The 2024 offseason has suddenly arrived, perhaps much sooner than the Cowboys anticipated.
Just like that, the focus shifts to next year, with free agency beginning in March and the NFL Draft following in April.
Before we dive into the next steps for this team, let's take a look back at the 2023 season with a month-by-month summary of what went well and what went wrong for the Cowboys.
Let's start today with September.
October
- Oct. 1 – Cowboys 38, Patriots 3
- Oct. 8 – 49ers 42, Cowboys 10
- Oct. 16 – Chargers 17, Cowboys 20
- October 29 – Cowboys 43, Rams 20
Employee of the Month: There were some worthy candidates here, from Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb, but I land squarely with Daron Brand for this honor. Only two months into his role as an outside corner due to Trevon Diggs' ACL tear, Brand used that October as the springboard for a record-setting season for the second-year cornerback. He had three interceptions and rattled off two of his five pick-sixes in this stretch of just four games, pushing his value into the stratosphere. That included Diggs. Brand stepped up in a big way when the Cowboys were desperately trying to avoid collapse at cornerback following the loss of Diggs.
when they looked like candidates: In the moment, it was impressive to see the Cowboys beat the Rams so well, but in hindsight, it was even more impressive when you look at how Los Angeles has looked the rest of the year. Dak Prescott and the offense have exploded after trying to figure themselves out over the first few weeks of the season. Paralleling CeeDee Lamb's multiple shutout performances in 2023, he threw four touchdowns and only one interception, and his defense was dominated by the Rams' duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Shut down the rush attack and matched the serve. At that moment, it seemed like the Cowboys finally had it all figured out.
When you reach for the panic button: You know when. Oh, is there such a thing? There were high hopes that the Cowboys would defeat the Boogeyman on their trip to Santa Clara, but instead they were succumbed to the 49ers. It was the least competitive game of the season up to that point, and many questions arose as to whether Dallas was really a serious contender. But there was a silver lining from that beatdown. This loss was a pivot for the entire season, especially on offense (see Rams game), with Prescott having an MVP-caliber season to match the Rams' historic season, with a defense that allowed just 18.5 points per game. Ta. rest of the month.
Things to remember: It was the beginning of history being made for Lamb and Brand, as well as the start of an MVP regular season campaign from Prescott. That was the promise of linebacker Markketh Bell and Osa Odighizuwa, who dominates the interior of the defensive line. This was a breakout start for Brandin Cooks, who went from zero touchdowns in September to two touchdowns in as many games by the end of October. Overall, these four games had more good times than bad, and were games where the Cowboys took advantage of bad times to flip a switch and find great times.
things to forget: Everything that happened at Levi's Stadium, and I mean everything. that's it. Place the Neuralizer from Men in Black in front of you and press the button. It's better not to relive what happened on the field that afternoon.
