The Cowboys won the NFC East crown in 2023 and while they got smoked in the Wild Card round of the playoffs by the upstart Green Bay Packers, there was no reason to think that defeat would carry over to 2024. Yet, that’s just what happened.

Injuries may have played a role in a brutal 7-10 season, but Jerry Jones saw his team fall short in nearly every crucial moment. The Eagles ruled the NFC East with the Washington Commanders pushing them hard in second place. The Cowboys were basically out of playoff contention with more than a month left in the season.

The leadership of Mike McCarthy was questionable throughout his tenure with the Cowboys and Jones made the announcement that he would not be coming back for the 2025 season. That job has gone to Brian Schottenheimer and the move was not widely applauded.

Schottenheimer, the son of the late legendary Marty Schottenheimer, had been the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator. He had done little to distinguish himself as the Cowboys finished 16th in yards per game and were a non-descript 21st in points per game.

The Cowboys defense was also an issue, as that unit ranked 28th in yards allowed at 355.2 per game.

The Cowboys have been busy in the offseason in an attempt to give Schottenheimer an improved team in 2025, perhaps one that can make a run at the Eagles for division title.

Cowboys make key changes on defense, including the return of Dante Fowler

A pair of trades should help the defense upgrade its performance. The Cowboys acquired CB Kaiir Elam from the Buffalo Bills and LB Kenneth Murray from the Tennessee Titans.

They have also been busy in free agency attempting to add hungry players. These are not necessarily superstars, but players who will leave it all on the field on an every game basis. They include DT Solomon Thomas, LB Jack Sanborn and Edge rusher Payton Turner.

However, the sneakiest signing may be bringing in edge rusher Dante Fowler back into the fold after a year with the Washington Commanders.

The return of Fowler represents a very rare move in professional sports. Players who are traded or leave one team through free agency usually do not return to the team they left. It is often discussed on sports-talk radio that if a player leaves, he could come back in a year as a more accomplished player and become a star.

That is basically a fantasy, but in the case of Fowler it is reality. He has a real chance to become a star in Dallas.

He signed a one-year contract with the Commanders prior to the 2024 season and he had an excellent year in Washington. Fowler was a big-time producer for head coach Dan Quinn with 39 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits.

The edge rusher also had 2 forced fumbles and an interception that he returned 67 yards for a touchdown.

Fowler returns to the Cowboys after signing a one-year, $6 million deal. That could turn out to be a bargain for the Cowboys if he can come close to the production he had last year with the Commanders.

Fowler knows that a big season is a must if he wants to continue to earn millions in the NFL

The 31-year-old has played for five teams in his career and has moved around quite a bit for a player who was the No. 3 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Fowler has played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons, Cowboys and Commanders. His best season came with the Rams in 2019 as he had 58 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 16 QB hits, 6 passes defense, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.

Fowler’s lack of consistency has been an issue, but the Cowboys clearly believe that he has turned the corner in that area after last year’s performance. He could be prepared to put huge numbers on the board that could result in a second consecutive season with double-digit sacks.

If he is able to do that from his left defensive end position — opposite Micah Parsons on the right side — the Cowboys defense could be considerably stronger than it was a year ago.