Andrew Weber-Imagn Images Dez Bryant caught it 10 years ago today. It has been a decade. It has officially been a decade. The cold, fateful day in question was officially 10 years ago today. It was then when the Dallas Cowboys, the 2014 Cowboys if not obvious, ventured to Lambeau Field for a playoff game for the first time since the Ice Bowl and appropriately frigid conditions welcomed them. Those Cowboys, the magical 2014 Cowboys, did not know it, but they were up against their eventual kryptonite in the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers. As fate would have it the franchise was also up against their future (still so potentially, an entirely different topic) head coach in Mike McCarthy. In fact, it was McCarthy who threw the red challenge flag that served as the catalyst for why were are here today. On 4th and 2, from the Green Bay 32-yard line, while trailing by five points with under that many minutes left in the game, Tony Romo trusted Dez Bryant. And Dez Bryant delivered. Then the challenge came. And we have been stuck in another dimension of the purgatory that the franchise was on the verge of escaping at that moment ever since. What do you think: Did Dez Bryant catch it? ⤵️ @TDISportsClipspic.twitter.com/rIFk8O0sns — The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 19, 2021 We have gone over this many times in the decade (officially) since. It is understood that Dez caught it. The NFL admitted it when they changed (or further complicated) the rule of what constitutes a catch. Mike McCarthy coyly admitted it when he took over as the Cowboys head coach. We also know that the game was not necessarily won when Dez caught it. Even if the Cowboys had scored, Aaron Rodgers had many moments in him since that point in time that would burn the Cowboys. It stands very well to reason that he would have offered one that was lost to history. What’s more, we all also know that the game was lost more in other moments. There was the block on Dan Bailey’s field goal and the DeMarco Murray fumble. Those things carry more actual weight in retrospect, but the pain of Dallas being so close after Dez caught it to only have it taken away created a deeper wound that even a decade-old scar doesn’t fully cover. Consider that as the Cowboys walked off of the field at Lambeau that day that their playoff loss ensured the franchise’s drought would grow another year. At that point in time The Drought™ was only 19 years old. We haven’t quite doubled it in the time since, but if it were a human being it went from being somewhere likely in college to having an adult job, maybe even a family and child of their own. That much time has passed us by. Dez caught it. Then. Today. Forever. Happy anniversary, I guess.
Cowboys news: Dallas begins negotiations for new contract with Mike McCarthy
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The latest and greatest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys is here. Cowboys to open talks with Mike McCarthy on new contract to keep head coach in Dallas – Kevin Patra, NFL.com After meeting about other matters, the Cowboys and McCarthy talk about possible new deal. The Dallas Cowboys and Mike McCarthy are setting the chessboard. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and McCarthy remain open to moving forward together, and the sides are expected to open talks Friday on a new contract to keep him in Dallas, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported, per sources informed of the situation. The talks come after several days of discussions about the 2024 season and the future. McCarthy’s contract expires Tuesday, giving Dallas an exclusive negotiating window before the coach becomes a true free agent. Nearly all of the Cowboys assistant coaches are also due to have their contracts expire next week, providing some urgency for talks between Jones and McCarthy. today is another day to tap the sign pic.twitter.com/6Gt8qSRoa7 — Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) January 6, 2025 Cowboys KR KaVontae Turpin named 1st-team All-Pro, CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aubrey make 2nd-Team – RJ Ochoa, Blogging The Boys Dallas had a significant dip in All-Pro selections from last season. The regular season wrapped up a week ago for the National Football League which means that the playoffs are about to start and a handful of other things. Among the “other things” are accolades and awards. There is still some time between now and NFL Honors when things like MVP, Offensive/Defensive Player of the Year, etc. will all be handed out, but the Pro Bowl rosters came out recently (the Dallas Cowboys had 5 players selected) and on Friday the Associated Press All-Pro Teams were announced. The Cowboys had only a single First-Team All-Pro this season. It was on the special teams side of things and was not surprisingly KaVontae Turpin. There were two Second-Team All-Pro selections on the Cowboys roster in CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aubrey. All three of those players were named to the Pro Bowl which makes sense. Dallas’ other two Pro Bowlers were Micah Parsons and Tyler Smith. While they were not All-Pro selections it is worth noting that Parsons did receive some votes in the overall process, although Smith did not. The to-do list for the Dallas Cowboys heading into the offseason – Ben Grimaldi, WFAA The Cowboys have a laundry list of things to get figured out. Defensive linemen Carl Lawson, Chauncey Golston and Osa Odighizuwa are among that group who warrant a return. Odighizuwa will come with a higher price tag than expected, but the defense needs him back as he was often the only serviceable player in the trenches to help stop the run. Also included on the to-do signing list this offseason is the need to extend their All-Pro defensive standout. Parsons is eligible for a new deal, and he’ll be the main topic of conversations until it gets done. If the Joneses wait and hold the franchise hostage in negotiations like they did last year, it’s a recipe for disaster. Parsons has already said that he wants a deal done quickly, doesn’t need to be the highest paid player, and he doesn’t want to be a distraction; management should follow his lead. Those attributes are a dream come true for the Joneses. They have a golden opportunity to avoid dragging their feet on extending one of the best defensive players in the league, while also being allowed to re-sign other free agents. Another player eligible for an extension is DaRon Bland, who is coming off a season where he missed 10 games due to injury but had an All-Pro season in 2023. Will the Cowboys have the ability to keep cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and Bland, both who could come at a high cost while they’re tight against the salary cap? The short answer is yes, if they want to. But Dallas keeps these decisions close to the vest and often is unbending in their ability to get creative with their cap dollars. The team could wait another year on Bland, but that risks him having another good season and watching his price skyrocket. Waiting things out would also mean the Cowboys would have two big extensions the following season, when All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith becomes eligible for a big raise. When will Jerry Jones extend Micah Parsons’ Cowboys contract? – Todd Archer, ESPN The Cowboys should do it sooner rather than later. On Friday, Micah Parsons is scheduled to sit with Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones at AT&T Stadium to watch the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between Ohio State and Texas (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Parsons said he plans to ask, “‘How can we become contenders? How do we bounce back from this year? What are the plans?’ Those are the type of things that I want to ask. I hope he asks me things, too.” At some point, maybe Parsons’ future will come up. Parsons, the No. 12 pick of the 2021 draft, is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract and is scheduled to make $24 million on the fifth-year option. The edge rusher is the top player priority for the Cowboys this offseason. Jones has said Parsons is a cornerstone of the Cowboys’ future, right with quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver CeeDee Lamb. He has called the thought of trading Parsons nonsense, and he wants him around for the long term. In December, Parsons told ESPN he wants his Cowboys uniform No. 11 to be considered among the likes of Nos. 74, 12, 8 and 22, worn by Hall of Famers Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith and never worn again. He also said he does not need to be the highest-paid defensive player in the game, a point he repeated on a number of occasions. Last time Cowboys had No. 12 pick
Culture over chaos: How Mike McCarthy steadied Cowboys in 2024
Culture over chaos: How Mike McCarthy steadied Cowboys in 2024 Jazz Monet If the Dallas Cowboys’ 2024 season were a Disney production, Mike McCarthy’s journey would undoubtedly be the heartwarming, tear-jerking, against-all-odds story arc that gets the standing ovation. Think Remember the Titans meets The Mighty Ducks—with a Dallas twist. His handling of locker room dynamics and team culture might not have earned a playoff berth, but it’s the kind of character development that makes a team’s credits roll worth watching. The headlines alone could narrate his rollercoaster year. Remember January’s NFL Fans Call for Cowboys to Fire Mike McCarthy, Hire Belichick During Packers Loss? For the second year running, fans were practically packing McCarthy’s bags, swapping last year’s Sean Payton dream for a fantasy of Bill Belichick coaching America’s Team. In August, Jerry Jones stirred the pot, claiming the typically even-keeled McCarthy needed “angst” and “pressure” to thrive—a backhanded pep talk, if ever there was one. By mid-November, the storm peaked with headlines like, “Micah Parsons harsh words hint Mike McCarthy has lost the locker room.” But then, the winds had shifted, and by mid-December, headlines like “Dallas Cowboys rave about Mike McCarthy, locker room culture” were sprouting up like daisies after a downpour. So, how did McCarthy go from the brink of mutiny to the king of camaraderie? Let’s break it down. REPAIRING THE FOUNDATION (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) Early on, things got messy. Devastating losses turned into headline bait: disharmony, weak leadership, poor work ethic, and a front office that had wrongfully gambled on a “lame-duck” coach. Locker room tensions bubbled over as players like Jourdan Lewis and KeVontae Turpin publicly questioned their teammates’ focus and work ethic, while an article spotlighted The Star’s guided tours as practice-field distractions, turning the Cowboys into fodder for punchlines and hot takes. The noise was deafening, and McCarthy was painted as a relic incapable of reigning it all in, but he refused to fold. He tackled the run-game issues head-on, and there were signs of life from an offense most had declared dead after Dak Prescott’s season-ending injury. Through it all, McCarthy remained teflon-coated: no lashing out, no grandstanding. He even dismissed unproductive narratives with a calm resolve, doubling down on his belief that public perception paled in comparison to the work being done behind closed doors. And slowly but surely, the Cowboys followed his lead. The finger-pointing stopped, and viral soundbites faded into obscurity, replaced by a quieter focus on the core values McCarthy had championed from Day 1. Enter Week 12, and a desperately-needed win against the Commanders, a spark that reignited belief in a locker room battered by injuries and doubt. Despite their playoff chances dangling by a thread, McCarthy’s refusal to quit became contagious. Cowboys stars like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons all rallied behind their coach, publicly praising his resilience and ability to steady the ship in choppy waters. With that victory, the Cowboys won four of their next five games, with their only loss coming to the Bengals’ high-powered offense—a game arguably decided by a late, special teams gaffe. Is it any surprise that the Cowboys started stacking wins as McCarthy regained control? Mike McCarthy has always maintained that everything he does is about winning. This season was a reminder that consistent success requires a solid foundation. The Cowboys’ 2024 season won’t make it into any highlight reels. There were no shiny trophies, and the playoff math didn’t work out. But beyond the stats, McCarthy pulled off something far more remarkable: he rebuilt trust, galvanized his players, and proved that culture counts. Many fans would rather forget about this season altogether, but the story of Mike McCarthy in 2024 isn’t just about wins and losses—it’s about finding a way to hold a team together when everything seems to be falling apart. And if that’s not the stuff of sports-drama legend, what is? Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.
Proving them wrong: Rico Dowdle’s story of grit, greatness as Cowboys RB1
Proving them wrong: Rico Dowdle’s story of grit, greatness as Cowboys RB1 Jazz Monet A series on the Dallas Cowboys’ 2024 season wouldn’t be complete without Rico Dowdle, a name that’s become synonymous with grit, persistence, and proving doutbers wrong. His journey isn’t just inspiring; it’s relatable to anyone who’s ever had to claw their way up through the ranks while shaking off the weight of low expectations. Rewind to the 2024 NFL Draft. Cowboys fans and analysts alike were collectively side-eyeing the team for not drafting a running back. The headlines were ruthless. One late-April gem declared, “Cowboys in Crisis: Worst Running Back Problem Since Emmitt Smith Cut.” Ouch. For Dowdle, waking up to stories like that probably felt like watching someone critique your cooking without tasting a bite. Fast forward to Week 15, and the narrative had shifted in a major way. Dowdle’s impact on the Cowboys offense was so undeniable, it inspired headlines like How Rico Dowdle has transformed into an RB1 force for Cowboys. But to be clear, Dowdle didn’t stroll into the starting lineup on a red carpet. He had to prove himself several times and in multiple ways in order to become Dallas’ lead back. Back in training camp, analysts were already calling him the team’s best running back. The Cowboys, however, opted for a “running back by committee” approach to start the season. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t giving what it was supposed to give. The offense sputtered, and whatever they were calling a run scheme got dragged for being as confusing as it was ineffective. Meanwhile, Dowdle quietly made his case. With limited chances in Weeks 2 through 4, he averaged over four yards per carry, proving he was ready for more. When his big moment finally came, a 20+ carry game on the road against the Steelers, he didn’t just show up. He showed out. By Week 11, the Cowboys officially handed him the keys to the backfield. For an 2020 undrafted free agent, being named the lead back is already an impressive feat. But Rico Dowdle wasn’t about to stop there. By the end of the season, he had rushed for over 1,000 yards—the first UDFA in Cowboys history to do so—while maintaining a career-high 4.6 yards per carry. It wasn’t just a breakout season; it was a full-on statement. Late in the season, Mike McCarthy told the press that the next step for Dowdle is to become an every-down back. Should the cards fall in such a way that he’s expected to meet that challenge next season, one thing’s for sure, Rico Dowdle will be ready to make his mark. Again. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.
College Football Playoffs live discussion: Ohio State vs Texas
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Enjoy some college football playoffs The College Football Playoffs continue with a semifinal game between Ohio State and Texas. This is an open thread for game chat.
Cowboys should consider upgrading tight end position after Jake Ferguson’s down year
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The Cowboys have to prioritize finding more weapons for their offense. The Cowboys ended the 2024 season on a bit of a high note, with the defense looking legitimately special and several young pieces of the offense taking important steps forward. However, the biggest story of this year that doomed the Cowboys was the offense regressing even before Dak Prescott was knocked out for the year. Some of it was due to Prescott playing poorly – he set career worsts in completion rate, EPA/dropback, CPOE, yards per attempt, and turnover worthy play rate – but there were more factors at play. CeeDee Lamb was slow out of the gate after missing nearly all of the offseason program due to his contract holdout. The offensive line also saw a lot of personnel rotations throughout the year. Perhaps the biggest issue, though, was a familiar one: Prescott had nowhere to go with the ball outside of Lamb. Brandin Cooks’ injury early in the season didn’t help, but Cooks wasn’t factoring into the offense much even before he was hurt. Jalen Tolbert looked better as the season went on, but he struggled with creating separation. One player whom the Cowboys seemingly relied on to take another big step forward was Jake Ferguson. A year ago, his first as the starting tight end, Ferguson broke out in a big way. His 761 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 71 catches all ranked in the top 10 of tight ends, and Prescott recorded a 109.8 passer rating when throwing to Ferguson; only George Kittle and Sam LaPorta were better in that regard. Unfortunately, though, Ferguson did not improve on his 2023 Pro Bowl campaign. In fact, he took a hard step back. It must be noted that Ferguson battled through several injuries, including a concussion that caused him to miss two games, but the tight end still showed a troubling regression this year. Jake Ferguson of Dallas had the lowest TE DYAR ever, while Elijah Moore had the third-lowest WR DYAR ever. Read more here. https://t.co/GXEeT6r4qO — Aaron Schatz (@ASchatzNFL) January 8, 2025 DYAR, which stands for Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement, is a metric that utilizes DVOA to measure an individual player’s total efficiency over the course of an entire year. For example, the top tight ends this year by DYAR were, in order, Kittle, Mark Andrews, and Tucker Kraft. Brock Bowers fell just shy in large part because of his outsized target share, meaning he had more drops and incompletions than the others that averaged out in the end. By this metric, though, Ferguson was not only the least efficient tight end in the league this year but the least efficient tight end in NFL history. He finished with 494 receiving yards on 59 receptions and failed to score a touchdown all year long. His 8.4 yards per reception was easily a career low, and the fairly mobile tight end also set a new low in yards after the catch per reception, dipping below the six mark for the first time in his career. Ferguson also got sloppy in his play, too. Coming into the year, he had never fumbled the ball; he did so four times on the season, losing two of them. He also managed to lead all skill players in penalties with nine despite missing three games. The Cowboys were banking on him having another strong year, but Ferguson turned sharply in the wrong direction. Of course, the quarterback situation didn’t help, but that wasn’t the cause of his struggles either. Looking at Ferguson’s receiving DVOA (which measures efficiency on a per-play basis), his DVOA when Prescott was playing was still a -24% grade. It dipped to -51% with Cooper Rush, but it’s not like Ferguson was playing efficient football before Prescott went down. As the tight end prepares to enter the final year of his rookie contract, these struggles put the Cowboys in an odd position. Ferguson has definitely shown the capability to be a high end player at his position, but the inconsistency is a concern. Prescott will be coming off his second serious injury when he returns next year, and he needs to have high caliber weapons to rely on outside of just Lamb. The most likely way to do that is by adding another wide receiver to the mix, rather than relying on Ferguson to be the second option in the passing game. But there will be opportunities to upgrade the tight end position too, whether it’s pending free agents like Mo Alie-Cox or Mike Gesicki, or a draft option like Penn State’s Tyler Warren. The Cowboys shouldn’t be quick to give up on Ferguson, but they also shouldn’t put as much faith in a bounce back year as they did this past offseason for him to have an improved year. If an opportunity to upgrade the position presents itself, the Cowboys would be right to take advantage.
Cowboys have 1 first-team AP All-Pro in 2024, 2 second-teamers
Cowboys have 1 first-team AP All-Pro in 2024, 2 second-teamers Todd Brock The Associated Press has revealed its All-Pro Team for 2024, and Cowboys fans will notice the same kind of dropoff from 2023 that they saw on the actual field all season long. After putting a league-high nine players on the first and second teams last year, Dallas has just one first-teamer and two second-team All-Pros after their disappointing 7-10 campaign. The Associated Press began naming All-Pro Teams in 1940, with the best players at each position selected by a national panel of AP media members. There is no AFC-versus-NFC designation, with players from both conferences making up both the first-team (top vote-getters) and the second-team (runners-up) rosters. Cowboys kick returner KaVontae Turpin was the only Cowboys player to make the AP’s first team this season. He led the league in kick return yards in 2024 and was named to the Pro Bowl. This is his first All-Pro Selection. The second team features CeeDee Lamb as one of the three wide receivers, along with Washington’s Terry McLaurin and Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown. (Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and Amon-Ra St. Brown make up the first-team WR corps.) Lamb was seventh in the league in both targets and receptions and ninth in receiving yards, despite missing the final two games of the season. Lamb was a first-team All-Pro last year and a second-teamer previously in 2022. Also on the second team for 2024 is kicker Brandon Aubrey. (Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell took first-team honors.) Aubrey had a league-high 47 field goal attempts this season, and his 41 field goals made were just one behind the leader, Boswell. Aubrey’s 65-yarder was the longest three-pointer made across the NFL this season and the second-longest kick conversion of all time. Aubrey was the AP’s first-team kicker last season in his rookie campaign. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Zack Martin and DaRon Bland were named first-team All-Pros in 2023. Dak Prescott, Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith, Micah Parsons, and Bryan Anger received second-team honors a season ago. All were passed over entirely in 2024. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.
Micah Parsons wants to play with Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter
Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Micah Parsons has made it clear that he wants to play with Abdul Carter in the NFL. Micah Parsons is a great football player. He’s one of the best in the NFL, regardless of position. Ever since the 2024 season ended for the Dallas Cowboys, though, he’s put his general manager hat on. He caused some waves earlier this week when he made a pitch to Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill to join the Cowboys. Now, he wants one of the best collegiate players in Dallas. On Thursday night, Notre Dame battled Penn State in the Orange Bowl. One of the top prospects for the 2025 draft in this contest was edge rusher Abdul Carter. He already attends the same school that Parsons did, and he wears the No. 11 like he wore for the Nittany Lions. Now, Parsons wants the Cowboys to draft Carter in April. It’s only right the NFL lets me and Abdul play together!! — Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) January 10, 2025 This would be a dream come true for the Cowboys. Outside of Parsons, Dallas has several question marks at edge rusher. Rookie Marshawn Kneeland has shown some flashes, but he did deal with the injury bug this year, which slowed his progress. So, the jury is still out on him. Sam Williams, who was supposed to take a significant leap in 2024, suffered a torn ACL and missed the entire year. Veteran Carl Lawson had a nice season with five sacks, but he’s set to hit free agency. Then, there’s the uncertain future of DeMarcus Lawrence after he missed 13 games with a Lisfranc injury. That type of uncertainty makes Carter such an appealing player for the Cowboys. He has a tremendous burst off the line of scrimmage and the bend around the edge to cause fits for opposing offenses. He plays with speed and power, and his athleticism is off the charts. When Carter is chasing ball carriers, he has the closing speed to bring them down quickly by taking great angles while he patrols sideline to sideline. The kid is simply a stud. Carter has been productive his entire collegiate career. Going into the Orange Bowl, he registered 167 tackles (100 tackles for loss), 39 tackles for loss, and 22 sacks. The season was his best as he set his best marks in tackles (63), tackles for loss (22), and sacks (11). Also, he’s racked up 12 pass breakups and five forced fumbles. The Cowboys will have the 12th pick in the first round of the draft. This makes landing Carter challenging because he’s such a sought-after prospect that he could very well go in the top 10. However, the draft is unpredictable, and guys fall every single season. Plus, the Cowboys have landed a plethora of All-Pro players outside of the top 10 over the last half decade. The Cowboys need a lot, and edge rusher is undoubtedly in play early if the right guy is on the board. Will Carter be there and fulfill the prophecy of Parsons? We shall see.
Cowboys KR KaVontae Turpin named 1st-Team All-Pro, CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aubrey make 2nd-Team
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images The Dallas Cowboys had 3 All-Pro selections this season. The regular season wrapped up a week ago for the National Football League which means that the playoffs are about to start and a handful of other things. Among the “other things” are accolades and awards. There is still some time between now and NFL Honors when things like MVP, Offensive/Defensive Player of the Year, etc. will all be handed out, but the Pro Bowl rosters came out recently (the Dallas Cowboys had 5 players selected) and on Friday the Associated Press All-Pro Teams were announced. The Cowboys had only a single First-Team All-Pro this season. It was on the special teams side of things and was not surprisingly KaVontae Turpin. There were two Second-Team All-Pro selections on the Cowboys roster in CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aubrey. All three of those players were named to the Pro Bowl which makes sense. Dallas’ other two Pro Bowlers were Micah Parsons and Tyler Smith. While they were not All-Pro selections it is worth noting that Parsons did receive some votes in the overall process, although Smith did not. The results of The Associated Press 2024 NFL All-Pro balloting as selected by a national panel of 50 media members. First-place votes in parentheses are worth three points, second-place votes worth one: OffenseQuarterbacksLamar Jackson, Baltimore, 109 (30); Josh Allen, Buffalo… — Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) January 10, 2025 #Cowboys edge @MicahhParsons11 missed 4 games and still got enough votes to barely miss second-team All-Pro by 3 points. That’s how dominant he is when he’s on the field. — Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) January 10, 2025 Parsons was not the only Cowboys player to receive votes and not be named an All-Pro. Hunter Luepke, DeMarvion Overshown, Jourdan Lewis and Trent Sieg all received some love. The Cowboys have three total All-Pros as noted, down from the incredible nine that they fielded during the 2023 season. This is KaVontae Turpin’s first All-Pro selection in general and obviously as a First-Teamer it is as high of an honor as it can be. Lamb was a First-Team All-Pro last year and a Second-Teamer the season before so he has now been an All-Pro three consecutive seasons in a row. Brandon Aubrey was a First-Team All-Pro last season so he is only at a streak of two. Congratulations to the Dallas Cowboys All-Pro selections!
5 things that actually went right in Cowboys disappointing 2024 season
No quit Brett Davis-Imagn Images 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… Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports 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 Patrick Smith/Getty Images 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 Ron Jenkins/Getty Images 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 Grant Halverson/Getty Images 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.
