The Cowboys were terrible on offense during the 2015 season. There is no other way around this. Out of 32 teams they were 27th in passing yards averaging 217 yards a game. You might think this is just because of the loss of Tony Romo most of the season. In the 2014 regular season, however, they only averaged 237 yards per game so only 20 more yards per game with a healthy Romo in. Another loss for the Cowboys was losing DeMarco Murray to the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2014, with DeMarco Murray running the ball, they averaged 147 yards rushing per game which was second to only one team, Seattle. In 2015, without Murray, they were ninth in rushing averaging 118 yards per game. This was basically done with a running back by committee style led by Darren McFadden.
Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Issues
So how should the Cowboys address the offseason? Do they go for a quarterback in the draft or possibly free agency? So far, the team has been linked with quarterbacks like Johnny Manziel and RG3. Both of these quarterbacks come with a lot of drama and locker room distractions but the Cowboys did sign Greg Hardy last year so they are no stranger to that especially with an owner like Jerry Jones. Jones has gone on the record so far and said the Cowboys do not need to go for a quarterback early in the draft. But with Romo only getting older (he turns 36 before the season starts), it is safe to say this should be an issue that the Cowboys will be going after but who will it be?
Jones is no stranger to controversy and neither is the first quarterback to be discussed, Johnny Manziel. Hue Jackson, the new head coach for Cleveland, has already stated that the Browns will be moving away from Johnny Football. Manziel has also been spotted partying in Dallas recently so it would seem as no surprise that he could be a Cowboy next season. Manziel had a rough first season as a rookie playing in five games and having a quarterback rating of only 42.0. But 2015 seemed to be the year he was turning things around. He played nine games and had a quarterback rating of 74.4 which is definitely an improvement over 2014. He also improved his completion percentage from 51.4% to 57.8%. Not only can Manziel throw the ball but he can also run when the play breaks down. He went from only averaging 3.2 yards per run in 2014 to a 6.2 average in 2015. Manziel is improving and but will the Cowboys go for him, especially after Saturday’s recent developments?
Robert Griffin III is another name that has been linked to the Cowboys. RG3 is a little bit more of a mystery given that he hasn’t played a lot since the 2014 season when he only played in 9 games. The Redskins have already expressed interest in signing Kirk “You like that” Cousins to a new contract but apparently have no plans so far when it comes to RG3. In 2012, he played 15 games and had a quarterback rating for 102.4 completing 65.6% of his passes for a total of 3,200 yards. In 2013 he played 13 games, had 3,203 yards passing but his quarterback rating was 82.2. In his last year of actually playing, 2014, he was fairly limited so he had less yards but his rating was 86.9 so he was improving. RG3 has better quarterback rating numbers than Manziel but he comes with just as many distractions. Also, neither of these two have ever played a full season in their NFL careers.
There are three quarterbacks that are being linked to the Cowboys in the draft this year which are Carson Wentz from North Dakota State, Jared Goff out of Cal and Paxton Lynch from Memphis. All three are being linked to the Browns as well and if Cleveland does choose to go for a quarterback, one of these guys will be probably be gone. The Cowboys could try to trade up but it is unnecessary since they are already in the top five for picks. First up is Jared Goff, the junior out of Cal. This year at Cal he threw for 4,719 yards with a completion percentage of 64.5 with an overall QB rating of 82.2. He is also being heavily linked to Cleveland so as of this moment in time it’s probably going to the Browns.
Jones has already met with Wentz at the Senior Bowl and seems to be downplaying his interest in the FCS Champion. He started for two seasons at North Dakota State and won national championships both years while leading the Bison to their fifth straight title in 2015. This season he threw for 1,651 yards and 17 touchdowns while only starting seven games due to a broken wrist. He also ran in six touchdowns as well so he is something of a dual threat quarterback.
The final quarterback is Paxton Lynch out of Memphis who even stated that he would be fine being a backup to a quarterback like Romo. This could be a good thing for Dallas. They can pick him up and let him learn from Romo for a couple of years and then when Romo retires they will be able to throw a more prepared Lynch in just like Aaron Rodgers did once Brett Favre left the Packers. In the 2015 season, Lynch had a quarterback rating of 77.4 while completing 66.8% of his passes for 3,776 yards as Memphis went 9-4 and even upset Ole Miss 37-24.
At this moment in time it is hard to truly figure out where the Cowboys are leaning. Free agency will certainly play a key to some of this as well. Nobody ever truly knows what Jerry Jones will decide to do as well, but after a dismal 2015 season it is time for them to make some changes. The only question will be is it for the better?
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