The Cowboys have found themselves in quite the situation.
It has been a rough start for the Dallas Cowboys. They are coming off their worst loss since 2010 when they were beaten by Mike McCarthy’s Green Bay Packers, 45-7. That was the game that got Wade Phillips fired, and in a strange turn of events, it’s now McCarthy who finds himself in the hot seat. And it’s not just the head coach feeling the heat. Owner Jerry Jones is being called out for the team’s complacency in free agency and he’s not handling it very well. Recently, he lost his cool in an interview with the boys over on 105.3 The Fan creating more intensity to the villainous role he already plays so well.
The situation in Dallas is a tricky one. They are in a dark place with very little light in the tunnel. How did this team get to this point? Actually, it’s not too hard to connect the dots, which is the topic of our discussion today.
The front office follows a plan
This is a hard pill for some to swallow, but the Cowboys have a process in which they like to operate and the core of that process does not change. This process includes drafting well, limiting free agent spending, and using a great majority of their cap resources to retain their own talent. They are also careful with their future cap funds. While they’ll ship some costs into future years with restructures, they are hesitant to borrow too much from subsequent seasons and very reluctant to do so when it comes to free agency.
This is upsetting to the fanbase. Many want them to spend more in free agency, even though the returns on those investments are statistically unfavorable. Fans don’t care. They want the front office to take some swings because just standing there with the bat in their hands hasn’t produced a deep playoff run in almost 30 years.
This is the proverbial staring contest between the fanbase and the front office. Fans point to the lack of success, but the front office swears up and down it’s not the strength of their roster that’s holding them back.
Changes have thrown a wrench in their plans
In fairness to the front office, there have been many seasons where the torches came out in the offseason, only to be snuffed when the Cowboys were winning games in the regular season. And then once they are bounced in the playoffs, the torches are re-lit and the treacherous six-month offseason march begins. Every season this is the way, without fail.
The part overlooked in all of this is the Cowboys plan has typically worked when it comes to regular-season success. Many (not all) areas we were apprehensive about actually turned out to be better than expected.
This season, the Cowboys hired a new defensive coordinator whose mastery of schemes came with a learning curve. The team is feeling the effects of those growing pains. Adding insult to injury is… well, injuries. The defense has been hit incredibly hard with several key players missing extensive time. Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, DaRon Bland, and Eric Kendricks are all key starters and former All-Pros, but none were on the field on Sunday. Neither were key reserves like Sam Williams, Caelen Carson, and Marshawn Kneeland.
The speed bumps we expected from the onset are exacerbated by the extensive health issues the defense is experiencing. When healthy, this is a promising unit, but with all these key players missing, that’s a tough ask of any team and it would be incredibly hard for them to be better prepared for this.
Key players aren’t living up to expectations
Injuries have played a key role in the defensive struggles, but what’s happening on offense is another story. The offense is averaging 21 points per game, their lowest total since the dreadful 2015 season when Tony Romo missed most of the year. And you’d have to go back another 10 years to find another season where they were worse than this season. Since the Romo/Prescott eras, the Cowboy’s offense has been consistently productive, but that is not the case this season.
There are some expected things like rookie linemen figuring things out or an underwhelming running back room being who they are. What has caught them off-guard is the play of their stars. Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, and Terence Steele are four of the Cowboys’ top five paid players on the roster and none of them played particularly well on Sunday and a couple stunk. This can’t be happening.
What we are seeing from the Cowboys is the result of all of these things collectively. The plan, the injuries, the underperforming, it all plays a role. It’s a little Murphy’s Law-ish and they are feeling the effect. A team that skimps in free agency, relies heavily on rookies, and is hit with an onslaught of injuries must have their star players perform, and on Sunday, they did not.
The good news is despite all of this the Cowboys are 3-3, have a bye week to help get healthy, and still have a roster full of players who are capable of playing better. As bad as things have been, the idea that they can right some wrongs and get better is within the range of outcomes. Will it happen? We don’t know. If they turn a corner and play well down the stretch, will that even matter come playoff time? Again, tough to say. All we can say is that the Cowboys have been right more times than they have been wrong in the regular season, and this opens the door for better days in upcoming weeks. Fingers crossed.
