As the Dallas Cowboys look forward to the playoffs this weekend, I wanted to take a look back at the regular season and recognize a few Dallas Cowboys players for individual awards. The Cowboys finished the season with a 12-5 record and an NFC East division title. While those accomplishments make for a successful season in the eyes of many fans, nothing short of a long awaited appearance in the NFC Championship game will truly satisfy most of us. Before we embark on that playoff journey and risk heart break and disappointment in a tournament of one game elimination, let’s take a moment to stop and smell the roses. Too often we place lofty expectations on a team that has fallen short for a quarter of a century now, and we forget to enjoy the ride. Hopefully our streak of disappointment ends but until then, here are the 2021 Dallas Cowboys regular season individual awards for your enjoyment.
OFFENSIVE MVP: DAK PRESCOTT QB
Dak Prescott started the season as a dark horse MVP candidate before he injured his calf in an overtime victory against the Patriots. Dak struggled for a stretch after that injury. Whether that was a result of the injury, defenses figuring out the blueprint to stop the Cowboys offense, or the discontinuity of the offensive line and ineffective run game, has been the subject for debate among Cowboys fans. Through it all, Dak Prescott joined Aaron Rodgers as the only QB in the NFL to throw for at least 4000 yards, 35+ TD’s, and 10 or fewer interceptions. As Mike McCarthy stated following the final regular season victory against the Eagles “not bad for a guy in a slump”. Dak’s overall numbers were certainly impressive and he set a franchise record with 37 TD passes. Despite his brief struggles, he had a very strong season and it was a travesty that he was left off of the Pro-Bowl roster. Regardless of the lack of accolades and the consistent criticism he receives, he is without a doubt deserving of the offensive MVP award for this team.
DEFENSIVE MVP: MICAH PARSONS LB
When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Micah Parsons with their first round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, there was a lot of disappointment among Cowboys fans. Many doubted the pick purely based on positional value. There were also concerns because he opted out of the 2020 season and there were even some character concerns. Mainly, there were fans (myself included) that would have preferred that the Cowboys drafted OT Rashawn Slater (An All-Pro in his own right). Thankfully, the Cowboys front office knew what they were doing. Parsons, under the tutelage of Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn, has nearly single handedly transformed this defense from one of the leagues worst to a formidable turnover machine. Parsons excelled as a pass rusher, setting the franchise rookie record for sacks with 13. He also impressed in every other aspect of his game including in coverage, which is considered his biggest weakness. Parsons promises to be a cornerstone player for the Cowboys as they look to the future.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: MICAH PARSONS LB
Another strong rookie class has given the Cowboys some excellent building blocks for the next several years. This year’s class was highlighted by the aforementioned Micah Parsons, but Osi Odighizuwa, Chancey Golston, and Quinton Bohanna have all been valuable contributors on the defense front. LB Jabril Cox also showed promise before his season ended in injury and second round draft pick CB Kelvin Joseph is beginning to make waves after missing most of the first half of the season while on injured reserve.
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: TREVON DIGGS
Trevon Diggs was a popular pick as breakout player of the year for the Dallas Cowboys and he did not disappoint those who showed faith in him. Diggs tied a franchise record with an incredible 11 interceptions, two of those returned for scores. There is a growing wave of Trevon Diggs detractors who claim that he is over rated, boom or bust, and has given up a ton of yards against opposing receivers. Pro Football Focus is the main culprit for driving this narrative with Diggs being rated near the bottom of the league using their grading system. While PFF data is valuable, it is only one measure; and, in Diggs case, it is obvious that those numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. Trevon Diggs is not a perfect player, but to deny that he is anything less than an absolute stud is simply ludicrous. For all those Trevon Diggs critics out there, if you have to start your argument by stating “take away his 11 interceptions…”; you should probably pause for a second, listen to the words that are coming out of your mouth, and then just stop your argument right there before you appear foolish.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: TERENCE STEELE
I had considered giving this award to Jayron Kearse who came out of nowhere to emerge as a team leader and one of the main reasons this defense has improved so much in 2021. Instead, I found a different award for Kearse while the most improved player goes to Terence Steele. Most Cowboy fans would have loved to see Steele in another teams’ uniform after a disastrous 2020 season. Steele was such a liability filling in for La’el Collins last year, that fans didn’t seem to notice that he quietly improved towards the end of that season. This year, when Collins was suspended for 5 games, Steele stepped right in and performed admirably. This was no fluke either. Steele was recognized by his coaches for his work in the gym during the offseason. All that work paid off for Steele who earned the swing tackle job. Terence struggled again when he was asked to switch over to left tackle after Tyron Smith was injured earlier this year but he has proven himself to be mentally tough and capable of stepping up when called upon. With Tyron Smith and La’el Collins’ recent injury history, Terence Steele could be the most important depth player on the entire Cowboys roster heading into the playoffs.
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR: DAK PRESCOTT QB
The Cowboys have a few players coming back from devastating injuries on their roster but one stands tall above all the rest. That is none other than the starting quarterback Dak Prescott. Many believed his future with the team was in jeopardy when he broke his ankle in a cringe worthy scene during the Cowboys week 5 victory over the Giants in 2020. There were even those who thought his career might be in jeopardy as well when it was leaked that Dak had to have a second surgery on his ankle. Prescott was able to overcome that gruesome injury as well as a shoulder injury in training camp. He missed the entire pre-season before coming out in the season opener against Tampa Bay and immediately putting aside any doubt that he would be hampered mentally or physically from that injury. Dak is also in the running for the NFL comeback player of the year. Dak has some competition there in Bengals QB Joe Burrow and 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa, but I firmly believe that Dak Prescott is the front runner for that award.
SURPRISE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: JAYRON KEARSE S
Not many Cowboys fans expected that signing Jayron Kearse in the offseason would have much of an impact on the defense. Most were jumping for joy when the Cowboys landed Malik Hooker, despite his coming off a major injury last season. As far as Kearse was concerned, most considered him a core special teamer or a depth signing at best. That Jayron Kearse emerged as a starter, the quarterback of the defense, and was even considered by some as a Pro-Bowl candidate, was well beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Jayron Kearse is the runaway winner of this award.
LEADERSHIP AWARD: EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB
There are quite a few strong candidates for this award and Dak Prescott is the obvious choice; but, in the end I decided that Ezekiel Elliott was the most worthy recipient this season. Zeke appears to have matured significantly since his early days with the team. He has put his ego aside as some of his teammates like Tony Pollard have gotten more touches and fanfare. He cheers his teammates if he is on the sideline and when questioned about his diminishing production and touches, he responds that winning games is his only concern. He has played the entire season with a clearly debilitating knee injury, even insisting on playing in what some considered a meaningless season finale. His injury has hampered him as a runner but he is still putting his body on the line as a punishing pass blocker. Regardless of how some fans may feel about his performance of late, there is no denying that he is digging deep, grinding, and fighting for his teammates. For his new found leadership, both vocally and leading by example, Ezekiel Elliott is deserving of this award.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode