Dallas Cowboys: 5 things to expect in 2022 NFL Season

Dallas Cowboys supporters are eagerly anticipating the beginning of their 2022 NFL season. Expectations are running characteristically high.

Despite the franchise having the propensity to fall just short throughout this entire millennium, fans will, nevertheless, be convinced that a Super Bowl run is coming.

Yet, perhaps this is the year they will be proven correct and all the doubters, like Stephen A. Smith, will be made to eat their words.

Dak Prescott is an elite level quarterback, and he has serious receiving options in CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.

On defense, there is the small matter of Micah Parsons who is set for a year where he could rival Aaron Donald as the Defensive Player of the Year.

Just what can we expect from the Dallas Cowboys in 2022?

#1 – Dallas Cowboys fans will be left disappointed

Dallas Cowboys fans start the season with such high hopes, only to see them dashed

If there is one thing you can take for granted in the NFL, it is that Dallas Cowboys fans will be left disappointed at the end of the season.

This has happened too many times before, even when the franchise has built a roster as strong as the class of 2022.

Expectations build over the course of the off-season, but when crunch games come, you can be sure that America’s Team will let you down.

Whichever way you look at their roster, you just can’t make a case for it being a Super Bowl-caliber unit.

Prescott shrinks in the big games, while Kellen Moore’s play-calling gets nonsensical when running the ball is the best available option.

They aren’t as explosive as the Kansas City Chiefs. They aren't reliable in the rushing game as the 49ers, and they aren’t as resolute in spirit as the Cincinnati Bengals or the Buffalo Bills.

Whichever way you assess the season, Dallas will not beat any of those teams in a crunch game.

#2 – Dak Prescott will have a sensational regular season

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is set for a career year in 2022

Fans were treated to a fantastic regular season from Dak Prescott in 2021, as he led the team to 12 wins en route to the playoffs.

There can’t be any doubt over his natural ability at the position. His throwing motion is perfect, and he picks gaps with ease.

In Lamb, he has a receiver who will rack up yards and touchdowns. In the regular season, it would be fair to assume Prescott will be an MVP candidate.

He threw for 4,449 yards in 2021 and 37 touchdowns. He did all of this while he was still feeling his way back from an ACL injury.

Twenty-twenty-two will see Prescott improve, at least, until the pressure games of the post-season.

#3 – Pressure on Mike McCarthy will mount

Pressure from Dallas Cowboys fans will make Mike McCarthy's job much harder

Many Dallas Cowboys fans have spoken about their uneasiness with Mike McCarthy continuing as the head coach of the franchise.

Jerry Jones gave the former Green Bay Packers coach his vote of confidence prior to the first game of the regular season, but that won’t dissuade some fans.

Conceding 17 penalties in a pre-season game hardly gave fans anything to be positive about, especially with penalties hindering their efforts against the 49ers in the playoffs last year.

With such a large section of a fanbase starting the season without faith in the coach, every mistake will be magnified and critiqued. McCarthy will feel the pressure from the first snap on Sunday. Realistically, this will last until his team wins the Super Bowl.

#4 – Micah Parsons will dominate

Micah Parsons... incoming Defensive Player of the Year?

Dallas Cowboys fans will not stop talking about Micah Parsons, and with good reason.

His rookie year was staggeringly good. His production from both the edge and as an outside linebacker were impressive. He assisted 20 tackles and produced 13 sacks as a rookie.

These are numbers show him to be the heir apparent to Aaron Donald, and you can expect him to continue in this form in 2022.

Every so often a player comes around like Donald that you can just look at and now is going to have a good season every single year.

Parsons is one such player, and they are rare, and if he stays healthy, you could be looking at upwards of 15 sacks in 2022.

#5 – Ezekiel Elliott will play his last game for the Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys could be feeling the finanial pinch of Ezekiel Elliott's contract

Ezekiel Elliott was drafted as the next great hope for the Dallas Cowboys franchise, yet injuries and a lack of consistency have stopped him from ever hitting the heights expected.

Make no mistake, there have been some exceptional moments where he has carried the team’s offense, but as Kellen Moore has given more authority to Prescott, the reliance on the running game has dropped.

Jerry Jones rewarded Elliott with a hefty contract extension, but given the nature of the team’s play with Moore calling plays, that salary will become a millstone around the neck of America’s Team.

Fortunately, they have a cut option at the end of the 2022 season. It seems impossible to envision a scenario where they don’t exercise it.

In 2022, you will see Elliott play his last game with the Dallas Cowboys before moving onto another team with a more cap-friendly salary.