Dallas Cowboys under the most pressure in 2023
It’s been 27 years since anyone from “America’s Team” held the Lombardi trophy, and Dallas Cowboys fans are growing impatient. But which Cowboy should feel the most pressure? Here’s how we see it.
Jerry Jones
As the owner and general manager of the most profitable team in professional sports, Jones assumes more responsibility than any other owner. He’s favored a hands-on approach since buying the team in 1989.
Under Jones, the Cowboys have won nearly 55% of their games, but they’ve lost almost as many playoff games as they’ve won. After winning 12 games in each of the last two seasons, the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs by the 49ers both years.
But make no mistake, win, lose or draw, the 80-year-old Jones loves being the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. He wants to win badly, but as long as he’s the owner, his job as general manager is safe.
As he once told 105.3 The Fan, “When you work for yourself, there’s no firing him.'' And as long as his team is worth an estimated $8 billion, Jones is never under too much pressure.
Dak Prescott
In seven years as the Cowboys quarterback, Prescott has thrown for nearly 25,000 yards and 166 touchdowns. But he’s also thrown a lot of interceptions and frustrated fans with a 2-4 playoff record.
With CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks signed for 2023, Prescott will have two of the best wide receivers in the NFC this year. What he won’t have is a workhorse running back who averages 1,180 yards and more than 11 touchdowns per season. Without Ezekiel Elliott, all eyes will be on the quarterback.
Prescott’s cap number for 2023 is nearly $27 million, making him the league’s fourth-highest-paid quarterback. That’s a lot of pressure, but with a cap hit of $61 million in 2024 and $36 million in 2025, Prescott isn’t going anywhere soon.
Mike McCarthy
As head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, McCarthy has a 31-22 record. Under his leadership, the Cowboys made the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, and had their first playoff win since 2018.
But with former OC Kellen Moore now with the Chargers, McCarthy will assume more responsibility for the offense by calling plays this year. The former Packers coach called plays for 12 seasons in Green Bay, but hasn’t done it since 2018 when his team went 6-9-1.
McCarthy is entering the fourth year of a five-year contract. If his offense struggles, the team could consider promoting defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to head coach. The Cowboys defense has been excellent under Quinn, and Dallas could lose him to another team otherwise.
Without a deep playoff run, McCarthy could be in trouble. That’s why he’s the Cowboy under the most pressure in 2023.
More must-reads: