Intriguing Storylines to Look Forward to for the Dallas Cowboys this Year on Hard Knocks
The Dallas Cowboys will be making their third appearance on the NFL HBO series Hard Knocks. The series takes a look inside an NFL team’s training camp.
The Cowboys are one of the most popular and hated teams in the league, and they know how to serve up the drama, which is why they were selected.
So, it will be interesting to see what storylines will grab viewers the most.
The return of Dak Prescott
For fans, probably the most interesting thing they will want to see is the return of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Prescott injured his ankle last year against the New York Giants, which devastated the team and basically ended the Cowboys’ playoff hopes.
Fans are going to want to see if he has recovered from his injury and how he looks on the field now.
Another interesting aspect of Prescott’s story is how he has handled his bout with depression after dealing with the suicide of one of his older brothers.
Another thing that may be intriguing to fans is who will back up Prescott this season? Andy Dalton came in last year and almost carried Dallas to the playoffs.
Now the question is, which young gun is ready to battle to be Prescott’s backup, or will Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sign another free-agent quarterback?
Has the Cowboys’ defense gotten better?
Besides Prescott’s injury, what hurt the Cowboys the most last season was the play of their defense. The Cowboys’ defense ranked near the bottom of the NFL in total defense last season and as the season progress, they got worse.
While the offense continued to put up big numbers at times with Dalton at quarterback, the defense let the team down.
They couldn’t stop anybody and now with the retirement of long-time Cowboys defensive player Sean Lee, who will they turn to this year to lead the defense?
What other leaders will emerge for this Cowboys team?
Who else on this Cowboys team will be called on in a leadership role?
Running back Ezekiel Elliott seems to be prime to have another big year. The Cowboys are going to need him if they are to make a run at the NFC East. A healthy Prescott and a consistent Elliott could spell trouble for the rest of the league.
Elliott appears to be more focused and according to some, in the best shape of his life, said his personal trainer according to NBC Sports.
Another aspect is who will be a leader at wide receiver? Will it veteran Amari Cooper or second-year player Cee Dee Lamb? Or someone else? It most likely won’t be Cooper. He’s not a vocal leader, he leads more by example.
However, Lamb may be the guy the Cowboys need to fire them up during games. He seems the likely candidate of the two to step up and be more vocal.
But the key to holding this team together is head coach Mike McCarthy. You have to think the pressure is on the head coach to produce a winner this season or Jones may look elsewhere.
This season of Hard Knocks won’t be boring that’s for certain and the Cowboys should be a ratings blockbuster.
