Dallas Cowboys need their special teams need to be “special”

The DVOA ranking for the Dallas Cowboys last season shows a top-five special teams unit. However, there was some concern over kicking woes that helped shape some of the outcomes of the games. the punt returns were third-worst in the NFL and had it not been for a kick return by Tony Pollard, the kick-offs were fairly average. Punting was good, and Bryan Anger was worth keeping this offseason.

The defensive side of special teams was solid on punt returns, and while there could be some improvement, it was not an overall problem for the 2021 Dallas Cowboys, however, kickoff returns ranked sixth-worst in the NFL. The bigger concern was leaving points on the field and not always putting the offense in the best starting position.

The 2022 Dallas Cowboys special teams need to be “special” for the Cowboys to make a push toward and into the playoffs.

When the 2022 NFL draft approached there were many who thought the Dallas Cowboys should draft a kicker. As the rounds went on, there was no kicker selected. Granted the Cowboys had Chris Naggar on the roster as the kicker, with Bryan Anger set to return as the punter. However, after the draft, the Cowboys grabbed Jonathan Garibay, the Texas Tech alum who kicked a 62-yard field goal to win a game against Iowa State. Garibay doesn’t just have a booming leg but went 15 of 16 on field goals and 49 of 50 on point-after attempts.

With the hope that Garibay can improve the placekicking, there are still some questions on who will return kickoffs and punts for 2022. It is possible Tony Pollard could keep the kickoff return duties, but there are more questions to punt returns as CeeDee Lamb‘s ascension to one fo the top two receivers could force the Cowboys to look elsewhere. Simi Fehoko was a name brought up last year and could be a name worth watching.

As for defense, the loss of specialists like Donovan Wilson will no doubt hurt, the Cowboys did bring in a lot of young talent with the hopes they are able to add to the roster. Expecting some changes, there could be some rough moments for the return team defense as they come together. Luckily for the Cowboys, many of the players they brought in do have some special teams play or physical attributes that could help.

For 2022, the Dallas Cowboys play some very good teams and being able to play special teams could decide between what are expected to be close games. While many will focus on the offense and defense, we should not forget the third phase of the game, which has cost the Cowboys in recent years. Having a dependable placekicker will help, they just have to get it all together.