Jason Garrett is gone. I don't have an argument against any of these responses, but people on this forum generally are pretty opinionated and certain of their football acumen. The question we might ask ourselves is why, beyond coaching, the special teams units not only were bad but among the worst in the NFL. Measured by yardage, the offense was the league's best (and no I don't think yards gained proved it was the best), the defense was top 10 in the league. What I think we can safely say is neither the offense nor the defense was among the league's worst, regardless of the coaching staff.
Special teams were horrendous and certainly among the league's worst. Why was that, and more importantly, how quickly and effectively can it be fixed? Because one thing can be said for sure -- special teams play a major role in winning and losing football games. Are special teams 1/3 of the game as some coaches (many) will say? I don't know about that. But they are vitally important. It is harder to drive the ball 80-90 yards than it is to drive it 50-60 yards. Missed FGs can and do cause losses. The punting game matters.
Whether the offense or defense improve (and that matters a great deal), it is important that the special teams improve. And based on performance, this is where the Cowboys have the furthest to go. They must move from the bottom rung of the league.
So what do the Cowboys need? A better placekicker, of course (maybe Forbath is the answer or will get quality competition). A better punter, of course (unless Chris Jones can recover in a hurry and prove it in training camp). A better return game. But what about gunners? What about the entire lineups (kicks, punts, kick returns, punt returns). Do they need to use more starting players? Is the bottom of their roster too geared toward offensive and defensive depth and not geared enough to special teams contributions? Is this almost solely a case of the coaching being poor?
Here is something that must be fixed, and I would argue can be fixed without breaking the salary cap or finding lightning in a bottle. Better special teams play and the Cowboys were in the playoffs. No question. A contender? Maybe not. But top half of the league special teams probably would have won a couple or three games. Beyond that, if the team is being coached so that special teams are strong, it's a good sign of an overall well-coached team. It suggests they are being detail-oriented both in-game and in personnel decisions. It suggests that nobody on the roster is getting a free ride.
This team wasn't destroyed by injuries. It was a healthy team, relative to the rest of the league. When we get past the Prescotts and the Elliotts and the Lawrences, etc., the new coaching staff has something major to fix that could make a significant difference. What do they need to do to make that happen?