last season’s success. If they do, there’s no reason they can’t compete at a high level for years to come.