Mailbag: Position that needs to improve most?

(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)

Every year we hear about this player or that player who needs to up his game. What I would like to know is which position group as a whole needs to improve the most this year for the Cowboys to have a better chance at success?– Michael Banks/Albuquerque, NM**

Patrik: Stop me if you've heard this before but, for me, it's the offensive line and the running back position. Zack Martin's degenerative ankle issue made him a shell of his former Hall of Fame self in 2024, and it helped fuel the struggles of Terence Steele. Tyler Guyton, the 2024 first-round pick, battled injury, penalties and more, and has since revamped his offseason approach — also working with future Hall of Fame left tackle Tyron Smith — understanding what the team needs from him in Year 2. Cooper Beebe was impressive as a rookie and Tyler Smith became an All-Pro, but those were the only two beacons of light in that now rebuilt unit. Tyler Booker joins the crew as a rookie first-round pick himself, and the young group needs to find a way to dominate in both pass protection and run blocking going forward.

And that brings me to the run game. Another year, another attempt at figuring out who will be RB1 and RB2, and what the mode of attack, schematically, will be, for a team that hasn't had an identity in the ground game since Zeke and Pollard roamed the field together. It's a nearly entirely new cast of characters in 2025, Deuce Vaughn and Hunter Luepke serving as the only familiar faces, so let's see what JaVonte Williams, Miles Sanders and rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah can do to help solve the equation.

Nick: In terms of improvement from last year, I'll say the obvious - quarterback. That's not a knock against Dak, but he only played half the season and even when he was there, the Cowboys weren't at their best and had a losing record. Whether it was Dak early in the season or Cooper Rush and Trey Lance to finish the year, the Cowboys have to be better at quarterback if they want to even think about competing for the playoffs. But that seems like an obvious statement, so let's go with another position as well. The cornerback position also has to be much improved and that's not going to be easy because of what they lost in free agency in the injuries they already have. But when you look at the cornerbacks, they had to play with last year, there's no surprise they struggled against some of the best quarterbacks and wide receivers in the game. At this point, it's hard to tell when Trevon Diggs will be back and the same goes for Shavon Revel, but one way or another, the Cowboys have to figure out a way to have some consistency and better play at both cornerback and quarterback for this team to be successful in 2025.