3 Reasons the Dallas Cowboys offense will regress in 2022

The Dallas Cowboys churn at WR

Let’s say the four questionable offensive line positions all work out positively (defying odds, but I digress…), the penalties are right around league average (a major improvement), and the Cowboys don’t go as run-heavy as some fear. Let’s say all the other concerns work out and the Cowboys are ready to roll.

Who is Dak Prescott going to throw it to?

Yes, we have CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz again. Yes, we should expect big things from the two in 2022. But what about the other options?

Did you know Dallas will start the season without three of their top four WRs from 2021?

Did you know only one active receiver has caught a touchdown pass? In his career? Did you know only two receivers have even caught a regular season pass?

I’m all for Noah Brown and Simi Fehoko taking that next step but let’s be realistic here. Neither are proven pass-catchers and both will need to be for this passing game to be operational the first few weeks.

Tony Pollard will catch more?

They said that last season and how many snaps in the slot did Pollards see in 2021? And while we’re at it, how effective are RBs who line up in the slot anyway? Spoiler alert: they aren’t.

Even the tight end position is in flux with the offense relying on the rookie Jake Ferguson to provide a significant number of snaps at TE2. With the guys playing tackle, both of Dallas’ TEs will be chip-blocking on the edge this year, you can bank on that.

None of this is doom and gloom, mind you.

CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, Dalton Schultz, and Zack Martin are going to make sure this offense is successful. The floor can only fall so far with those super stars on the roster. Even Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy will ensure the floor is raised to good standards. But will the offense be at the level they were last year?

No. That was unsustainable success when you consider all the things that happened this year. So we should expect slippage and that’s ok to admit. But we shouldn’t stick a fork in this Cowboys offense either because there is still enough talent to feel fairy certain they will still be good.

Is “good,” good enough?

That all depends how the above concerns are answered in 2022, but rest assured things are not as great or as bad as some have been proclaiming them to be.