Cowboys were tied for top 3 in actual sacks last year so wouldn't say taking down the QB has been a struggle. I will say our sack pace slowed down later in the season, likely because teams refocused on getting the ball out quicker.
Regardless your never always going to bring down the QB even when you get great pressure.
The defense changed a little later in the season because they were giving up too much rushing yardage. They stopped doing some DL games and some of the things that were getting to the QB earlier in the season. This helped shore up the run game at the expense of getting to the QB more often.
Also, once Anthony Brown went down (along with Jourdan Lewis), the side opposite Diggs was pretty consistently open. That allowed QB’s to locate an open receiver and get rid of the ball more quickly than in the first month or so of the season. Bland ended up replacing Lewis effectively, but nobody could stop the bleeding at left CB. They just didn’t have the personnel to do much about it. Even before Brown got hurt, that side could have used better coverage though.
Finally, as you mentioned, offenses started scheming to get rid of the ball more quickly. Offensive coordinators were calling few long developing pass plays by the end of the season.
Those 3 things took Dallas from leading the league in sacks down to third place. Still respectable but not at the torrid pace they started the season at.
What did the team do to help those things? They drafted Mazi and re-signed big Hankins to hold down the middle of the field, allowing the ends and LB’s to focus more on keeping the run from getting to the edges (which was a big problem last season). With disciplined play, the run should not be an issue, but they have to go out and do it.
They also brought in Stephon Gilmore to play the other side opposite Diggs. This was
huge and should pay huge dividends in the pass rush. I cannot adequately tell you how important that move was. It is going to be a real problem for offenses who will have to hold on to the ball longer or throw into coverage where there is a ball hawk at every secondary spot. That should help the pass rush immensely.
Gilmore, Diggs, Bland and Lewis all can get INT’s given the opportunity. The Dallas pass rush absolutely has the horses to give the secondary plenty of opportunity.
Shut the run down and the rest will fall into place. That’s where it all will start.
