Dallas Cowboys: 5 Shocking Player Stats of 2017
During this down season for the Dallas Cowboys, here are five shocking player statistics that help put this year in prospective for America’s Team.
As the Dallas Cowboys limp into a meaningless Week 17 matchup with the NFC East champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, America’s Team and their fanbase continue to struggle to find answers about how this year went so wrong in Big “D”.
From bad coaching, to underperforming divas to owner Jerry Jones himself; finger pointing is at an all-time high right now. And there is certainly plenty of blame to go around. As we enter the final week of the 2017 NFL regular season, here are five player statistics that shocked us.
Maliek Collins, Defensive Tackle – 2.5 sacks
For those that predicted Maliek Collins would lead the Cowboys in sacks this season, and even make the Pro Bowl, this is an absolute shocker. After an impressive rookie season where Collins was clocked as one of the fastest players at the defensive tackle position, the 22-year old was expected to take another step up in his development in 2017. Instead, Collins has all but disappeared. Oh, and those 2.5 sacks were all recorded in the first three games of the season.
Byron Jones, S – One Interception
This likely isn’t shocking to most Cowboys fans. But how Byron Jones can continue to be so mediocre for so long is. And the fact he is a former first round selection only highlights his lack of progress as a playmaker. Jones has posted just two interceptions in three seasons. And the Cowboys coaching staff is well aware of his lack of football instincts, now replacing him with second-year thumper Kavon Frazier every other series.
Terrance Williams, Wide Receiver – 0 Touchdowns
Everyone knows that Terrance Williams is often the fifth option on this stacked offense that has a run-first team mentality. (Or it least it should) So it’s no surprise that T-Will is often the last pup to the target bowl. That being said, with one game to go, Williams has a chance to post a career-high in receptions in the team’s Week 17 contest in Philly. But the fact that he’s failed to reach the endzone even once this season shows just how ineffective he’s been all year.
Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver – 53.2% Catch Rate
Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has been targeted 124 times so far this season, which is the 11th most in the NFL. That’s not so surprising, as Bryant is considered Dallas’ top receiving target and is the sixth highest paid wide out in the NFL this season.
What is shocking is that he’s only been able to reel in 66 of those passes for a lowly catch rate of 53.2%, which is one of the worst in the NFL. Throw in his six dropped passes, which is tied for fifth most in the league, and this has been one of the worst seasons in Bryant’s eight-year career.
Dan Bailey, Kicker – 15 of 19 Field Goals, Missed XP
Groin and hamstring injuries have hindered kicker Dan Bailey this season, limiting him to just 11 game appearances so far. But you have to believe the Cowboys wouldn’t allow him to play unless he was fully healthy. So the fact the “most accurate kicker in NFL history” has started to miss field goals, and even posted his first missed extra point try in his entire seven-year career this season is utterly shocking.
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In fact, Bailey’s recent streak of misses has dropped him down to second on the list of most accurate kickers in league history with a current field goal percentage of 88.571%. The Baltimore Ravens’ kicker, Justin Tucker, now occupies that top spot with a 90.090% accuracy rate. I think it speaks to just how fragile the mental aspects of consistent kicking can be at the professional level.