The Cowboys' offense was a top unit in 2025, but how do they get even better?
The Dallas Cowboys' offense was the straw that stirred the team's drink in 2025, as the other phases of Brian Schottenheimer's team failed badly.
If left Dak Prescott and his weapons to do all the heavy lifting, and that isn't a way to survive in the NFL, and a 7-9-1 record is evidence of that.
Schottenheimer has spoken this offseason of the desire to evolve on offense, and not just run it back with what worked last season, and there are plenty of areas Dallas can get better at.
But where could the evolution start?
The red-zone issues, turnovers, and lack of scoring in second halves are all big problems that Schottenheimer and his coaching staff have to address.
But for offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, who was a guest on NFL Insiders, it begins with protecting the football.
"One of the biggest things is we want to take care of the football better than we did a year ago," Adams said. "We want to protect the quarterback better than we did, better in the red zone, what is the root of some of these issues, and then how do we solve those problems.
"I feel really good about the process that we've gone through in the offseason of really attacking those problems."
Protecting the football was tough for Dallas last season.
Prescott threw 10 interceptions, but the offense also had 19 fumbles across the year, with Dak having six, which led the team. Dallas had the third-worst turnover differential in football at -9. That isn't great.
Then protecting Dak.
He was sacked 31 times, which was the second-highest since 2018, and they came in bunches. Five against the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals and six against the Washington Commanders. Prescott had just four of 17 games in which he wasn't sacked.
The red zone was also an issue, with Dallas ranked 16th in converting red zone trips into touchdowns (56.9 percent). That's not good enough.
So, there are a host of areas the offense can work on this offseason, and if it can get marginally better in each of those areas, then who knows what the offense could look like in 2026.
But it starts with protecting the football.
