5 major concerns for Dak Prescott's Cowboys heading into training camp

The Cowboys have always entered the offseason with plans on ending up with a Super Bowl in the upcoming season and Dak Prescott is merely the latest quarterback entrusted with leading that task. Unfortunately for Dallas fans, they have failed in that regard for more than two decades. And it does not get any easier.

After a free agency that saw many of their veterans leave, they have to see if the rookies can step up and be counted. But there are many more problems afoot and here is a list of the five major ones.

#1 - Is Dak Prescott the right man for the job?

Dak Prescott is the quarterback for the biggest franchise in the NFL. Yes, there are doubts among the fanbase whether he is the right man for the job. In the 2022 season, he led the league in interceptions and was roundly castigated. In 2023, he cleaned that up and was in the conversation for being the MVP during the regular season.

Yet, in a home game against the Green Bay Packers, who were the seventh seed, Dak Prescott reverted to type. They could not live with their dynamic opponents who vanquished them in their own stadium and reached the Divisional Round. If Dak Prescott has to get everyone back on board, he must first show his worth in training camp and solidify his position beyond question.

#2 - Can the coaching staff function at a high level?

Mike McCarthy has been blamed for many poor performances by the Cowboys at the playoffs stage and has been a regular fall guy, along with Dak Prescott, for the Dallas fanbase. But Jerry Jones brought him back despite last season's disappointment.

One could look at it as a reward for great regular season form going back for more than a couple of years. On the other hand, he is in the last year of his deal and the Cowboys have not offered him a new one.

This year is more of a prove-it one for Mike McCarthy and the players know it too. Dan Quinn, hugely successful as the defensive coordinator, has also left the building. The head coach and his assistants need to stamp their authority during the training camp to ensure that the players are singing from the same hymn sheet going into the season.

#3 - Is there going to be a functioning running game for the Cowboys?

The Cowboys lost Tony Pollard to free agency and brought in Ezekiel Elliott. The latter, who spent a year with the New England Patriots, is not the same force as the old. They did not select anyone through the draft either.

No matter how good the quarterback is, any offense needs a proper running game to succeed. One only needs to look at Tom Brady's final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when the lack of a running game stifled his displays.

Their current depth chart shows Elliott followed by Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn. While Dak Prescott will lead the offense, he will wonder if he will get any help on the ground with that crew. Perhaps training camp will clarify some matters.

#4 - Contract situation volatile for Prescott, Lamb, and Parsons

It is not ideal when your entire offseason has centered around discussions of new contracts for three of your top players. CeeDee Lamb is looking for a new deal on the back of Justin Jefferson's new contract with the Minnesota Vikings. With him probably commanding upwards of #30 million a season, that leaves less space in the salary cap for others.

Micah Parsons has been the mainstay of Dallas' defense and will need to be awarded a contract sooner rather than later. The longer they wait, his value goes up. And finally, there's Dak Prescott entering the final year of his deal. It is a big gamble to take as there is no certainty that the ones behind him, or anyone coming up in next year's draft, is as good as him.

All such uncertainty entering training camp can prove an unnecessary distraction. Whether that will bleed into the season remains to be seen.

#5 - Expectations are always high in Dallas

The biggest concern for Dallas is Dallas. They are the most profitable and valuable franchise in the NFL. They are known as America's Team. The expectation by the Cowboys fans is always to win a Super Bowl. They have not done so this century. They have not even made it to the NFC Championship once during that time.

It is a long wait for a flagship franchise like them. And every year that goes by, the pressure only increases. Entering into a training camp with all that baggage and then taking that into the season is bound to weigh people down. But it is under such pressure that new heroes could yet be made.