Dallas Cowboys early success the result of winning the offseason

4. Revamped wide receiver corps

I mentioned this in a previous column, but it’s still remarkable that the Cowboys went from having one of the worst collection of pass-catchers in the league to one of the best in one short year.

I’m not sure Amari Cooper counts as an offseason improvement since he arrived in the middle of last season in a trade with the Oakland Raiders. Nevertheless, he’s been playing great.

Michael Gallup has had a huge jump in play since his rookie year (though it looks like he’ll be out for a month with a knee injury). Randall Cobb, a free agent receiver signed in the offseason, has now fought through tacklers after the catch to get a first down for the second time in two games.

All three starting receivers have had huge splash receptions and touchdowns. The biggest surprise of all, however, has been Devin Smith, who led all receivers in the Washington game with 73 yards, 51 of them on a spectacular 51-yard touchdown.

Smith comes with one of those redemption stories that fans love. Drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft by the New York Jets, Smith tore his ACL twice in the next few years. It looked like he’d never fulfill his potential.

That’s what the Jets must have thought last year, because they released him in training camp, and he ended up spending the 2018 season on the couch. Now, Smith appears to be all healed and might just be on his way to a successful NFL career.

All of that is great. The Cowboys have one of the top offenses in the NFL, at least through the first two games. Hopefully, this will continue. Notice, however, what I didn’t mention: the defense. So far, the Cowboys defense is not playing up to last year’s excellence. But let’s not panic just yet.

Two of the unit’s best players, Pro Bowlers DeMarcus Lawrence (defensive end) and Byron Jones (cornerback), look a little rusty after recovering from offseason surgery, and they’re missing another Pro Bowler in defensive end Robert Quinn (who the Cowboys traded for in the offseason), who was out on a two-game suspension.

Quinn is already back and practicing with the team this week. So, it appears likely the defense will get better as the season progresses. In the meantime, enjoy the monumental improvement of the Cowboys offense. It’s been a while coming.