National Football League

What — or who — can Cowboys turn to to solve red-zone issues?

Updated Sep. 29, 2023 3:31 p.m. ET

Before we react too much about the Cowboys' ineptitude in the red zone, it's important to remember that any team's process will be affected if three starting offensive linemen are out.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, that's not an excuse they can afford to rest on for too long. Yes, Tyron Smith, Tyler Biadasz and Zack Martin didn't take part in Sunday's upset loss to Arizona. But as we're well aware, offensive-line health isn't something this team can take for granted.

Tyron has officially missed a game in eight straight seasons. And we won't speak ill of a future Hall of Famer, but Martin will soon turn 33 and it's reasonable to expect his durability to take a hit at some point.

Since Tyler Smith was drafted last spring, the Cowboys have now played 22 games without their preferred starting five up front. Maybe that'll change this week against New England, but at this point, you'd be a fool to count on it.

How can the Cowboys improve their lot in the red zone without simply assuming the offensive line will cure all? It's the biggest issue facing this team, as their red-zone conversion rate of 40% is 27th in the NFL. The last two weeks have been especially heinous, as just three touchdowns in 11 attempts against the Jets and Cardinals is a shocking conversion rate of just 27%.

On the bright side, maybe it doesn't need to be a massive fix.

Mike McCarthy seems to agree. The Cowboys' head coach has been impressively transparent about the problem this week. Maybe that's because he knows his every decision will be scrutinized, maybe it's because he knows he'll be endlessly compared to former playcaller Kellen Moore. Who can say? Whatever his reasoning, McCarthy has been sure to note the successes of the Dallas offense through three weeks.

"The question was asked the other day about the red zone being No. 1 in the league last year — I mean we were 4-for-6 at this point last year," McCarthy said. "Fifteen to six, I'll take that. We've actually scored more touchdowns down there."

McCarthy makes a point, even if it's a self-serving one. The Cowboys have been to the red zone more than any other team, even the Miami Dolphins. If they can raise their conversion percentage even to just 60%, they're going to win a lot of games.

The obvious question: how?

If you go back and watch the game film, you can see the problems fell across the board. The offensive line was regularly beaten. Tight ends did not seal off their blocks. CeeDee Lamb gave up on a fade route and looked for a flag before the ball even hit the ground. Receivers ran into each other in the end zone. Dak Prescott handed off a doomed read-option that he could have easily kept. To cap it all off, Prescott attempted a desperate end-zone throw into triple coverage that ultimately became an interception.

Should Dak Prescott, Cowboys be concerned about their red-zone offense?

It's a lot of ugly football, but at least some of that can be corrected. You'd like to think route concepts can be better executed as the season goes along. You'd like to think Prescott and the coaching staff recognize that his mobility needs to be part of the red-zone game plan — particularly when we've seen him already carry the ball 10 times for 44 yards in three games. Prescott evaded pressure to pick up 13 yards on a crucial third-and13 in this very game, so even if the Cowboys would prefer not to see him take a lot of hits, his ability to use his feet should absolutely be part of a red zone game plan.

On top of that, it certainly feels like Dallas could be doing more to find advantageous matchups. With respect to Lamb, it doesn't look as if the Cowboys have a ton of receiving options when the field shrinks. Brandin Cooks' specialty has always been that of a downfield threat, while Michael Gallup has ability as a contested ball catcher but has never been much of a separator.

The tight end duo of Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker did account for two touchdowns against the Jets, so we'll put a pause on rushing to judgment about their shortcomings.

It's still interesting — and not in a good way — to note the snap counts from these first three games. The Cowboys had roles in mind for both KaVontae Turpin and Deuce Vaughn against the Giants and Jets. They certainly weren't big roles, but Turpin averaged 18% of the offensive snaps in the first two weeks while Vaughn sat at about 15%.

This past Sunday, Turpin got onto the field for two of 81 snaps, roughly 2%. Vaughn didn't appear on offense at all.

Now, I can clearly hear the rationale. The Cowboys' offensive line was compromised, and maybe McCarthy wanted beefier players who could help protect Prescott. But that doesn't make perfect sense when you consider that the game plan was clearly to get the ball out of the quarterback's hands, anyway.

It doesn't feel like a coincidence that the Cowboys' lone touchdown of the day came on a fairly basic screen concept to Rico Dowdle. One of the offense's fastest players, Dowdle caught a floater from Prescott behind the line of scrimmage and only needed two decent blocks to let his speed carry him to the end zone.

Understanding that Turpin and Vaughn have limits as their blockers, their speed also allows them to compensate for that. If nothing else is working, it might be wise to draw up looks for two players with the natural ability to make something out of nothing.

In a perfect world, the trio of Smith, Biadasz and Martin don't miss another game and the Cowboys can mitigate this issue with cleaner play. But if that's not the case, it shouldn't be hard to come up with a few more creative looks when it matters.

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast for FOX Sports. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team's official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing "Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion." Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.