The conversations about tanking have been all over the place as of late.
The Cowboys learned that they were officially eliminated from the playoffs just a few hours before kickoff against the Buccaneers this past week, and they came out with an inspiring performance that led to a win. A few days later, the team decided to shut down CeeDee Lamb for the final two games over his shoulder injury.
At first blush, the move seems to be the first real admission from the Cowboys that their season is over and there’s no longer a “fight for the slim playoff hopes” mentality that Mike McCarthy and others had been preaching. But there haven’t been any similar moves, such as going to Trey Lance at quarterback.
The Lamb injury decision makes sense, but the Cowboys don’t seem to be in full tank mode even now. Is there anything meaningful left to play for? Our own Tom Ryle and David Howman discuss:
Tom: Let’s start with the players. There are three groups to consider, each with their own motivation to perform well.
First are the ones entering free agency. Obviously they want to put a couple more games of good tape out there for prospective new employers, as well as to make a case for Dallas to bring them back. Mailing in a performance would have a negative impact on their attractiveness.
Then there are the depth players who are still going to be under contract. With the new cycle of player acquisition about to start, they want to build a case to make it at least to training camp to continue their careers. Adding a bit to the résumé not only helps that, it could lead to a future job if they don’t make it through the cutdown.
Finally, there are the veterans whose positions are secure. Some of them might be shut down going forward just as a precaution, but those that aren’t have an important motivator: Pride. They play the game to win, and hanging losses on a couple of division rivals would take some of the edge off a losing season.
Of course, who sees the field and how much is not in their hands. That is on the staff, who has some decisions to make.
David: I think it goes deeper than that. I won’t deny that these players are thinking about next year to some degree, but after that win over the Buccaneers I believe this team still feels they have something to prove.
Mike McCarthy has probably locked up a contract extension at this point regardless of what happens these next two weeks. But we’ve seen some meaningful culture developments over the course of this trying season. Micah Parsons has blossomed into a leader on defense and CeeDee Lamb has become an iron man and reliable playmaker.
The win over the Buccaneers showed how much pride these guys take in winning just for the sake of winning. To turn around and start playing young guys just for the sake of evaluating instead of trying to win would undermine all that positive momentum. The Lamb decision makes sense because of his injury, but I believe (and hope) the team keeps trying to win and play spoiler.
Tom: I still think there is value to seeing what some of the down-roster players can bring to the table. Additionally, they need to be very, very cautious with the health of any of their established players. Don’t let pride get in the way of setting themselves up for next year.
But I will concede that the coaching staff has their own motivation to win. McCarthy is not the only one who is coaching for his future. I believe that most of the staff are playing out their contracts. Just like the players, they are trying to prove they have value for the organization or for another. Robert Prince has a tall order to try and get as much out of the wide receivers as he can with Lamb’s absence, and with that group they have to find out what the depth players can contribute. Lunda Wells has a similar objective with the tight ends, especially if Jake Ferguson is a bit nicked up. There are similar situations on the defensive side of things with all the players who have been injured. The team has no choice but to find out what some of the backups are capable of, because they are going to have to see the field just to have enough players. We can agree that tanking is just not going to happen, and hopefully they will find out some good things.
David: I’m not sure there’s much question left for this coaching staff, at least for the Joneses. McCarthy is almost definitely returning, and Jerry has all but said he and Zimmer are a package deal. There may be a couple coaches down the staff who shift around, but continuity at the top generally means continuity for the majority of the staff. And given what we’ve seen the last month or so, that’s a good thing.
One thing that McCarthy has stressed the most since getting to Dallas, though, is the importance of winning divisional games. Curiously, this is one thing that’s remained strong for the Cowboys this year despite everything else falling apart. They’re 3-1 in the NFC East and have a chance to finish out 5-1 in the division, all while potentially dropping their rivals down the playoff seeding ladder.
If we know this staff is coming back next year, then winning these next two games would be huge for their confidence heading into 2025. Being able to look back and say “We won 99% of our divisional games” in a lost year would signal just how close they are to reclaiming the NFC East. And since they’ll already be forced to play some younger guys, as you said, they might as well make the most of it with what they have.
In other words, let’s get nuts.
