NFL Exec Rips Cowboys Offense, Defends Dak Prescott: ‘They Don’t Have a Run Game’

Adam WellsNovember 7, 2024

Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Despite all of the public handwringing about Dak Prescott’s struggles this season, there are people placing most of the blame on the infrastructure around him with the Dallas Cowboys.

One rival executive told The Athletic’s Jeff Howe that the Cowboys’ inability to establish a running game puts too much pressure on Prescott to make plays so the offense remains viable:

“They don’t have a run game. They’re throwing the ball (too much). They have to throw the ball early because they have a run game that defenses don’t respect. The more you put on the quarterback, the more pressure there is, the finer the line is. Then you get boom-or-bust games. If you can play with balance and you have a run game, you’re able to use play action and put them in situations where you’re at an advantage.

“If you turn the ball over, you don’t stop anybody, you get into a game where you’re behind, (QBs) take more risks and have more turnovers. The more pressure you put on quarterbacks, the more you increase the chance that it will blow up in your face. That’s Football 101.”

No one would argue that Prescott is having a great season. He has thrown for 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His 46.8 QBR ranks 25th out of 31 qualified quarterbacks.

But there’s a sample size of eight years before this season that shows Prescott is one of the better quarterbacks in the league. He just finished second in MVP voting last year after throwing for an NFL-high 36 touchdown passes.

The problems in Dallas extend far beyond Prescott’s individual performance. Cowboys receivers have been near the bottom of the league in yards of separation, so he is frequently throwing into tight windows.

Jerry Jones’ solution to that problem was trading for Jonathan Mingo, who couldn’t get on the field for the Carolina Panthers after being a second-round draft pick in 2023.

The 33rd Team @The33rdTeamFBJonathan Mingo’s 0.75 Yards per Route Run is dead last for any WR that has caught 50+ passes since 2000

526th out of 526 😳 https://t.co/thYcVxAVO3 pic.twitter.com/0xTgwHFlR2

This came after Jones said on multiple occasions that the Cowboys couldn’t afford to sign Derrick Henry in free agency because of the salary cap. While it’s true the contracts for Henry and Mingo are different, it’s not like Henry’s $5 million cap hit with the Baltimore Ravens is an albatross.

It’s not just that the Cowboys didn’t even try to sign Henry in free agency. They let Tony Pollard leave when he signed a three-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. He got off to a slow start last season returning from a fractured fibula suffered in the NFC Divisional Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but he had 597 yards from scrimmage and four total touchdowns over his final eight games in 2023.

Rico Dowdle has been efficient when he gets the ball, averaging 4.5 yards per attempt, but he only has 71 carries in seven games. The Cowboys have only run the ball 173 times all season, fewest in the NFL by 25 attempts (New York Jets: 198).

On top of the offensive issues, the Cowboys rank 31st in points allowed per game and 29th in defensive DVOA.

With Prescott likely to end up on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, the Cowboys will get an extended look at what life looks like without him beginning on Sunday when Cooper Rush starts against the Philadelphia Eagles.