Where the Dallas Cowboys will improve, where they won’t in 2019

Up in the Air: Playcalling

Nothing elicited more anger in 2018 than the offensive playcalling of Scott Linehan. The Dallas offensive coordinator continued to struggle week after week establishing any kind of rhythm and his playcalling was painfully predictable. He shuffled wide receivers in like a little league coach trying to keep all the parents on the sideline happy, which killed any chance of gaining momentum.

Linehan also was afraid to take chances on third down plays of more than a few yards while also leaning heavily on the three tight end jumbo package. On top of that, Linehan seemed to be clueless when it came to using Dak Prescott’s legs, which should have been a deadly weapon for them rather than the last resort. Needless to say, fans were quite relieved when it was announced he wasn’t returning for a fifth season.

However, the search for his predecessor didn’t go as expected. Rather than searching for a new coach who had experience with a player like Prescott, Dallas simply elevated quarterback coach Kellen Moore — after just one season in his role.

Moore does have plenty of supporters as his ability to draw up plays goes back to his days as the quarterback for Boise State. Still, he spent the majority of his NFL career working under Linehan and worked for him in his only season as a coach.

Even with his questions, the biggest supporter for Moore has to be head coach Jason Garrett. Heading into 2019, Garrett has just one season left on his contract and the front office doesn’t seem ready to lock him up long term.

That makes this a pivotal season for Garrett’s future and the most important piece of the puzzle as he looks for success will be the playcalling of Moore — and none of us knows how that will turn out.