FOUR DOWNS: Cowboys look to next season after disappointing loss to 49ers

ARLINGTON – It wasn’t pretty for the Dallas Cowboys from the start of Sunday’s NFL Wildcard playoff game. San Francisco established its dominance along the offensive and defensive line early and held off a furious Dallas rally in a 23-1 win over the Cowboys in front of 93,470 fans at AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys season ends with a 12-6 record, and the general feeling of disappointment is understandable right now. But remember the 2020 Cowboys and the expectations for this team? Nearly anyone would’ve accepted 12 wins, an NFC East title, a home playoff game, and a defense that was average at worst. Overall, this season is considered a success.

However, the expectations for next year will be much higher for Mike McCarthy and company. With the Cowboys beginning the offseason tomorrow, I’m going to use the final four downs for this year to take a peek at questions facing the Cowboys during the offseason.

FIRST DOWN: The most critical signing happened this week.

Earlier this week, the Cowboys signed vice president of player personnel, Will McClay, to a new contract. The urgency of the agreement was necessary, with many teams seeking to hire McClay for their general manager openings.

McClay has been responsible for the Cowboys draft and free-agent processes since 2014. While Jerry Jones has the final call, McClay has been instrumental in the franchise’s recent success.

Players drafted by McClay since 2014 include Zach Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, Leighton Vander Esch, Michael Gallup, Dorance Armstrong Jr., Connor McGovern, Tony Pollard, CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs, Micah Parsons, and Osa Odighizuwa.

That’s an impressive group of talented players who have been an integral part of the Cowboys’ success this year. However, McClay will not have an easy task this year because of the second down topic.

SECOND DOWN: The salary cap situation is not positive

Dallas is currently more than 13 million dollars over the 2022 salary cap heading into the offseason. McClay and staff will have big decisions to make and may begin finding a way to rid themselves of an offensive lineman’s contract.

The Cowboys have two offensive tackles slated to count over 32 million dollars combined against the cap. Tyron Smith accounts for over 17.5 million of the hit, but he is likely to receive another season with Dallas even with an extensive injury history.

That means La’el Collins and his 15.25 million dollar cap hit will likely not be around next season. The offensive line has been an issue, and releasing Collins will not help the situation, so the Cowboys must draft well. Let’s take a look.

THIRD DOWN: 2022 NFL Draft focus

The team must address the offensive line during the NFL Draft. The Cowboys need a guard, a center, and a tackle. Getting all three is unlikely, but Dallas will need to find two offensive linemen in the draft.

Another area the Cowboys could use help is at linebacker. Dallas drafted Micah Parsons with its first pick of the 2021 NFL Draft and could use this year’s first-round pick on another linebacker or the defensive line depending on who is available.

Keanu Neal and Leighton Vander Esch are free agents and will be challenging to sign, considering the Cowboys cap situation next year.

Dallas also needs to address the defensive backfield with Malik Hooker, Jayron Kearse, and Damontae Kazee slated to be free agents. Still, I believe a veteran free agent signing would be the better route for the Cowboys heading into next year.

FOURTH DOWN: Director of clock and down management and discipline

The Cowboys desperately need to add a new position to the franchise. The person will serve as director of clock and down management and discipline.

He will advise McCarthy of when it’s optimal to use timeouts during critical game situations for clock management. The key will be not allowing McCarthy to disregard this person’s advice.

The following job of this new position is to inform McCarthy when attempting to convert a fourth down will be beneficial. In addition, he will be expected to properly use analytics and avoid the Los Angeles Chargers’ problem with their head coach.

The final job is evident if you’ve watched any of the Cowboys games this season, including Sunday’s excruciating loss to the hated 49ers. Dallas led the league in penalties, and pre-snap penalties were to blame multiple times throughout the season. This person will be responsible for implementing pre-snap discipline to the entire team.

One final note: I have genuinely enjoyed covering the Cowboys’ home games this season. I owe a huge thank you to Jonathan Hull for the opportunity and to each of you for taking the time to read this.

My goal was to bring you something different regarding the Cowboys, which isn’t easy with many media members covering the same game. I hope you found the four downs format useful, informative, and at times entertaining.

Until next time, my wife and kids will have to deal with me.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Dallas Cowboys vs. San Franciso 49ers Wild Card playoff analysis score