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5 bold predictions for Dallas Cowboys in 2021

By William Schneiderhan

INGLEWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 13: From left to right, Trysten Hill #72, quarterbacks Andy Dalton #14 and Dak Prescott #4, running back Ezekiel Elliott #21, Cameron Erving #75, head coach Mike McCarthy and CeeDee Lamb #88, Michael Gallup #13, and Donovan Wilson #37 of the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 13: From left to right, Trysten Hill #72, quarterbacks Andy Dalton #14 and Dak Prescott #4, running back Ezekiel Elliott #21, Cameron Erving #75, head coach Mike McCarthy and CeeDee Lamb #88, Michael Gallup #13, and Donovan Wilson #37 of the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 25: A general view of the Dallas Cowboys offensive lined up against the Washington Football Team defense during the first half at FedExField on October 25, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 25: A general view of the Dallas Cowboys offensive lined up against the Washington Football Team defense during the first half at FedExField on October 25, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

The goal in Dallas is to win a Super Bowl, and these bold predictions would help that cause.

Bold predictions are always fun. You get to think hard on a topic and come up with various talking points to raise. Then, you take those points and emphatically slap an exclamation point on them.

No, not like a hot take. Those egregious claims are shouted without any thought or reasoning behind them. Therefore, let’s look at five bold predictions for the Dallas Cowboys in 2021.

A year after Mike McCarthy’s unceremonious first season as the team’s head coach, expectations are again running wild in Dallas. Of course, there may not be another team in professional sports that constantly seems to operate on miscalculations and somewhat misguided optimism.

However, this could be the season things fall into place for the club.

5 bold predictions for the 2021 Dallas Cowboys

5. Defense bounces back to top 10-15

As far as genuine concern goes, most of that feeling fell onto the defensive side of the football in 2020. Mike Nolan lasted one lone season as defensive coordinator under McCarthy.

The Cowboys’ defense held opponents to 20 points or under just three times. Digging deeper into that number, two of those outcomes came against the Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals and Jalen Hurts-led Philadelphia Eagles. The third occasion took place in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams, but the Cowboys lost that contest.

So, if you’re good at math, that means the Cowboys surrendered 20+ points in every other game played (13). Eight times the team surrendered 30+, with two of those eight games reaching 40+. At the season’s end, the team allowed the fifth-most points in the NFL.

What is frustrating about last season is that this defense should not be that bad. A scheme change can do wonders, which the team hopes to happen with new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn around. Just a couple of seasons ago, this unit was one of the best in the NFL, and most of the faces that led those defenses have not gone anywhere.

With health, more experience, and hopefully a new message preached by Quinn, this unit should be able to climb back into that top 10-15 range. Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith form one of the best linebacking tandems in the league when healthy, and DeMarcus Lawrence is a game-wrecker. The secondary seems to be full of potential with young corners like Trevon Diggs and what could be savvy under-the-radar signings at safety with Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee.

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