Cowboys roundtable: Discussions on Mike McCarthy, the offensive line, and Dak Prescott

Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer's perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have David Howman, Brian Martin, RJ Ochoa, Tom Ryle and Jess Haynie.

Another huge embarrassment from Dallas on home turf. How much longer can Mike McCarthy hold on before Jerry Jones makes the move and gives him the axe? Since the loss to Green Bay last season in the playoffs, the Cowboys are now 0-4 at home. They have allowed 167 points in their last four home games, including regular season and playoffs. That is the third-most over a four-game span at home in NFL history. To lose at home is one thing, but the manner in which it's happened is the biggest cause for concern. A lot of people are calling for Mike McCarthy to be removed from the head coach position and if the team suffers any more defeats like it has this year you have to wonder how soon that chop comes.

: It looks like Jerry won't do anything during the bye, so it all depends on what happens after. If the Cowboys keep floundering then we could see a move in a month or so. However, there doesn't look to be a good option on staff to fill in, so he might just wait until the end of the season. One thing seems clear, it would take a near miracle for McCarthy to return in 2025.

: This isn't it like in 2010 when Jerry Jones fired Wade Phillips after a 38-point loss to the Green Bay Packers . The Cowboys had Jason Garrett waiting in the wings then, but don't have anybody that would make much, if any, difference if Mike McCarthy was fired. For better or worse, it's probably better to just stick with things as they are and let things play out.

: I am firmly in the camp that coaches should not be fired midseason unless the locker room has turned on them. We saw just a week ago, when Dak Prescott and this team gave the game ball to Mike McCarthy, that they haven't turned on him. They obviously don't understand that playing with such little effort and fire like they did on Sunday makes things look bad for their coach, but this is not a team that's tuning out their head coach. It's also not a team that lacks the talent to band together and compete in a wide open NFC. If that doesn't happen by season's end, though, McCarthy can pretty much forget about seeing a new contract laid on his desk.

: I just wrote a full on this topic. To summarize, I agree with Brian that not having a clear Garrett-like replacement ready makes it less likely McCarthy will be fired midseason. But people generally get less patient and tolerant with age, and it's been 14 years since Jerry kicked Phillips to the curb. I wouldn't be surprised either way.

: I'm not sure if I feel like this is a matter of how much McCarthy can hold as much as it is how willing the Cowboys are to actually do something. I'm not advocating for firing Mike, but more than anything I just cannot see the organization doing something seismic that would cause serious work to be done in the aftermath of it.

What is the problem with this offensive line? It's been on a razor's edge the last couple of weeks with some hope things were getting better. But after last week's game against the Detroit Lions we ask is this Cowboys offensive line now in danger of being a bottom tier unit? The Cowboys offensive line has now allowed 16 sacks, that's the seventh-most in the league currently. The offensive line has also allowed the fifth-most pressures and the run blocking looks both sloppy and lackadaisical. Tyler Guyton was out the lineup last week with injury, Terence Steele looked like he couldn't block anyone, but what's most concerning is how poor Zack Martin is playing. All of this makes it nearly impossible for the running backs to do their job and help keep Dak upright and deliver passes on time.

: It kind of is already. Dak was under constant pressure and the running game was anemic. With two rookies starting, Terence Steele regressing, and Zack Martin finally showing his age, this has the appearance of a long-term issue.

: Whether it's schematic or something else, there's no denying Dallas' OL has struggled through the first six weeks of the 2024 season. It shouldn't come as too much a surprise considering they are starting two rookies and have faced some really talented defensive fronts, especially pass rushers, during that time span. It also doesn't help matters that the offense has no identity either. Hopefully they can make a few adjustments during the bye week to help.

: The problem is they tinkered too much. Coming into this game, Dallas was second in pressure rate allowed and Detroit was 28th in pressure rate generated. But the Cowboys opted to move Tyler Smith to left tackle and start T.J. Bass at guard despite Tyler Guyton being a full participant in practice last week, although they say injury was the issue for him not playing. This unit had been finding their groove, but Dallas made themselves worse at two positions instead of one. Combine that with Zack Martin showing his age for the first time ever, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

: We knew the growing pains with Beebe and Guyton would be there. But unfortunately, Tyler Smith is the only guy performing up to expectations. Steele is broken and Martin is declining, which means at least another offseason is needed to get the line back up to snuff. And whenever Dallas does finally part with McCarthy, they need to be sure that OL coach Mike Solari goes with him. His work over the last 1.5 years speaks for itself.

: Sometimes the answer is hiding in plain sight and the reality is that the Cowboys have a cast of newbies and veterans who are no longer the peak version of themselves. It is a tough pill to swallow, but the day of reckoning up front (a true reckoning) has been delayed for some times. We may finally be here.

Dak Prescott made some errant throws last week and got lucky on a couple of missed plays by Detroit. Where was it going wrong for Dak? Last weeks against the Lions, Dak threw 17 completions from 33 pass attempts for 173 yards, zero touchdowns and two very costly interceptions. Although there's a lot of blame to go around the entire team, Dak is not innocent when it comes to his share of the blame in last week's debacle. A lot of eyes are on Dak this year after his contract extension.

: I think it's mental. When things don't go well, Dak presses and doesn't see the field as well. With little to no ground game, it's all on his arm, and he's just not handling it well. If he doesn't get settled, this is a big problem for the future.

: I'm personally not at all surprised Dak Prescott has been somewhat erratic with his passes so far this season. He doesn't trust his protection, he doesn't have a running game to lean on, and his receivers aren't getting open. Of course he's trying to force things and will probably continue to do so if the offense doesn't improve around him.

: The way this offense is built requires Dak Prescott to be perfect for things to work. I don't think the playcalling was all that bad, but McCarthy could do more to help his quarterback out. The pass protection was miserable in this game. Receivers don't get separation, which requires Prescott to place the ball perfectly or else. And CeeDee Lamb seems to check out the moment a defensive back puts their hands on him. His talent is undeniable but you need more mental toughness from your number one receiver, and Lamb hasn't shown that at all this year. None of this is to say that Prescott has been perfect, but neither has Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson or even Patrick Mahomes. They at least get some help from their supporting cast once in a while, but Prescott doesn't. He's also the only quarterback who consistently gets lambasted in the media for not putting the entire team on his back week in and week out, and the times that he does do it, his accomplishments get minimized. Simply put, Prescott is asked every week to fistfight a tiger and his own team keeps tying one arm behind his back.

: Any objective observer will admit that Prescott isn't a true NFL elite in the way of a Mahomes or Brady, in that he doesn't consistently elevate the talent around him or solve problems. He tends to get dragged down by offensive issues and becomes a problem when things really get hairy. You can still win with a QB like that; plenty of teams have with worse players. But expecting Dak to be the hero every week isn't reasonable given what he's proven to be. The real heroes need to be the front office and coaching staff, and we know what a bang-up job they're doing right now.