We know the Dallas Cowboys offense doesn't quite have an Avengers style lineup on offense.
They're starting two rookies on the offensive line and are fielding a right tackle whose struggles can be tracked back to last year, the team lacks a legit WR3 and can barely get WR2 Brandin Cooks involved. And of course, its tight end is nursing a knee injury. Some of that is on the players (more on that later), sure.
That being said, the Cowboys offense could be much better with bigger help from the coaching staff. And it has to happen now, as Dallas has put itself in a position where urgency is needed at 1-2 with a tough slate of games coming up.
Consider the use of motion as a clear example in this conversation. A to Z Sports' Will Steele recently tweeted about their use of pre-snap motion, indicating the difference between the Cowboys and the Ravens: McCarthy's offense used pre-snap motion in 15 of 55 dropback snaps. With only 17 pass attempts, the Ravens had 12 with pre-snap motion. The difference is overwhelming.
When you look at the top offenses around the league, just about everyone uses motion at a high rate. Simply put, the Cowboys need more out of their play-caller. And the lack of OL experience shouldn't be an excuse with the way college offenses lean on motion.
But wait, it gets worse. When you tune in to a Chiefs game, or a 49ers game (or Lions, Packers, Ravens, etc.), just about every game, you can see a playmaker get wide open for big gains. With the Cowboys, that doesn't happen. Heck, against the same defense, the Raiders schemed Davante Adams and Brock Bowers wide open more than once.
Heck, wonder how the Packers have gone 2-0 with Malik Willis as their QB? It probably has to do with them being the offense with the highest motion rate in the league at a whopping 86%! Teams that follow are the Dolphins, the Niners, and the Bills. On Monday Night Football, the latter used motion on every single rep of the first drive.
The Cowboys' play caller doesn't do that. The film backs it up. The numbers do as well, as Dan Rogers points out below: Every Ravens' pass catcher averaged better separation than every Cowboys' pass catcher. That's on coaching, simple as that.
"It's part of winning the pre-snap potentially," McCarthy told reporters when asked about his stance on the advantages of motion. "Whether you're trying to challenge the eye discipline of the defense, create landmarks, get in reduced splits, get out of reduced splits. I mean, there's benefits to it. But, like anything, you have to have a menu of a number of things in this league, especially over a 17-game period."
For the Cowboys, everything is hard on offense. Now, don't get me wrong, the players gotta be better. The offensive line has been disappointing, and that includes Tyler Smith and Zack Martin, who are supposed to be your top dogs and have received All-Pro honors. CeeDee Lamb fumbled inside the 10-yard line . Jake Ferguson was called for a false start in the opening drive of the game. Dak Prescott had multiple misfires, including three turnover-worthy plays and he missed a few open receivers.
Two things can be true at the same time, however. And the reality is there are lesser offensive lineups out there outplaying the Cowboys offense. There's too much damning evidence that this coaching staff can and should do more to get to the next level. We'll see how they respond, starting on a short week against the New York Giants this Thursday night.
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