The Cowboys' offense was elite in 2025, except for the redzone, where they were middle of the pack.
The Dallas Cowboys' offense was elite by most measures in 2025 under Brian Schottenheimer, but one area they weren't was the redzone.
When it came to punching it in for six inside the 20-yard line, the Cowboys ranked 16th in the NFL. Yuck.
Middle of the pack for an offense that has Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Javonte Williams, Jake Ferguson, and others? Yeah, that won't do.
Now, as training camp is in full swing, many are excited to see the improvements Dallas has made in the red zone, having been average last season.
But for Dak, before the team could figure out a path to fix the problem, they had to understand why the offense stalled so many times inside the 20.
"Just understanding why we weren't last year," Prescott said. "I think that's the biggest reason. It's hard to fix a problem if you don't know the why behind it. We had a big study in the offseason because we were bad in that area.
"We found that why and then we were able to go and attack that starting in the spring to now, being here in the fall, I guess we've only had one true red zone day or whatever, one and a half. I already felt the growth. I already felt the jump that we're trying to make."
Right. So, the Cowboys did a deep dive into the redzone problems, and now they know why they were constantly shooting themselves in the foot.
Was it having Brandon Aubrey in their back pocket, who is a dead-eye? Maybe, or maybe it was just players executing in an area of the field where the margin for error is razor-thin.
For Dak, for the offense to be better in the red zone, everything has to improve.
"At the end of the day, it's focus for a lot of guys," he added. "The field's shorter. The opportunity for error is almost slim to none if you want to get in the end zone. So it's guys one, heightening their focus, two, understanding every aspect of the red zone, being disciplined to do their jobs, and just staying on it.
"Play calls are going to help. Ultimately, the players have to take ownership in those play calls. So the fact that we know the why, I feel great about us fixing it."
So, the Cowboys know the reasoning why they weren't good in the red zone, and have gone about implementing things to make sure when they get inside the 20, they score touchdowns, not field goals.
Had it not been for Joe Milton in Week 18 against the New York Giants, Dallas would have ended the year going four straight games without a touchdown in the second half of games.
They know the problem, and Dak thinks it's well on the way to being fixed.
And if the Cowboys want to be the team they think they can be, it better be.
