Dallas Cowboys Season Recap

NFC East	Finished 1st in Division Lost to Green Bay in Divisional Round
Overall Record: 13-3 (3-3 in the division)	Draft Position: 28th
Head Coach: Jason Garrett	GM: Jerry Jones

Pro Bowlers

• RB Ezekiel Elliott
• C Travis Frederick
• G Zack Martin
• LB Sean Lee
• QB Dak Prescott
• T Tyron Smith
• WR Dez Bryant

2016 Rankings

	Yards/Game	Points/Game	Passing Yards/Game	Rushing Yards/Game
Offense	5th	5th	23rd	2nd	TDs – T-6th
Defense	14th	5th	26th	1st	Sacks – 13th	INTs – T-27th

Top Passers

Name	Games Started	CMP. PCT.	Yards	TDs	INTs	Passer Rating	QBR
Dak Prescott	16	67.8	3,667	23	4	104.9	81.7

Top Rushers

Name	Rushing Yards	Y/A	TDs
Ezekiel Elliott	1,631	5.1	15
Dak Prescott	282	4.9	6

Top Pass Catchers

Name	Receptions	Yards	Y/C	TDs
Cole Beasley	75	833	11.1	5
Dez Bryant	50	796	15.9	8

Top Defensive Players

• LB Sean Lee - 145 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss
• S Byron Jones - 88 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble
• DE Benson Mayowa - 25 tackles for loss, 4 tackles for loss, 6.0 sack,1 forced fumble
• S Barry Church - 85 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 INTs, 1 forced fumble

Impending Free Agents

• CB Brandon Carr
• ILB Rolando McClain
• CB Morris Claiborne
• G Ron Leary
• SS Barry Church
• QB Mark Sanchez
• OLB Andrew Gachkar
• RB Darren McFadden
• RB Lance Dunbar
• DE Jack Crawford
• TE Gavin Escobar
• DT Terrell McClain
• ILB Justin Durant
• CB Joshua Thomas
• WR Terrance Williams
• QB Kellen Moore
• FS J.J. Wilcox
• WR Brice Butler

What I Said About Them Before the Season

• I projected that the Cowboys would go 8-8 this season and they greatly outplayed these expectations.  I wrote that for the team to have success this season Tony Romo and Dez Bryant were going to need to return to health.  I really liked the draft pick they spent on running back Ezekiel Elliott and also thought them signing Alfred Morris was a savvy move to spell Elliott. I edited my outlook during the preseason and wrote about how much I liked the Cowboys taking a flyer on Dak Prescott after learning that Romo was expected to miss significant time with an injury.

Success/Failure

• Success - If a Cowboys fan had been told during the preseason that the Cowboys would have to go through the entirety of the season rookies starting at both quarterback and running back, I bet that that fan would have considered throwing away the season.  Instead, Dak Prescott was good enough to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and Ezekiel Elliott got considerable MVP Award consideration.  Of course, their incredible offensive year was due in large part to the team's elite offensive line, a unit that is the best in the league.  Going forward, there is a strong chance that the league adjusts to Prescott and works to contain Elliott but the Cowboys are still built to make serious runs at a Super Bowl in the next few years.  On defense, Dallas wasn't quite as good but still serviceable.  They stopped the run excellently but struggled against the pass and got little pass rush.

Offseason Needs

• Considering the elite level that the Cowboys' offense has been operating at, they need to work on their defense this offseason.  They need an edge pass rusher so drafting a 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 outside linebacker is of high importance.  They should be able to fill this need adequately at the draft as there are usually a number of these players available each other.  The Cowboys also need a cornerback to help defend against the pass and to force turnovers.  Also, now that tight end Jason Witten is getting up in age, the Cowboys should consider drafting his eventual successor.

*All stats and information come from espn.com, nfl.com, pro-football-reference.com, rosterresource.com, spotrac.com, overthecap.com, foxsports.com, and cbssports.com