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By Jon Machota 1h ago
We posted a 25-question survey for Cowboys fans Monday morning, ranging from multiple-choice questions to write-in responses about the current team.
When voting ended Wednesday afternoon, a total of 1,373 responses were counted. (Note: Not all 1,373 participants voted on all 25 questions.)
It’s now time to reveal the answers. Do you agree or disagree with the results? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
1. Of the 1,362 responses, a total of 1,067 think the Cowboys will have at least 10 wins in 2021. Dallas last had double-digit wins in 2018. The Cowboys have won at least 10 games only three times in the past 11 years.
2. It’s pretty clear what the expectations are for this year’s team. Last season was a disaster filled with key injuries and defensive changes that the team never fully bought into. Six wins aren’t going to cut it in Mike McCarthy’s second season as head coach. Ninety-nine percent of fans are expecting at least a playoff berth, something the Cowboys have done only three times in the past decade.
3. The responses are all over the map on this one. More than 500 votes were cast for the Cowboys getting back to the Super Bowl in the next three years. Just more than 100 don’t think it will happen again in their life. It has been 25 years since the Cowboys last played in the Super Bowl.
4. The defense can’t be any worse than it was in 2020, can it? It seems like the majority of fans are on board with Dan Quinn as the new defensive coordinator. If he’s able to turn this group back into a respectable unit that also continues to take away the ball, his approval rating should be very high in next year’s survey.
6. Who is the most underrated player on the roster? A total of 1,115 write-in responses were received. Forty-four players were given at least one vote. Ten voters didn’t feel a player on the roster was worthy of being called underrated. Players no longer on the team such as Travis Frederick, L.P. Ladouceur, Joe Looney, Cedric Thornton and Joseph Randle each received one vote.
The winner was Michael Gallup with 225 votes, followed by Tony Pollard with 156, DeMarcus Lawrence with 76, Prescott with 61, La’el Collins with 55, Donovan Wilson with 54, Dalton Schultz with 53, Randy Gregory with 51 and Connor Williams with 49.
7. Who is the most overrated player on the roster? A total of 1,167 write-in responses were received. Twenty-eight players were given at least one vote. Jaylon Smith received the most votes with 462, followed by Ezekiel Elliott with 428. Lawrence was third with 67, followed by Prescott with 45 and Amari Cooper with 35.
8. Only 58 of the 1,362 voters were “very confident” that McCarthy will eventually get the Cowboys to the Super Bowl. An underwhelming 6-10 finish in his first season obviously didn’t do much to boost confidence from the fan base. Maybe better overall team health and a different defensive coordinator will help get things back on track.
9. For the most part, fans seem to feel pretty good about the defensive coaching staff changes, the additions they made in free agency and how they spent their 11 draft picks. Of the 1,359 votes, 931 were either an A or a B.
10. This is about as split as things can get, with no player running away with first place. Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie receiving 350 votes and topping backup quarterback Andy Dalton (298) is interesting. Would that vote be different had the Cowboys landed a top cornerback prospect such as Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain II with the 10th overall pick?
11. It’s not a huge surprise that Keanu Neal received the most votes. He was the most notable free-agency signing the Cowboys made in March, and he has the ability to help at several positions. Veteran swing tackle Ty Nsekhe cracking the top four makes sense, considering how much Dallas could have used him when Tyron Smith and Collins went down early last season.
12. The Cowboys need rookie cornerback Kelvin Joseph to make an immediate impact. The starting outside corner spot opposite Trevon Diggs will likely come down to Joseph and veteran Anthony Brown. Judging by how he looked in rookie minicamp, OTAs and minicamp, Nahshon Wright could also end up working his way into that mix.
13. If Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Gallup all play well, it’s going to be difficult to keep all three. In that scenario, Gallup is likely looking at a bigger contract from another team in free agency next March. Keeping him long term would be an easy decision if there wasn’t a salary cap. But there is, and the Cowboys have already invested a lot on the offensive side of the ball.
14. Are Elliott’s best years already behind him? His stats have been heading in the wrong direction. But he looked to be in great shape during OTAs and minicamp. Having Smith, Collins and Zack Martin healthy should only help. More than 400 voters think Elliott’s about to get back to the days of competing for rushing titles.
15. The Cowboys’ backup didn’t matter much from 2016 until Week 5 last year. But with Prescott coming off a significant season-ending ankle injury, the position seems a little more important. Garrett Gilbert would fill that role if the season started today, however, the Cowboys are far from done looking at that position.
16. Lamb could end up being Dallas’ top offensive weapon in his second season. He was very impressive this offseason. Is it worth risking him on punt returns? The Cowboys believe so, but the fans are split on the idea.
17. Prescott is the Cowboys’ most valuable player. After him, there’s a good debate to be made for four or five other players. The fans believe it comes down to Martin, Smith and Lawrence. Elliott was fourth followed closely by Cooper and Lamb. Hard to argue with any of those names.
18. Hunter Niswander has built himself a nice little following in Dallas. Many Cowboys fans couldn’t seem to understand why special teams coordinator John Fassel brought in another punter after seeing how Niswander handled the job last year. It should be an interesting battle to monitor in training camp and the preseason.
19. This one was split among seven players and that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering that none of the defensive tackles have separated themselves from the pack. There are a lot of unknowns with this position group. Any one in that top five could end up being the team’s most valuable tackle in 2021.
20. It’s a coin flip at this point, likely coming down to Joseph or Brown. Joseph missed OTAs while dealing with an illness. Brown worked with the first team throughout OTAs and minicamp. This will be one of the most intriguing position battles to watch once training camp starts next month.
21. Micah Parsons wasn’t expected to be the Cowboys’ first-round pick leading up to this year’s draft, but their plans quickly changed when the top two cornerbacks were picked right before Dallas went on the clock. Parsons is now expected to be an immediate impact player as a traditional inside linebacker and as a pass rusher. The more he can handle, the more Quinn will put on his plate. Parsons has a real shot to compete for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
22. Considering how Diggs took away the ball during his rookie season, it makes sense that he’d receive 865 of the 1,358 responses. If free safety Damontae Kazee can stay healthy, he could give Diggs a run for his money. Kazee had seven interceptions for the Falcons during the 2018 season.
23. Lawrence and Gregory are the obvious favorites, but Parsons could get in the mix if Quinn plans to rush him as much as we saw during OTAs and minicamp. Parsons was an edge rusher in high school. He had five sacks in 13 games during his final year at Penn State. Tarell Basham is another player to keep an eye on. The veteran is expected to see significant playing time working behind Lawrence and Gregory. He had a career-high 3.5 sacks for the Jets last year.
24. Cooper and Lamb played in all 16 games last year, finishing as the Cowboys’ top two pass-catchers. Cooper ended up with 179 more receiving yards, but Lamb looks like he has much better days ahead. The answer to this question could simply come down to health, because both should easily record more than 1,000 yards if healthy all season.
25. Cooper finished with 130 targets last season. Lamb totaled 111 and Gallup ended up with 105. There’s no reason to think there won’t be just as many opportunities with Prescott back under center and the offense having the chance to be one of the NFL’s best.
