3 Cowboys offseason mistakes that reared their ugly head in loss vs. Saints

The Dallas Cowboys got demolished 44-19 in their Week 2 game against the New Orleans Saints. A week after things could not have started any better, many are looking at this team a lot differently. Dak Prescott and the offense looked okay at times, but could hardly make up for how poorly the defense played.

This was the Cowboys' first regular season loss at home since the opener against the Buccaneers in 2022. Many could not help but compare Dallas' performance with how last year's Wild Card game ended. The defense let a good running back run roughshod on them and the secondary had no answer for Derek Carr.

The issues go beyond that, however. The Cowboys did little to nothing this offseason to really improve the roster that took the field in January. There are many mistakes the team made this offseason in terms of putting this roster together, but three stand out the most based on this past Sunday's game.

3 Cowboys offseason mistakes that stood out against the Saints

3. Not signing a starting-caliber RB

The Cowboys do not have a starting running back right now. After letting Tony Pollard walk, many suspected the Cowboys would be looking for help to fill that void in free agency or the draft. They did but the moves do not look good.

The Cowboys signed Rico Dowdle to a one-year deal and signed Royce Freeman before the draft. After they failed to draft a running back, they brought back Ezekiel Elliott. All these moves scream that Jerry Jones scrambled just trying to put a bunch of running backs on the field by the time training camp started. Freeman was cut leaving Elliott and Dowdle as the main backs entering this season.

Neither one has done anything impressive in two games. Both only combined for 66 yards against Cleveland and against New Orleans Dallas only had 68 total rushing yards. Dowdle got the most carries but that number was only seven which yielded only 30 yards.

Overall the fact Dallas did not address a skill position in the offseason has come back to bite them. If the Cowboys cannot establish the run game this season, Prescott and this offense will struggle in games and wins will be harder to come by. There is hope with the team having Dalvin Cook on the practice squad. With the lack of a running game and no true running back emerging from the pack, it would not be surprising to see Cook activated sooner rather than later.

2. Trusting the young receivers

The Cowboys' offense has looked very similar in recent years when it comes to who is catching passes the most. CeeDee Lamb has led the team in receiving every year since 2021. The second-best receiver is the starting tight end. Dalton Schultz was second on the team in receiving in 2022 and last year it was Jake Ferguson. With Ferguson injured, Dallas needs help outside of Lamb in the passing game and so far that has not happened.

Every team who watches film on the Cowboys knows Lamb is the primary target. The Saints knew that too. With Lamb facing double teams and no Ferguson, young receivers such as Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks needed to step up. Tolbert actually had one of his best games with 82 yards on six catches including a 39-yard snag with Paulson Adebo draped all over him. However, he still had some big drops.

While Tolbert might finally be trending in the right direction, the same cannot be said for Jalen Brooks. He had one catch in the game but made several mistakes. In the second quarter with Dallas down 14-3 and driving in the red zone, he missed a key block on an end-around by Brandin Cooks that likely would have led to a touchdown. If the Cowboys score there, it is only a four-point game.

Brooks' day only got worse later in the quarter when Dallas mounted a drive down 28-13. With the game still winnable, Brooks slipped while running a slant route and Adebo was right there next to him to make the interception on Prescott. Once again a receiver let Prescott down leading to a pick. That was not on the quarterback.

Overall these young receivers are not helping the passing game and taking the focus off of Lamb. With Ferguson still likely out and the lack of a running game, this group needs to take more steps forward next week against Baltimore. It would also not be surprising seeing Ryan Flournoy activated from the practice squad next week. The rookie had a solid camp and could be worth giving a shot as the third/fourth receiver.

1. Waiting until August to bring in a defensive tackle

The Cowboys lost one of their key starting defensive tackles this offseason. Johnathan Hankins might have been injury prone during his short stint in Dallas, but he helped plug the middle of that line to stop the run. Dallas' run defense has still not improved after the past few seasons. They gave up 190 rushing yards to the Saints and Alvin Kamara had three rushing touchdowns. Many could not help but think about last year's playoff loss when Aaron Jones ran at will on this defense.

Dallas did not address defensive tackle the whole offseason with the exception of the draft. They selected Justin Rogers in the seventh round but he got cut and immediately signed with the Bengals. Once again like with John Ridgeway, the front office wasted a draft pick and saw the player go elsewhere right away. Fortunately they added some veterans during training camp.

The Cowboys traded for Jordan Phillips and signed Linval Joseph in August. Both have seen ample playing time, but neither player has stood out. Quite the opposite, actually. Osa Odighizuwa is the leader of this group, but he needs help inside. With Mazi Smith so far not living up to his first round pick status, Dallas scrambled to get help before the season.

Phillips was on the Giants to start camp, but Joseph had been a free agent all offseason. With neither being here for that long, one cannot expect the chemistry to be there right away. If the Cowboys had addressed defensive tackle in free agency during the beginning of the offseason or higher in the draft, the situation would be better.

Mike Zimmer is already under fire for how his defense performed on Sunday. With the optimism from players like Micah Parsons and how well this unit has looked since 2021, the pressure is on Zimmer to keep this defense at the top of the league. When they get stops and create turnovers, this team can go places, but it isn't going anywhere if its DTs continue to get blown off the ball.

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