Cowboys OTAs Preview: QB Dak Prescott 'Back on Track' in Mike McCarthy New Offense?

In three of the four years under former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, the Dallas Cowboys ranked as the sixth- (2019), first- (2021), and fourth-best (2022) scoring offense in the NFL.

The Dallas Cowboys are going to look different offensively next season, and not just because longtime running back Ezekiel Elliott and veteran tight end Dalton Schultz are no longer on the roster.

No, the new look - which the Cowboys will continue to unveil with this week's OTAs (CowboysSI.com will attend and report from Thursday's workout at The Star) - will come largely in part to former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore moving on to the Los Angeles Chargers after four seasons in Dallas, with head coach Mike McCarthy taking over play-calling duties. 

"Bashing Moore'' has become a "thing'' on Cowboys social media, joining up with "Bashing McCarthy'' and "Bashing Dak'' - all popular pastimes. We're not sure that's fair. But we understand the big question ...

The Athletic recently asked "One pressing question for every new NFL offensive play-caller in 2023,' with the Cowboys coming down to: "Can McCarthy lead a more effective offense and help Dak Prescott get his groove back?"

The Athletic continues: "McCarthy threw Kellen Moore under the bus, saying that Moore’s obsession with scoring points (you do have to score to win, no?) was why the Cowboys lacked balance and why their defense was never rested.''

The national writer's statement isn't quite precise; McCarthy was talking about ball control and clock control more than he was "throwing Kellen under the bus.'' But the final result is the same: McCarthy obviously helped orchestrate Moore's exit ... and we don't think Prescott screamed too many objections.

And it is fair to say that despite ranking among the top-five in scoring offense in two of his seasons in Dallas, Moore's system struggled with inconsistency at times - leading to Prescott throwing a career-high 15 interceptions and just 238.3 passing yards per game last season. 

Still, as Dak himself said, “As far as the (West Coast Offense) installation, obviously there are some adds, some things taken out. I think you just get the overall feel that maybe the game is going to be called a little different. I can’t give away too much. … But there are some changes.''

So the changes will be subtle. There will still be a desire to "score points.'' ... and with recent wide receiver addition Brandin Cooks, along with second-round draft pick Luke Schoonmaker, the Cowboys think they've added some weaponry to do that. 

But in fairness to what was already in place here - in three of the four years with Moore, the Cowboys ranked as the sixth- (2019), first- (2021), and fourth-best (2022) scoring offense in the NFL - the work at OTAs look to build on the foundation that Moore helped set over his four-year tenure. That's a more important fact than any "hot-take'' "under-the-bus'' exclamations.

As Dak said, "It’s not like we’re going to throw away our playbook and try to start over or anything like that.”

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You can find Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard

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