Dallas Cowboys: Assessing Their 2021 Offseason Needs

Dallas Cowboys Special Teams

Before we get to the kickers, let’s all take a moment to appreciate the greatness of L. P. Ladouceur. With over 250 starts, Ladouceur has been flawless. After another season L. P. could decide to retire, but if anything he showed he still has it to be a long snapper in the NFL. The Cowboys may have to replace him at some point and should he retire that year would be now, maybe not a need, but has to be something to think about at some point.

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Moving on to punter, it looks like Hunter Niswander did a fine job last season. He ranked in the top ten in average punt but was rather low on kicks landing inside the 20. The Cowboys could use an upgrade at punter although could get by with Niswander for another season at the very least. I would guess a camp kicker could be in the cards and would be welcomed.

Greg Zuerlein only missed three extra points all season and was near the top of the league in points scored. However beyond fifty yards out, Greg the Leg was less reliable making only 33% of his kicks. While this may not be the biggest need, the Cowboys could decide to look for some competition that might be able to be more reliable from distance.

The Cowboys have a lot of needs and some will have to be filled from internal players, but a solid free agency and a good draft could go a long way to helping the 2021 Cowboys end better than the 2020 version. The defense is the priority with depth needed all over the team. Now, we wait for the team to sign Dak Prescott and hopefully make better moves in free agency than they did last year.