[20] Offense After losing ten out of the eleven games without Romo in 2015,[22] the Dallas Cowboys wanted to find a reliable back up quarterback, either through the draft, or by signing a veteran free agent.

[26][27] Another prospect for the Cowboys was Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott, who met with the team on four separate occasions leading some to believe he would be their target in the middle rounds of the draft.

[28] Cowboys also looked at veteran quarterback Matt Moore, having him visit with the organization in March[29] before he re-signed with the Miami Dolphins later in the month.

After the window to receive offers from other teams while being a restricted free agent closed, guard Ronald Leary re-signed with the Cowboys for a one-year deal worth $2.5 million on April 28.

Orlando Scandrick who was a starting cornerback for the team in 2013 and 2014, was still recovering from the ACL and MCL injury[18] that happened during practice in 2015 causing him to miss the entire season.

[14] Defensive backs Nolan Carroll, Leon Hall and Patrick Robinson were brought in to meet with the Cowboys during free agency.

From those ten, linebacker Rolando McClain was re-signed on March 9,[13] but due to a suspension he received from the league for violating the NFL's drug policy he missed the entire season.

[41] Players that did not sign with the Cowboys or any other teams included defensive end Greg Hardy who was a free agent that had a lot of off the field issues.

[48] Mayowa was a restricted free agent, and the Raiders had five days to match the offer to retain him, but they declined to do so,[49] allowing the Cowboys to improve their pass rush some more.

The next free agent acquisition was from another divisional rival, when the Cowboys signed Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris.

[51] The final free agent acquisition the Cowboys made was offensive lineman Joe Looney from the Tennessee Titans, who was signed on March 29.

[67] In early February during an interview on NFL Network when asked about which team he wanted to be picked by, Elliott responded with: "The Dallas Cowboys.

The previous two picks, Tony Dorsett in 1977 and Emmitt Smith in 1990 ended up being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the latter also is the NFL's all-time leading rusher.

[76] They were unsuccessful in finding a trade and it wasn't until their second fourth round pick that they decided on a quarterback with Mississippi State's Dak Prescott being selected 135th overall.

[70] Prescott's athletic talents contributed greatly to the Cowboys picking him, but team official also noted his locker room presence and leadership abilities as influencing the decision as well.

[79] Prescott will enter training camp and try to compete with Kellen Moore for the backup quarterback role for the season, and then work towards become a starter, a task he accomplished both in high school and college.

[79] When asked about not being the Cowboys first choice to draft, in regards to the attempt to trade up for Lynch, Dak responded with: “I'm sure at Mississippi State I wasn't the first one on the recruit board when I committed there.

First was Darius Jackson a running back from Eastern Michigan, then followed up with Rico Gathers a basketball player out of Baylor with intentions to play tight end.

[79] Jackson was third team All-Mac Conference,[81] and was expected to use his ability to catch the ball from the backfield to fill the void that would be left at start of season while Lance Dunbar was out after a knee surgery.

Dallas' final play, a 14-yard catch-and-run by Terrance Williams, put them in field goal range, but he stayed inbounds and time expired.

Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott was impressive in his second NFL start, rushing for a touchdown and playing mistake-free football as Dallas evened its record at 1–1 with a win over its long-time rival.

Dak Prescott extended his consecutive passes to begin a career without an interception streak to 155, trailing only Tom Brady all-time.

Hoping to continue their winning streak, the Cowboys hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in a primetime matchup duel between Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz.

A classic rivalry since the 1970s, the Cowboys traveled to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers, who were coming off a three-game losing streak (including a loss to the Baltimore Ravens the previous week).

With the win, plus a loss from the Washington Redskins against the Cardinals the following Sunday, Dallas became the first team in the NFL to clinch a playoff berth this season.

Trying to win their 12th straight and avenge their Week 1 loss, the Cowboys took on the second place New York Giants in a Sunday night showdown.

Following their second loss to the Giants, the Cowboys returned to Arlington in a match against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who were coming off a five-game winning streak).

With less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, Orlando Scandrick intercepted a pass from Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (who fumbled earlier in the first half) and ended the game as a Cowboys victory.

The Cowboys improved to 12–2, and with the Giants' loss to the Eagles the following Thursday night, they clinched the NFC East title and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

With everything already clinched, the Cowboys rested numerous key starters, including Elliott and Sean Lee, and only played Dak Prescott for two series.