No quit
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As bad as things got for the Cowboys in the first few months of the 2024 season, there was no quit from the team. Dallas was 3-7 after a Monday Night Football loss to the Houston Texans, down multiple starters, including at quarterback where Dak Prescott was lost for the year in Week 9. McCarthy’s team still had some fight left in them.
The playoffs seemed like a pipe dream in early November, but one would never know it as the Cowboys managed to win four of their next five games to stay in contention for a postseason berth. It wasn’t until Week 17 that the Cowboys were officially eliminated from the playoff race, a testament to the team’s resolve.
From the owner to the coaching staff, and down onto the players, no one cared about having a better draft pick.
Several players fought through injuries and tried to help the team, despite their place in the standings. Right guard Zack Martin fought through several ailments until it was clear he could no longer help, and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb battled a painful shoulder injury to put up a fourth straight 1,000-yard season, tying Michael Irvin for the franchise record.
One can call the 2024 Cowboys a lot of things, but quitters isn’t one of them.
Special teams stars: Brandon Aubrey and…
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It wasn’t a winning season for the Cowboys, who struggled on both sides of the ball.
However, they did have one of the best special teams units in the league, led by kicker Brandon Aubrey and kick returner KaVontae Turpin. Both were named to the Pro Bowl, and both were named as All-Pros.
Aubrey proved his rookie season was no fluke by making 40 kicks from his 47 attempts, which included a record number of made 50+ yard field goals in a season, with 14. The second-year kicker was 14-17 from over 50 yards, and two of those misses were from 61 and 70 yards.
He was used too much for an inefficient offense, but Aubrey continues to be a weapon for the Cowboys.
… Kavontae Turpin
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Turpin put on a show this year as the primary kick returner for the Cowboys. The third-year man was the only player in the NFL to return both a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown this season.
The pint-sized Turpin led the league in kickoff return yards with 904, and average yards per return at 33.5.
Turpin showed he was the best return man in the league and was dangerous with the ball in his hands no matter which unit.
Rico Dowdle
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When training camp began, one didn’t have to look very hard for observers to crown Rico Dowdle the best of the Cowboys running backs. It was evident in the summer he should be the starter and earn the lion’s share of the snaps in the backfield.
The coaching staff didn’t see it that way initially and it took over half the season to finally commit to Dowdle. Only once in the first nine games did the RB get over 12 carries. That game against the Pittsburgh Steelers saw Dowdle carry the ball for 20 times for 87 yards to go with a receiving touchdown.
In the first 10 games, the Cowboys were 3-7 and scored over 24 points just twice as Dowdle had 93 carries for 402 yards.
In the last seven games of the year, Dowdle never carried fewer than 13 times, and had three games with over 20 totes. Those seven games saw Dowdle have 142 carries for 677 yards and two touchdowns. Dowdle also had three straight 100-yard rushing games and added a fourth in the final seven game stretch.
Dallas was 4-3 in those games and scored over 24 points in all four wins.
The late season surge saw Dowdle become the first undrafted Cowboys RB to rush for 1,000 yards, and it came in a year where it took much too long for the team to give him the opportunity to be the lead RB.
Micah Parsons
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It won’t go down as a good year for the Cowboys’ defense, but edge rusher Micah Parsons continued to show that he’s one of the best defensive players in the league. Despite missing four games, Parsons still managed to achieve double-digit sacks for the fourth straight year to start his career, entering some elite company.
With his 12 sacks, Parsons is in even more rarefied air, matching Hall of Famer Reggie White as the only two players in NFL history with 12 or more sacks in each of their first four seasons.
It looked like Parsons was on another level from his first three years in the league, which is a scary thought. Parsons finished tied for fifth in the league in sacks despite missing four games. If he were able to play a full slate, Parsons surely sets his career high for sacks and might have won the sack title.
The Cowboys’ defense had a rough year, but Parsons did not, demonstrating once again that he’s a game wrecker.
