One year ago, the Cowboys were one overturned Dez Bryant catch away from, perhaps, playing in the NFC Championship game.
Dez Bryant's non-catch in Green Bay is as close as the Cowboys have come to the NFC Championship game in 20 years. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)
So, how close are they now?
About as far away as a 4-12 team is from a 12-4 team.
Let's compare the Cowboys with the Panthers, Cardinals, Patriots, and Broncos.
QUARTERBACK
The NFL's final four teams feature three QBs who were #1 overall draft picks (Cam Newton, Carson Palmer, Peyton Manning) and Tom Brady, the 199th pick of the 2000 draft. Tony Romo was undrafted but can perform at this level if he has help around him.
The Cowboys have bigger problems than the loss of Tony Romo. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Behind Romo, the Cowboys had backups who went 1-11 in 2015. Three of the four conference finalists didn't have to use their backups this year. Brock Osweiler filled in capably for Manning. He should have a handsome reward in free agency. New England's backup is Jimmy Garrapolo, who enters his 3rd year in the league in 2016. The Panthers and Cardinals employ veteran backups Derek Anderson and Drew Stanton.
Obviously, the Cowboys must make a similar investment in the position.
RUNNING GAME
Pro Football Focus, which grades game tape religiously each week, insists the Cowboys have far and away the best offensive line in football.
More evidence of that was the season Darren McFadden had, averaging virtually the same yards per carry (4.5) as Demarco Murray did in 2014.
The Cowboys failed miserably by believing they could trust Joseph Randle to be the lead back. David Johnson was the answer in the draft. He's a Demarco Murray clone, who will be a three down back in this league.
However, Arizona took him five picks before the Cowboys' selection in the 3rd round. The Cowboys must find this year's "David Johnson" in the 2016 draft.
Rookie David Johnson of the Arizona Cardinals would have looked good wearing a Cowboys star.
PASSING GAME
Carolina, Arizona, and New England have the three highest scoring teams in the league. They also have three quarterbacks who each accounted for 35 or more touchdowns.
Cam Newton put together an MVP season despite the fact he lost his top receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, before the season started.
Even with a healthy Dez Bryant, the Cowboys can't match the firepower of the Arizona wideout trio of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and John Brown. Terrance Williams took a step back in 2015 and now enters the final year of his contract.
Jason Witten is a 10-time Pro Bowler, but as he approaches age 34, the Cowboys have a need for an athletic tight end. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
New England has the best tight end in the game in Rob Gronkowski. Carolina has the best receiving tight end in the NFC in Greg Olsen. For the Cowboys, the Gavin Escobar 2nd round pick in 2013 has been an abject failure. He now enters his 4th season, coming off an 8-catch year and a torn Achilles' tendon suffered in the season finale. James Hanna, who has been a reliable blocking tight end, is a free agent.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The Broncos (1st), Cardinals (5th), Panthers (6th), and Patriots (9th) all rank at the top of the league in total defense. The Cowboys ranked 17th, and that was with an offense that didn't threaten opponents.
Denver and New England were tops in the league with 52 and 49 sacks, respectively. The Cowboys had 31. When you compare what the Cowboys have on their defensive line to what these four teams have, there really is no comparison.
Start with Carolina, a 4-3 team like the Cowboys, which invested heavily in their defensive line in the 2013 draft. They picked NT Star Lotulelei in the 1st round and followed up with DT Kawann Short in the 2nd. Short had 11 sacks this season. Talk all you want about the Panthers Pro Bowl LBs Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, but the Lotulelei/Short combo up front sets the tone for this defense and frees up the linebackers and secondary to make plays.
The swarming Carolina defense ended Tony Romo's season on Thanksgiving Day. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The talent and depth you find on the New England, Denver, and Arizona defensive lines further underscore the needs that Dallas has in this area. The Patriots have used 1st round picks on defensive linemen three of the last four years. The Broncos have three 1st round pass rushers. The Cardinals have done a good job in free agency to enhance their pass rush, picking up a veteran like Dwight Freeney (8 sacks) while developing a 2nd round pick like Markus Golden.
Carolina's defense has gotten along just fine without Greg Hardy. The Cowboys defense can do the same, but there needs to be a continued investment in the d-line.
Tyrone Crawford should be improved with his shoulder repaired. Demarcus Lawrence is starting to show up, and Randy Gregory needs to do the same in his second year. The return of Terrell McClain will help at the nose, but this team really needs to take a good, long look at solidifying the interior of the line with an early draft pick. I haven't studied him closely yet, but this Andrew Billings kid from Baylor could be really intriguing in this defense.
LINEBACKERS
Sean Lee played at a Pro Bowl level and got rewarded for it this week. Otherwise, this remains a position of need. If you could only trust Rolando McClain. You just have to keep churning and find versatile, fast, tough, instinctive players at a position that produces a lot of wear and tear.
Sean Lee was named to his first Pro Bowl this week, replacing Justin Houston. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Kuechly and Davis made it to the finish line in Carolina, though Kuechly missed 3 games with a concussion. Even with those Pro Bowlers, Carolina spent a 1st round pick on LB Shaq Thompson last year.
The other conference finalist that runs a 4-3 base defense, New England, has three top rung veteran linebackers in Jerod Mayo (2008 1st rounder), Don'ta Hughtower (2012 1st rounder), and Jamie Collins (2013 2nd rounder). However, Mayo and Hightower have battled injury issues much like the Cowboys have faced. Bottom line is it takes a village in this league at linebacker.
SECONDARY
Wow, what a glaring difference here. How does a defense come up with only 11 takeaways in 16 games? The Cowboys ranked dead last in the NFL, one year after finishing 2nd in takeaways.
Entering the final year of a 5-year, $55 million contract, Brandon Carr has no interceptions the last two years. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Carolina has Pro Bowl CB Josh Norman and S Kurt Coleman (8 picks). Arizona has Pro Bowl CB Patrick Peterson and lost Pro Bowl S Tyrann Mathieu (6 picks) to a late season ACL injury. New England has Pro Bowl CB Malcolm Butler and S Devin McCourty. Denver has two Pro Bowl CBs, Aqib Talib and Chris Harris.
The return of Orlando Scandrick will help. The continued development of versatile 1st rounder Byron Jones is promising. But this Cowboys team needs playmakers in the secondary.
Come to think of it, they need more playmakers just about everywhere if they want to get back to where they were just one year ago.