If the plan is to keep McCarthy, the team can do things to improve and strengthen his chances of succeeding

Mike Crum

When the Dallas Cowboys were humiliated at AT&T Stadium by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 wild-card round, most people believed head coach Mike McCarthy would be fired. But he was brought back.

By Week 11 this year, it seemed all but cemented. The Cowboys lost to the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football, 34-10, falling to 3-7 on the year. The coaching search had begun in the media and amongst the fan base, but then Dallas had a resurgence.

The Cowboys have gone 4-1 since, with the lone loss being on a muffed punt return after a blocked kick. This has led many to speculate McCarthy should return and get a chance to get over the playoff struggles with a healthier team.

If McCarthy does return as the head coach and play-caller, what can the front office do to improve their chances of winning in 2025?

Bringing back defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer seems simple enough, but it is an enormous key to the Cowboys contending next year. Zimmer has lost his top four defensive ends, has only had his top three corners together for a single game, and lost playmaking linebacker DeMarvion Overshown for the season.

Still, Zimmer has continued to improve the defense. Defensive tackle Mazi Smith has raised his PFF run grade from 30.6 in weeks 1-9 to 70.5 in weeks 10-16. The defense has forced a turnover in eight straight contests, the most since 2018. The percentage of Dallas penalties called on the defense have dropped from over 40% in 2022 and 2023 to under 30% this year, and they run the best third-and-long defense in the NFL.

The issue will be whether Zimmer wants to come back to coaching in Dallas next season, if at all. He told reporters how hard this year has been and was noncommittal about his future when asked.

The other thing the Cowboys will need is a better supporting cast around quarterback Dak Prescott. The offensive scheme for McCarthy doesn’t match up with Sean McVay, Andy Reid, Kyle Shanahan, or Ben Johnson. The rushing attack is less creative and the passing game doesn’t help to create separation like those more modern offensive schemes. To overcome that, they need to overload their talent. The first step would be to develop Jonathan Mingo or Ryan Flournoy into an outside receiver who could make impact plays down the field and give a big target for slants, hook, and curl routes or sign a veteran free agent to do so.

Then, they need to add explosiveness to the rushing attack. Rico Dowdle or an equivalent veteran can run the ball up the middle and take the punishment like the Detroit Lions use David Montgomery, but they need a big play threat like Jahmyr Gibbs.

The team needs players to take pressure off of CeeDee Lamb, and an outside receiving threat and more explosive running play are necessary for McCarthy’s offense.

The offensive line and tight end room could improve organically just from growing together. Rookie center Cooper Beebe went from a PFF grade 55.4 in the first six weeks but improved to 71.6 from weeks 7-16, the seventh overall ranked center in that time. Tyler Guyton is another rookie with talent at offensive tackle. Tyler Smith was an All-Pro but only 23 years old, so he has room to improve. Jake Ferguson has had a down year statistically, but he will be in a contract season and the team has plenty of young potential behind him. A naturally improving OL and tight end room, with extra weapons and a returning Zimmer to run the defense, are the base elements for a chance at a contender with McCarthy returning for a sixth season.