Season preview: Five keys to the Dallas Cowboys season

Is a bounce-back season on the horizon for the Dallas Cowboys?

Perhaps.

But a lot of things have to happen.

The Cowboys had the look of a 4-12 season in 2015, which is how they finished.

Luck aside, the Cowboys have a lot more things going for them heading into this season than they had coming out of last season, mainly in healthy personnel.

Here are five keys to the upcoming season:

Tony Romo’s health

1The Cowboys went 1-11 without quarterback Tony Romo last year. This year they are even more inexperienced behind him. Backups Dak Prescott and Jameill Showers have never thrown a pass in an NFL game. If the Cowboys add a veteran after final cuts, he will have no training-camp reps in the offense. As it has been since 2006, it’s Romo or bust for the Cowboys. He has not played a full season since 2012. The Cowboys are hoping to manage him through 16 games and possibly more in the playoffs.

Being Dez

2The Cowboys don’t just need Dez Bryant back on the field, they need him being the X-factor, doing Dez things again as a game-breaking difference maker. He had 31 catches for 401 yards and three touchdowns last year as he battled through a fractured foot and hamstring and ankle injuries. All were career lows. Bryant had 50 touchdowns in the previous four years combined and no fewer than nine in any one year. Last year, Bryant came into the season hoping for 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns before being derailed by a contract dispute and injuries. Is that goal back in play?

Ground game plus Zeke

3The Cowboys made the horrible mistake last year of thinking that anybody could line up behind the team’s massive offensive line and do what DeMarco Murray did in 2014, when he rushed for a franchise-record 1,845 yards. They corrected their mistake by taking rookie Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick. Elliott is a true workhorse back to carry the ground game and take pressure off Romo. Elliott will be a factor in the passing game, too. The Cowboys will use him on screens and get him isolated in the flat on a linebacker.

Pass-rush questions

4Defensive ends Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence are suspended to start the season. Lawrence will miss the first four games. Gregory is suspended for 10 and might not play at all. They were the team’s best hope for mounting a pass rush. The Cowboys don’t have a player on the roster with 10 career sacks. Cornerback Orlando Scandrick leads the team with 9.5. Now the Cowboys must find a way to do it with a bunch of try-hard guys when in a four-man rush and a risky blitz scheme that makes them susceptible to the big play. Red flags to open the season.

Defensive turnovers

5Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is not getting much sleep. Not only is he coming off two seasons without a double-digit sacker for the first time in his career, but the 11 turnovers generated last year were the fewest by a unit he has ever coached. The defense has long been devoid of playmakers, but at least in 2014 they recorded 31 takeaways. They must again find a way to get turnovers and create additional opportunities for the offense. The Cowboys had two interceptions by the team’s cornerbacks last year. The return to health of Orlando Scandrick will help. He missed all of last season with a knee injury. But Brandon Carr, who hasn’t had an interception since 2013, must get his hands on the ball.

This story was originally published August 24, 2016 at 11:27 AM with the headline "Season preview: Five keys to the Dallas Cowboys season."