The Dallas Cowboys had a strong regular season in 2021, winning the NFC East with a record of 12-5. However, they were once again eliminated early from the postseason as the San Francisco 49ers defeated them on Wild Card weekend at AT&T Stadium.
A lot of focus was on the offense following that loss as Dak Prescott and company could not get things going. The offense, which on paper looks like it should be among the best in the NFL, had some consistency issues throughout the 2021 season.
But, there is hope that with the talent on that side of the ball, they can figure things out. Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, Amari Copper and CeeDee Lamb are all excellent skill position players. In addition, Dallas still has one of the better offensive lines in the NFL to win in the trenches.
What the Cowboys will likely look to do this offseason is shore up the defense. They improved from 2020, but that was a low bar to clear because the 2020 Cowboys’ defense was one of the worst in franchise history.
In 2021, Dan Quinn had the unit playing much better, but they could still use some upgrades. Over at ClutchPoints, three free agent targets were listed and all three were defenders. Two of them were in the secondary.
While Trevor Diggs received a ton of praise for his performance in 2021, it was not as good as advertised. Diggs is an elite playmaker, coming down with 11 interceptions, but he was torched by opposing receivers regularly.
Diggs is the only cornerback in the NFL to surrender more than 900 yards in coverage, as he gave up 1,051 yards.
Teams attacked Diggs relentlessly and it paid off more often than not. Relying on turnover numbers year in and year out is a recipe for disaster given the volatility of it. Getting some help opposite of Diggs would make sense, as Stephon Gilmore was named as a possible target.
If the Cowboys don’t address cornerback, they could still use a safety. Jessie Bates of the Cincinnati Bengals would be a logical target. He is a solid playmaker, registering five interceptions and 23 passes defended the last two seasons.
Given the success the Bengals are having, it could be costly to try and pry him away from the team. The same can be said about Von Miller, who was the third player listed as a free agent target.
Miller was traded from the Denver Broncos to the Los Angeles Rams and is currently vying for a Super Bowl. Would he leave a good situation with them for the Cowboys?
While it would seem Dallas is set at pass rusher with DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, you can never have too many pass rushers. That is especially true for the Cowboys, as Lawrence played in only seven games this season and Gregory has faced multiple suspensions in his career.
