NFL Rumors: Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy ‘wants to play an attacking scheme’ with Dak Prescott in 2023
There’s a new mood on offense for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys.
Beat writer for The Athletic Jon Machota tweeted while at the Cowboys’ training camp in Oxnard, California:
“Cowboys OC Brian Schottenheimer said Mike McCarthy is ‘re-energized’ about calling plays. ‘Quite honestly, he’s a hell of a play-caller. He’s aggressive; he’s confident. We want to play with an attacking scheme. You’re gonna see that.’”
Cowboys OC Brian Schottenheimer said Mike McCarthy is “re-energized” about calling plays. “Quite honestly, he’s a hell of a play-caller. He’s aggressive, he’s confident. We want to play with an attacking scheme. You’re gonna see that.” pic.twitter.com/qJ5F1pxzit
Last season, the Cowboys were better off pounding the rock on the ground than throwing the ball in the air. They ranked ninth in rushing yards, averaging 135.2 yards per game. Conversely, Dallas ranked 14th in passing yards with 219.8 per game.
Despite the discrepancy, quarterback Dak Prescott led a high-powered offense as the Cowboys averaged 27.5 points per game last season. Notably, only the Kansas City Chiefs (29.2), Buffalo Bills (28.4) and Philadelphia Eagles (28.1) had better numbers.
Coach Mike McCarthy will take over play-calling on offense after Kellen Moore joined the Los Angeles Chargers as offensive coordinator. But even with Moore calling the shots, the Cowboys didn’t have the personnel to launch an attacking offense.
They still had Ezekiel Elliott, who contributed 876 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Meanwhile, they traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns early in the offseason.
Losing Cooper meant that CeeDee Lamb became the team’s primary receiver. He connected well with Dak Prescott, finishing with 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns.
Unfortunately, their second-best receiver was Dalton Schultz, tallying 577 yards and five touchdowns. Noah Brown had 555 while Michael Gallup had 424. Brown and Gallup combined for seven touchdowns.
The Cowboys surround Prescott with more talent
This year, the Cowboys have got the pieces that will allow them to pressure opponents on intermediate and deep routes.
They traded for Brandin Cooks last March for a 2023 fifth-rounder and a 2024 sixth-rounder. Cooks has six 1,000-yard seasons in his career, including 1,037 in 2021.
Cutting Elliott means Dallas will rely more on Dak Prescott to connect with Lamb, Cooks and Gallup downfield. The former Mississippi State standout also yearns for a bounce-back season after playing just 12 regular season games in 2022.
Having an attacking offense will help the Cowboys compete against high-scoring teams. They will face Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in Week 2. Then it will be Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers four weeks later.
This season, the Cowboys will also face the Bills, the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions. Detroit finished fifth in points per game last season with 26.6, while San Francisco finished sixth with 26.5. Seattle ranked ninth in scoring, averaging 23.9 per game.
Finally, they will face Jalen Hurts and the Eagles at least twice as part of their long-standing NFC East rivalry.