Stephen Jones addresses big concern from the Cowboys 2021 season

The Dallas Cowboys came into 2021 with high expectations for the offense, but penalties in key moments held them back all season. As the team resets for 2022, the front office, including Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones, is focused on limiting those penalties by whatever means necessary.

While meeting with the media after a disappointing playoff loss, Stephen Jones spoke about the penalties which held the Cowboys back.

“We’ve got to clean that up,” said Jones, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “Holding penalties are drive-killers. We’ve got to clean those things up and I think it will certainly impact some of the games we weren’t successful in.”

Among the possible ways to cut down on penalties, few include upper management intervention, unless they opt to change coaching staffs or make big roster moves. With Mike McCarthy receiving a vote of confidence from the front office, those options seem unlikely given the strength of the roster returning in 2022.

The Cowboys hold the No. 24 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft which they can use along with limited cap space to help address the holes on the roster and hopefully limit penalties that way along with more coaching.

Stephen Jones on Amari Cooper

Expectations were sky-high for the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver group this season. Between Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup, the three were supposed to light the NFL on fire with quarterback Dak Prescott.

While the numbers might look good on paper, there was some frustration at the end of the season. At times, Cooper felt like he should be getting more targets, especially as he is paid as one of the NFL’s top receivers.

Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones addressed why Cooper was not getting the touches he wanted. Jones said sometimes it comes down to coaches getting him open, especially when paying all of that money.

“It sometimes not all on the receiver,” Jones said. “It’s scheme, it’s getting the receiver the ball, it’s the targets. … But if you’re going to pay somebody a lot of money, you want them to be the best at what they do … with that comes high expectations.”

For the first time since joining the organization, Cooper did not finish the season as the team’s leading receiver. Lamb had that honor, recording 1,102 yards and six touchdowns on 79 receptions. Cooper, only bested the former Oklahoma product in touchdowns, having eight. He finished with 68 catches and 865 yards.