Drives weren’t the Cowboys’ problem in 2024. Finishing them was. This is a team that once bullied defenses inside the 20. In 2022, Dallas was the best in the league at punching it in. In 2023, still top 12. But last year? The bottom fell out. The Cowboys scored touchdowns on just 46% of their red-zone trips – the second-worst in the NFL, better only than the Giants. That stat didn’t just cost them points; it cost them games, momentum, and maybe even a playoff shot. So now the question follows them into 2025: how do you fix an offense that can move the ball but can’t close the deal?

The anatomy of the struggles

It didn’t just start in the red zone. Dallas kept putting itself in bad spots early in drives. On first down, the Cowboys trusted Dak Prescott’s arm more than the run game. They threw 235 times – third-most in the league – for 1,557 yards and a 6.6-yard average. Pretty good. But when they ran? Just 191 carries, 705 yards, 3.69 per attempt. That ranked near the bottom across the board.

Second down wasn’t much prettier. On ‘second and six,’ Dallas ran 12 times for 29 yards (27th in the NFL). When they threw, it was somehow worse – 21 passes for 34 yards total, dead last in the league. That’s a drive-killer.

By third down, the math wasn’t on their side. They faced fewer ‘third-and-manageable’ plays than in 2023. And even though they converted 66% of those short-yardage chances last year, they had fewer of them to work with. That’s the hidden reason the Cowboys’ offense stalled: they weren’t building easy situations. And when you don’t create easy situations, the red zone turns into quicksand.

Searching for answers

The Cowboys know they need new weapons down there, which is why the draft buzz has centered around wide receiver. In April, Sports Illustrated slotted Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan to Dallas in a consensus mock. “The Cowboys appear to be zeroing in on adding an offensive playmaker,” wrote SI’s Joshua Sanchez. “Matthew Golden would be tempting, but bringing in the massive 6-foot-4 McMillan would not only open up the passing offense and provide a capable red zone threat.”

Golden, the Texas burner who ran a 4.29 in the 40, has speed that would stretch defenses. McMillan? He’s the jump-ball guy Dak hasn’t had since Dez Bryant. Both would have given CeeDee Lamb the help he didn’t get last year. But both players went elsewhere.

Jake Ferguson caught 59 balls in 2024 but scored zero touchdowns. Jonathan Mingo came at the trade deadline and caught five passes total. Defenses knew Lamb was the only real option inside the 20, and they played him like it. Dallas doesn’t just need another wideout. They need one who can finish drives.

The bold experiment

Then there’s the wild card. What if Dak Prescott doesn’t take every red-zone snap in 2025? On the surface, it sounds like a slight. Prescott has been elite in the red zone when healthy, leading the NFL in efficiency in 2022 and ranking 12th in 2023. But he’s also missed five or more games in three of the last five seasons. At 32 and the highest-paid player in the league, he’s simply too valuable to risk on designed runs.

Enter Joe Milton. Dallas traded for the 6-foot-5, 246-pound quarterback this offseason, and while he’s not polished enough to threaten Prescott’s job, he might be perfect for a specialty role. Milton came from an RPO-heavy offense in college, has the size to truck defenders, and the athleticism to keep defenses honest.

And here’s the kicker: if Prescott gets hurt on a run, the season collapses. If Milton gets hurt? The season barely notices. He’s on a cheap rookie deal with three years and $3 million left. It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. Baseball once thought having a ‘closer’ was ridiculous. Now every team has one. Maybe the NFL’s next innovation is the red-zone quarterback.