5 Keys to the Dallas Cowboys Getting Back on Track to the Playoffs

The Dallas Cowboys should have been a playoff contender last season. The team was coming off a 12-win campaign and playing in the wide-open NFC East. Unfortunately, injuries to key players such as quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant derailed Dallas' 2015 season.

Instead of battling for a division crown or a first-round playoff bye, the Cowboys found themselves vying for a top-five draft pick.

It's safe to say that Dallas' 2015 season didn't go as planned.

However, the good news is that the Cowboys are primed to jump right back into the playoff mix this season. It won't be easy, of course—winning in the NFL never is—but if the Cowboys can accomplish a few goals before and during the regular season, they can get on track for a division title and a postseason push.

Here are five keys to Dallas returning to the postseason in 2016.

1. Establish Depth Throughout the Roster

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Kellen Moore is Tony Romo's likely replacement if he suffers another major injury.

The first step on the Cowboys road back to the playoffs is to get players healthy and keep them that way. Injuries—especially the ones to Romo—were devastating in 2015.

Dallas went 3-1 under Romo last season and 1-11 in games he did not start. If Romo can stay healthy, the Cowboys have the potential to dominate.

"I see a vastly improved team," one anonymous assistant general manager recently told Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman. "I think this is Romo's year, finally, where we see him make a Super Bowl run. I know his health is a big concern, but this feels like his year to me."

The problem is that the Cowboys cannot count on Romo or any other player staying healthy for a full 16-game schedule. Injuries are simply too common and unpredictable in the NFL. Therefore, the team needs to be sure to establish the right kind of roster depth over the next couple of months.

Backup quarterback Kellen Moore showed some flashes of promise late last season, but only after Dallas tried its luck with Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel. Preparing Moore and rookie fourth-round pick Dak Prescott now should help create a much better contingency plan at quarterback.

Bolstering depth at other key positions will also be important. Dallas has done a tremendous job of establishing depth along the offensive line and at running back over the past couple of years. If the Cowboys can add a little backup talent along the defensive line, in the secondary and perhaps at wide receiver, they should be better suited to absorb injuries during the 2016 season.

2. Dominate in the Running Game

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Rookie Ezekiel Elliott is expected to lead Dallas' ground attack in 2016.

One big factor that led to Dallas' 2014 success was the presence of league-rushing leader DeMarco Murray.

Murray racked up a whopping 1,845 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in 2014, but the Cowboys were unwilling to pay him the following offseason. Dallas got a bargain replacement in Darren McFadden—who rushed for 1,089 yards—but missed having a ground attack that could truly take over a game.

This is why the Cowboys signed former 1,000-yard rusher Alfred Morris in free agency and used the fourth overall pick in the draft on former Ohio State standout Ezekiel Elliott. Assuming McFadden has no setbacks recovering from offseason elbow surgery, Dallas should go into the season with perhaps the deepest backfield in the league.

This could lead to one productive rushing assault, as the Cowboys also have one of the most talented offensive lines in the league. In fact, Pro Football Focus rated the Cowboys first overall in both run blocking and pass blocking last season.

A dominant rushing attack will allow Dallas to dictate the pace of football games while ensuring balance on offense. This should lead to less pressure on Romo, which could perhaps lessen his overall exposure to injury risks.

Two years ago, when Murray led the rushing attack, the Cowboys controlled the football for nearly 33 minutes of every game. The potential to be even more dominant this season is there, if the Cowboys can take advantage.

3. Force Turnovers on Defense

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Safety Jeff Heath led the Cowboys with just two interceptions in 2015.

Winning the turnover battle goes a long way toward winning in the NFL. Unfortunately, the Cowboys were big-time losers when it came to the turnover battle in 2015.

As a team, the Cowboys came away with just eight interceptions and forced just six fumbles all of last season. That's not good, especially when you realize ball security was an issue for the offense. Overall, the Cowboys posted a turnover ratio of minus-22.

Yikes.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli needs to figure out how to get turnovers back into the defensive stat sheet. Even the healthiest and most talented teams can be undone by losing the turnover battle. Dallas' defense forced 15 fumbles and nabbed 18 interceptions just two years ago, so we know the unit is capable of making game-changing plays.

Fielding an offense that forces the opposition to keep pace on the scoreboard should create more turnover opportunities. The pending return of standout cornerback Orlando Scandrick—who missed the entire 2015 campaign—should help the defense take advantage of them.

"We didn't make enough plays on the football," Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee recently explained, per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. "We didn't have enough turnovers. We didn't make enough plays in the fourth quarter. That's something [Scandrick]'s done in the past and I think he'll bring that back to us."

Creating more turnovers on defense will go a long way toward overall team success in 2016.

4. Find Success Within the NFC East

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A strong showing within the division should ensure Dallas can survive a few rough patches in 2016.

It may seem like common sense that success within the division is linked to postseason opportunities. However, it doesn't make this goal any less important for Dallas in 2016.

Had Romo not suffered a second collarbone injury last year, the Cowboys still might have been able to salvage a playoff berth. This is because the team's 3-2 division record had Dallas still technically in the division-title hunt—even with with a 4-8 record after Week 13.

Dallas finished the 2015 season with a 3-3 divisional record, tied for the second-best mark in the NFC East.

The point here is that if Dallas can take care of business inside the division, it can provide cushion and an ability to survive rough stretches during the regular season. We've seen in the past that anything can happen once the postseason gets underway.

Heck, the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks won their division in 2010, hosted a home game and stunned the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in the playoffs. That Seahawks team only won three games outside the NFC West, but still found its way to the divisional round of the playoffs.

Getting into the playoffs is often the hardest part. Focusing on divisional success will help the Cowboys punch their ticket to the dance.

5. Learn a Few Lessions from Last Season, Forget the Rest

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Learning to trust secondary options like Terrance Williams can help the Cowboys' creativity this season.

One thing the Cowboys need to do before the start of the 2016 season is turn the page on the negativity and the adversity of last year—but not before taking away a few key lessons.

For one, the Cowboys should remember to trust the guys who stepped into major roles in the absence of others. McFadden did a solid job of lessening the impact of Murray's departure. Guys like Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley ensured Dallas had receiving weapons when Bryant couldn't be on the field. In the few games Lance Dunbar was healthy, he provided Dallas with a tremendous pass-catching option out of the backfield.

Remembering that these guys can produce can allow Romo and head coach Jason Garrett to craft even more creative game plans in 2016. Versatility was a big part of Dallas' fifth-ranked scoring offense (29.2 points per game) in 2014, and it should be a big part of the offense this year.

Dallas should also remember to trust a defense that managed to be a middle-of-the-pack unit in 2015—ranked 16th and allowing an average of 23.4 points per game—despite compensating for a disastrous offense.

The Cowboys don't have to rely solely on star players like Romo and Bryant—though protecting them has to be a primary goal. As we've already mentioned, a run-oriented and balanced offense can help in this regard. As we've also already mentioned, the Cowboys need to prepare for the critical injuries that could occur.

Lastly, the Cowboys should glean whatever motivation they can from last season's debacle and use it as fuel for the coming season. Yet, the team needs to be careful to let the negative emotions of 2015 creep into the collective mindset every time adversity strikes.

If Dallas can learn a few lessons from last year while still remaining completely focused on the future, great things—including the playoffs—could be in store this year.