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Dallas Cowboys Receivers Viewed as Team’s Achilles Heel

By Erik Lambert

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 10: Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys catches a 20 yard pass to score a touchdown against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter during the game at MetLife Stadium on December 10, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 10: Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys catches a 20 yard pass to score a touchdown against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter during the game at MetLife Stadium on December 10, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 10: Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys catches a 20 yard pass to score a touchdown against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter during the game at MetLife Stadium on December 10, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 10: Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys catches a 20 yard pass to score a touchdown against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter during the game at MetLife Stadium on December 10, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Two years ago the Dallas Cowboys were viewed as the next big thing. A Super Bowl champion in waiting after going 13-3 led by a pair of stud rookies.

Now? Everything is in shadows. They went 9-7 last season and it doesn’t feel like they got much better. A big reason for that is the sudden shift in their receiving corps. It began with the release of former Pro Bowler Dez Bryant. Dallas had expected him to be their only loss. That assumption proved extreme folly when future Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten abruptly decided to retire.

Suddenly quarterback Dak Prescott had lost not one but two of his most experienced and proven pass targets. Considering the Cowboys had the 26th ranked passing attack in 2017, that can’t be considered a good thing. Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com seems to agree. He listed out the biggest weak points of every team in the NFC and it wasn’t hard for him to pinpoint the Dallas receiving corps as a major problem.

"“Sometimes the easiest answer is the right one. Terrance Williams enters this season as the Cowboys wideout with the most career production, and it’s not particularly close. In Williams, Allen Hurns, Cole Beasley and rookie Michael Gallup, Dallas has a collection of players who would be best utilized as No. 3 or No. 4 wideouts. After an offseason of empty chatter about creating a Dak-friendly offense, the Cowboys didn’t find Dak enough friends.”"

Cowboys will live or die by their running game more than ever

It was proven last season that the Cowboys were next to useless offensively without Ezekiel Elliott running the football. The scary part is it may be even more so in 2018. If for any reason he or the offensive line go through a bout of injury problems, it could expose Prescott who is dealing with a list of mostly unproven receivers outside of Cole Beasly. Allen Hurns has posted 1,000 yards before but that was three years ago.

Next: 2018 NFL Power Rankings: Top 32 Wide Receivers in the NFL

The problem is it’s inevitable that at some point the Cowboys will have to throw to win. Two seasons ago Prescott was able to do that. It felt like last year though teams had successfully adjusted to what he liked to do and the Dallas coaches couldn’t figure out a way to respond. Now with their arsenal of weapons looking thinner than ever, could it get even worse? Fans certainly hope not but time will tell.

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