Dallas Cowboys Finish First-To-Worst 2015 NFL Season
By Shawn S. Lealos
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2015 NFL season with the third best odds of representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. Their biggest loss was the NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray, but Dallas hoped that a mixture of Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden could cover the loss. By the end of the season, Tony Romo and Dez Bryant were on the injured reserve list and Joseph Randle had been kicked off the team. Dallas finished with four wins, their third worst record since the NFL went to 16 games. Now, with the fourth pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, it is time to look at what went wrong.
Injuries and Bad Decisions Doomed Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys season was in danger starting in the first game of the 2015 NFL season. Starting wide receiver Dez Bryant held out most of the preseason for a new contract, and in his first game of the year, dehydrated and cramped up. He returned and broke his foot. He returned two months later and it appeared to be too soon. Bryant finished with the worst season of his career, catching only 31 passes for 401 yards and three touchdowns. He now needs a second foot surgery.
The Cowboys might have survived without Bryant, but they made a huge move in the offseason that really killed them in 2015. They let the NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray leave for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys seemed to believe that anyone could run behind the offensive line they built, but they were wrong. This line was built for downhill runners, which Murray was. They tried to use troubled running back Joseph Randle and veteran Darren McFadden to replace him. Both were outside runners and both struggled. The Cowboys cut Randle when the NFL suspended him for off field issues and McFadden had his best season in years, but nothing compared to Murray's 2014 campaign.
Even worse is the fact that Murray was a great blocker and picked up blitzes to protect Romo. Neither McFadden nor Randle were good at reading blitzes and as a result, Tony Romo was hit hard over and over and broke his collarbone against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second game of the season. He returned in November but went down injured again against Carolina on Thanksgiving Day and his season ended. With Romo's season over, the Cowboys season ended.
Brandon Weeden came in and took over as the starting quarterback. The Cowboys neutered their play book and wouldn't let him throw the ball downfield. He finished with a nice 72.4 completion percentage but lost three games and the Cowboys benched him. They released him when Romo returned and now Weeden is playing for the Houston Texans in the playoffs while Dallas sits at home. Matt Cassel came in next and lost every start but one. Kellen Moore finished the season and also didn't win a game. No Tony Romo meant no playoff chance for Dallas.
An Improved Defense Kept Dallas in Most Games
If there was one solid point to the Dallas Cowboys season, it was that the defense is improving. Before making the playoffs last season, the biggest complaint in Dallas was that they couldn't play defense. They couldn't sack the quarterback. This season they drafted Randy Gregory and signed Greg Hardy to fix that. They still weren't' great, ranking 15th in the NFL in sacks, but it was an improvement. They also still couldn't get turnovers, ranking dead last in the NFL in turnover ratio.
However, they ranked 17th in the NFL in total defense, a number that dropped in the last few weeks of the season when they were eliminated from the playoffs.
The big thing was that, while the Cowboys offense was atrocious, the return of Sean Lee really sparked something. He was easily the comeback player of the year for Dallas and led the team in tackles with 128, the most of his career. So, where did the improvement come from? Dallas was able to tackle and stop teams from scoring. Dallas lost 12 games this season. In seven of those losses, Dallas led in the fourth quarter and lost either at the end of the game or in overtime. That isn't good, but it proves that any kind of offense could have resulted in Dallas winning 10 games and making the playoffs.
Greg Hardy and Other Cowboys Possibly Not Returning
After the Dallas Cowboys lost to the Washington Redskins on Sunday, defensive end Greg Hardy took interviews. He said that he appreciated Jerry Jones giving him a chance and wanted to return if possible. However, that won't be decided until the next couple of months, and it will all come down to money. There is a chance that Hardy returns, but there is just as good of a chance that he leaves the team as well.
Another free agent that wants to stay with the Dallas Cowboys is Morris Claiborne. However, the cornerback has never lived up to his potential after the Cowboys made him a first round draft pick. They chose not to pick up the option on another season, and unless he takes a huge pay cut, he will not be back in 2016. On the other hand, Rolando McClain has been great at middle linebacker for Dallas. They have signed him to back-to-back one year contracts, but it might take more than that since he has proven to be a solid linebacker in the NFL once again.
Jeremy Mincey has likely played his last game in Dallas. He led the Cowboys in sacks in 2014, but took a backseat this season and will probably find another team to start for in 2016. Nick Hayden is a question mark. He has been a mainstay on the defensive line, but that will depend on what kind of money he wants. Names like Jack Crawford, Danny McCray, and Jeff Heath should return, but Kyle Wilber will all depend on the need for linebackers in the free agent market.
On the offensive side of the ball, Matt Cassel is gone. There is no way he returns after Dallas benched him for Kellen Moore. Ron Leary is the biggest name free agent on the offensive line, but after Dallas deactivated him for parts of the 2015 season, he will find a new home. Mackenzy Bernadeau will possibly return as depth. Tight end James Hanna is a great blocker and there will probably be little interest on the free agent market, so hopes are that he returns. Two running backs are free agents. There is a good chance Lance Dunbar returns after tearing his ACL this year as the Cowboys' third down back. Robert Turbin filled in nicely, but if Dallas drafts a running back, he won't return either.
Cowboys Have Reason for Optimism
The Dallas Cowboys defense kept them in most of their games this season. If they had any kind of offensive success, they would be in the postseason right now. With Tony Romo and Dez Bryant back next season, the Cowboys should rebound well. They ended up with the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft and if they use that on either a pass rushing defensive end or a new starting running back, they should be stronger next year than they were this season. The Cowboys will rebound, this season was just a bump in the road.
Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He writes for a variety of national publications and has over 15 years of sports journalism experience. Follow Shawn on Twitter @sslealos. Examiner.com.