Dallas Cowboys offense wants more balance moving forward

The Dallas Cowboys led a go-ahead drive with less than two minutes to play in their season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unfortunately for them, Tom Brady was on the opposite sideline waiting to lead a drive of his own to set up Ryan Succop for the game winner. Now 0-1 to start the season, the Dallas Cowboys are looking at what they can do better.

One of the most criticized areas of the Cowboys gameplan on Thursday was the one-dimensional offense. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot, who makes $12.4 million this year, finished the game with just 11 carries for 33 yards and no touchdowns.

“We got — it’s easy to say, but as you know, to establish a passing game against a big time front, and they’ve got it,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan. “The Bucs have a big time defensive front. You got to go against that wall and you’ve got to have a lot of one-yard runs that when you’ve got a quarterback and you can make a play like that we’re able to make in the passing game, that’s going to be a challenge because you got to wear them down with that running game. It just didn’t go that way, but that’s the anecdote. The running game takes early patience.”

Problems on the line

Right guard Zach Martin missed Thursday’s game in COVID-19 health and safety protocols. He had been selected to the Pro Bowl every season since being drafted in 2014 until injuries kept him off the field for the 2020 season. In his seven-year career, Martin has been named first-team All-Pro four times.

While any time without a player of his caliber would be a problem, losing Martin for the season opener was even more frustrating as the Cowboys failed to establish the running game. In 2020, the Cowboys saw major injuries to quarterback Dak Prescott and their offensive line.

Now the Cowboys offensive line takes another hit going into Week Two and beyond. Right tackle La’El Collins was suspended after the game for violating the league’s performance enhancing drugs policy. He will miss the next five games.

In the past, head coach Mike McCarthy has been hesitant to move Martin from guard to tackle but was forced to make the switch with some success last season. It could be a viable short-term option again this year after Connor McGovern filled in well at the guard spot on Thursday.