An undeniable takeaway from 2024 is that the Cowboys took too many gambles and lost. Rolling the dice here or there is often unavoidable but the Cowboys took that to a whole new level last season. They rolled the dice that one or two of their receivers would step up into the WR2 and WR3 roles. It didn’t look like anyone did. They rolled the dice Mazi Smith would go from arguably the worst defensive tackle in the NFL to starting quality player in one offseason. That didn’t happen. They rolled the dice a project player could hold his own at LT when the player over at right tackle was already a liability in pass protection. They gambled the QB position could survive poor pass protection, no running game through the first half of the season, and no separation from WRs downfield. It couldn’t. They gambled one of the most undisciplined run defenses could get better over the offseason without injecting new proven run defenders. It could not. They gambled players would be good enough on their own to win one-on one-battles and they didn’t need sophisticated play design to create opportunities for them. They weren’t. There were too many gambles and not enough contingency plans for the Cowboys in 2024.
2 Dallas Cowboys offensive players who underperformed in 2024
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images 2024 was a down year for a handful of Cowboys. With the NFL officially in playoff season, the Dallas Cowboys will not be apart of it. A disappointing 7-10 record had them finishing third in the NFC East. While many things factored in to the disappointing season, there were several players who underperformed. Here are two players who underperformed this season for the Cowboys. TE Jake Ferguson In 2023, tight end Jake Ferguson impressed fans in his first season as the team’s starter. He amassed 761 receiving yards and five touchdowns, making himself a reliable target for QB Dak Prescott. However, this season was a different story for the tight end. When the team lost Prescott due to injury this season, the whole offense took a hit. Backup Cooper Rush has earned his flowers as a reliable backup in the league, but going from Prescott to Rush is a recipe for a less explosive offense. Ferguson finished the season with a miniscule 494 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. He only averaged 8.4 yards per reception, and his longest catch of the year only went for 27 yards. While his stats likely would have been better if Prescott had played all year, Cowboys fans were hopeful Ferguson was on the cusp of becoming a top 10 tight end in the league. He often felt like an afterthought in the offense this season and didn’t contribute to explosive plays. Ferguson is on a contract year next season, and will need to have a bounce-back performance if he hopes to secure a big contract in free agency. He will also need to be more impactful if the team hopes to get some help outside of WR CeeDee Lamb in the offense. LT Tyler Guyton When the front office selected offensive tackle Tyler Guyton in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, it was no secret he would need time to develop. Playing right tackle throughout his time in college, he would have to learn how to play on the left side of the line after the Cowboys lost veteran Tyron Smith in free agency last offseason. Even if he didn’t have to change sides on the offensive line, Guyton never had elite fundamentals and technique as a blocker in college. Similarly to Tyler Smith, the Cowboys selected Guyton because of his strength, athleticism, and size. Guyton had a difficult rookie season to say the least. He finished with a 49.4 PFF grade, with ranks 116th in the NFL. He had a 60.2 pass blocking grade and a 51.3 run blocking grade. He was a flag machine for the Cowboys this season, committing 14 infractions. It’s far too early to consider him a bust, as he was thrown in a difficult situation in his rookie year. But there are serious concerns if Guyton is the team’s future at the left tackle position. The Cowboys have a lot that they will need to address if they want to get back to competing for the NFC East next season, but getting more consistent play from these two in 2025 would do wonders for the offense becoming more consistent.
NFL Wild Card playoffs football live discussion: Sunday triple-header
Mark Konezny-Imagn Images Enjoy a Sunday Wild Card playoff triple-header from the NFL The NFL playoffs continue with three Wild Card games. The Broncos play the Bills, the Eagles host the Packers, and the Commanders face the Buccaneers. This is an open thread for game chat.
2025 Free Agency: Former Longhorns star, UDFA, projected as great fit for Cowboys defense
2025 Free Agency: Former Longhorns star, UDFA, projected as great fit for Cowboys defense K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys aren’t known to be big spenders in free agency, and there’s little reason to think the 2025 offseason will be much different. The Cowboys don’t trust outsiders, a vibe that has seeped into their head coaching search as they have an opportunity to interview some of the league’s creative young minds, but instead seem content to run things back with head coach Mike McCarthy. Once the dust settles on whom the club will have leading the team, the next focus will be on free agency. While other clubs will be looking for big-ticket items to fill their holes first, the Cowboys are likely going to again bargain shop for players who could make an impact for far lower costs. Dallas will check for solutions internally first, among their pending free agents, but they will eventually look externally for budget fits. One such player could be an interior defensive presence who spent his collegiate years in state, at the University of Texas. Pro Football Focus recently suggested DT Poona Ford should be the top free agent target for the Cowboys. With the Cowboys finishing the regular season 29th in defensive EPA per play, 21st in success rate and 30th in team PFF run-defense grade, it’s clear that Dallas needs to invest more on that side of the ball. The team’s defensive line could get a makeover with DeMarcus Lawrence and Osa Odighizuwa set to hit the market, plus Mazi Smith potentially being on the trade block. Ford isn’t one of the most touted free agents, but he had a terrific resurgence with the Chargers. His 85.1 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranked fifth among qualified defensive linemen, while his 78.8 PFF run-defense grade placed sixth. Even if Dallas can keep Odighizuwa, adding the 29-year-old Ford would make for a great tandem on the inside. Ford was originally an undrafted free agent, signing with the Seattle Seahawks after not being selected in the 2018 exercise. He spent the first five years of his career in the Pacific Northwest, he’s been a full-time starter in all but two of his seven seasons in the league. This year he tied three different career highs in sacks (3), tackles for loss (8) and QB hits (9) while being a dominant run stuffer; something Dallas has lacked for a long time. At just 29 years old, he presumably has some tread on his tires, and he has yet to command much of a salary historically. There’s only been one year in his seven seasons where he’s had a cap hit over $2.7 million; right up Stephen Jones’ alley.
The reason the Cowboys are making a massive mistake retaining Mike McCarthy
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Reports are suggesting that McCarthy will be back in Dallas, here’s why that’s a major mistake. It sure sounds like the Dallas Cowboys will be bringing back Mike McCarthy with a new contract to kick off 2025. While the details of the potential deal are still unknown, there are multiple reasons why that signals bad news for Cowboys fans. After several days of discussions about the 2024 season and the future, #Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and coach Mike McCarthy remain open to moving forward together and the sides are expected to open talks today on a new contract to keep him in Dallas, per sources. There have been… pic.twitter.com/JDIPsM1Q4D — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 10, 2025 After a disappointing 7-10 record in 2024, all signs pointed to Jerry Jones electing to move on from the fifth-year head coach after finishing in third place of the NFC East and missing the playoffs for the first time in three years. In his five years in Dallas, McCarthy posted an impressive 49-35 record, but lack of success in the playoffs led Jones to make his famous quote over the offseason of “all in”. While many Cowboys fans were not quite sure how to take that, Jones later stated that he was going all-in on the season in regard to players and coaches on the last year of their deals. Leading most logical fans to believe that if the Cowboys disappointed in 2024, head coach Mike McCarthy could be on the move. The Cowboys made some moves in the offseason when CeeDee Lamb finalized a deal in August as the Cowboys neared the end of training camp, and Dak Prescott was signed to a massive contract before the Cowboys week one game against the Cleveland Browns. But what about McCarthy? With no news of any contract talk throughout the season, most believed it was NFC Championship or bust for the 18-year veteran head coach. After missing the playoffs and having one of their worst seasons since 2015, McCarthy looks to be returning as the Cowboys head coach in 2025. And that could be a massive mistake for the Cowboys. In 2024, the Cowboys played nine playoff teams who will be competing for the Lombardi Trophy over the next few weeks. The Cowboys finished 3-6 against those teams and had a point differential of -118. The 2024 season was not kind to the Cowboys, so let us take a look back and see how they did against equal or better opponents in previous seasons. In 2023, the Cowboys played seven playoff teams and finished with a 3-4 record and a point differential of -16. In 2022, the Cowboys played eight playoff teams and finished with a 5-3 record and had a point differential of +56. In 2021, the Cowboys played seven playoff teams and finished with a 3-4 record and a point differential of +33. In the last four years, the McCarthy led Cowboys finished with a 15-17 record against playoff teams and a point differential of -45. The only two years they finished with a positive point differential in McCarthy’s tenure at head coach was with Kellen Moore as the primary play-caller and offensive coordinator. Since Moore’s departure, the Cowboys offense has struggled to keep pace with contending teams and win games against the top dogs in the NFC and AFC. Which leads to the biggest issue. McCarthy was brought in to get this team over the hump, and despite having the opportunity to do so, he’s failed. While this study was just done on regular-season games, when we take a deeper dive into the playoffs, it paints an even bleaker picture. In the Cowboys 2023 playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys were dealt a 48-32 loss, at home, against a team most thought was the underdog coming into AT&T Stadium. In 2022, the Cowboys seemed to have turned the corner, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road in the Wild Card round, before losing on the road to the San Francisco 49ers 19-12. In 2021, the Cowboys were again embarrassed at home by the 49ers in a 23-17 loss in the Wild Card round. The Cowboys hired Mike McCarthy to do what former head coach Jason Garrett could not. Get them to and through the playoffs. After falling flat on that responsibility for five years, it leads a lot of fans questioning why McCarthy would return to the Cowboys on a new contract after following the path Garrett did for over a decade. While the lack of ideal candidates in this head coaching cycle is a real thing, McCarthy has shown for five years what he can do against the top half of league and in the playoffs and it has not been good enough. In fact, in their best years against those teams, with a positive point differential, McCarthy was not calling plays and was not the team’s offensive coordinator. For a team that has fell flat in the playoffs for almost two decades now, a lot of fans had hope for change, but with reports filtering out over the last week, it seems like more of the same could be on the way for fans.
Cowboys news: One problem area that ruined Dallas’ pass offense
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports Your Sunday morning Cowboys news. There’s no hope for Cowboys offense if they don’t improve in this one area -Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire Is offensive tackle play really the Cowboys fatal flaw? One of the Dallas Cowboys’ biggest struggles throughout the 2024 season was pass protection from the offensive tackle positions. Whether it was Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, or even Trey Lance at the helm, Dallas’ signal callers were routinely facing trouble from the edge, and their play in the pocket reflected that. The Cowboys’ two offensive tackles, Terence Steele and Tyler Guyton, were all-too-often turnstiles as pass protectors. Their inconsistent play on drop backs forced Dallas to alter the playbook in many ways. Shorter drop backs, quicker releases and abbreviated route combinations were apparent on Day 1 of the season. Less time in the pocket meant less time reading the field, less time for progressions, and fewer big plays. It’s no mystery why Prescott’s Big Time Throws (BTT) per game dropped from 2.4 to 1.75 in 2024. And also explains why virtually all of Prescott’s other passing efficiency numbers dropped significantly across the board as well. Despite posting his shortest Time to Throw (TTT) since 2020, Prescott saw an increase of pressures per game with a significant portion of that coming from the edge. Prescott played like he was on a clock and that was likely by design. Dallas’ struggles at OT were rather predictable and Mike McCarthy’s gameplans generally reflected that. McCarthy routinely used running backs and tight ends to assist his two OTs in pass protection, but that unavoidably removed an extra target downfield. With more defenders in coverage than receiving targets running routes, separation was hard to come by and windows were as narrow as they’ve ever been. It added up to a very stressful situation that not only impacted Prescott’s play in 2024 but may trickle into 2025 as well. Offseason guide for every eliminated NFL team: Key free agents, draft outlook, priorities and predictions – Staff, ESPN ESPN sees a lot of priorities for the Cowboys, the offensive tackles are not one of them. Biggest offseason priority: Figure out the coaching situation. Will Mike McCarthy return, or will team owner Jerry Jones hire his ninth coach since 1989? McCarthy deserves praise for how the team played late in the season when injuries took away key players on both sides of the ball. What happened beforehand, however, has to be reconciled. The offense took a major step back — down more than a touchdown per game in points — and McCarthy is the playcaller, so that has to fall on him. Under-the-radar offseason priority: Keep Jourdan Lewis. He is more than just a slot cornerback. In many ways, he is the heartbeat of the defense. He is unafraid, can blitz off the edge and find the ball. His value, however, transcends the field. He prepares and works the right way and is the type of player others follow. On a defense that could have changes in personnel and coaching, giving Lewis a new deal is a must. — Todd Archer Draft outlook: Dallas needs playmakers, plain and simple. Every offensive skill position is on the table given that running back Rico Dowdle is hitting free agency, the regression of tight end Jake Ferguson and the desperate need for a wide receiver opposite CeeDee Lamb. Picking in the top 15 might be too early for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, but he should be in strong consideration for the Cowboys, alongside Missouri receiver Luther Burden III and Penn State tight end Tyler Warren. — Miller NFL coaches vote on best job openings: Cowboys are clear No. 1 – Jeff Howe, The Athletic The Athletic polled five assistant coaches, including two with head-coaching experience, to rank the current head coach openings, and the Cowboys job comes out on top by a wide margin. 1. Dallas Cowboys There is some apprehension regarding the Cowboys’ unique power structure, as owner Jerry Jones doubles as the general manager, but based on our respondents’ votes, that hasn’t impacted the desirability of this job. The Cowboys’ appeal is obvious. “The roster built to win now,” a former head coach said. The Cowboys are up against the salary cap and need to extend annual NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate Micah Parsons. There also are dangers with having a host of highly paid veteran stars, as a rash of injuries can quickly expose depth issues. But the Cowboys, behind VP of player personnel Will McClay, tend to draft well and have waves of younger players on the horizon. Working under Jones tends to provide job security: He’s had five coaches since 2000, all of whom got at least three years. Coaches around the NFL also recognize the legacy they can build if they bring a Super Bowl to Dallas. Should the Cowboys pivot from McCarthy, they might take control of the hiring cycle. Cowboys Rumors: Mike McCarthy, Jerry Jones Haven’t Had ‘Substantial’ Contract Talks – Joseph Zucker, Bleacher Report Another conflicting report about how far along Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones are in negotiations. Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and team owner Jerry Jones haven’t had “substantial discussions” about McCarthy’s contract recently, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter reported Saturday on NFL Countdown that it’s “in question” whether McCarthy and the Cowboys strike a bargain on a new deal given their lack of communication: The report is a little surprising because Jones has spoken highly of McCarthy’s work throughout the 2024 NFL season, despite Dallas eventually going 7-10 and missing the playoffs. “Well, I feel good about Mike McCarthy, and the main thing is that I like that job that he’s done,” Jones said Dec. 31 during one of his regular appearances on 105.3 The Fan (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). “It’s unfortunate we’re having the year we had, but I feel good about Mike.” On Friday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero also reported that Jones and
Cowboys currently have 3 players among top-10 cap hits in 2025 who won’t be on the team
Cowboys currently have 3 players among top-10 cap hits in 2025 who won’t be on the team K.D. Drummond While the NFL increases the amount of the cap by leaps and bounds every season, teams can often find themselves up against the ceiling on a regular basis. The Dallas Cowboys generally have preferred to exist right up against the cap routinely. For the last decade plus, since the last CBA was agreed to, Dallas has preferred to give their big-money players lengthy deals with a ton of years, which gives them the wiggle room to manipulate the cap as they see fit, but still be as close to the cap limit as possible. Manipulating the salary cap in any given year is easy. The Cowboys put language in their player’s contracts that allow the club to convert a season’s base salary into a restructure bonus and take advantage of league accounting rules that then spread that money across future year’s caps, even though the player gets the money in that same season. Over the last decade, they’ve used void years in the contracts to place the cap hits on seasons the player isn’t even going to be on the team. This is one of two ways of having dead money on a specific year’s cap ledger, along with more common way when a team releases a player who still has unallocated bonus money that hasn’t yet hit the cap. In 2025, Dallas is going to run into both situations in a major way. Out of their top 10 salary cap hits already on the books for 2025, according to Over the Cap, three of those are dead money hits. Zack Martin (3rd) and DeMarcus Lawrence (10th) are both set to be unrestricted free agents in 2025 after 11 years, each, with the club. Their expiring contracts contained void years into the future, cap loopholes that allow a player to have a salary for a season that will be voided no matter what. It’s literally cap cheating and is a ridiculous benefit the owners have given themselves to skirt their own rules. Martin is scheduled to count over $27 million against the cap in 2025 for money that was paid to him already. Lawrence is on the books for just under $7.5 million. Even if the Cowboys use the June 1 rule they included in Martin’s deal to split his dead money across both 2024 and 2025, the $10 million would rank him sixth in cap hits this coming season. Meanwhile, Michael Gallup (7th) still exists on the Dallas books as well. The former third-round wide receiver was released this past offseason and has retired, but he will count $8.7 million against the Cowboys’ cap in 2025 because he was a June 1 release that split his cap hit over two seasons. Often referred to as kicking the can down the road, there’s an argument to be made that it makes a lot of sense to use future year’s cap hits to account for a player’s salary. If a team pays a player $10 million in 2024, but they don’t have to account for it against the cap until a future year when the salary cap is higher, it gives the team more bang for the buck because it takes up a lower percentage of the cap. But that can only be realized if the team is winning, which the Cowboys are not. If the team isn’t good enough to compete for a championship, then using future cap space is an impediment to the club improving. That feels like the situation the 2025 Cowboys will find themselves in.
2025 Free Agency: Cowboys $40 million star projected as great fit for Commanders
2025 Free Agency: Cowboys $40 million star projected as great fit for Commanders K.D. Drummond The first week of the Dallas Cowboys‘ 2025 offseason has been focused on internal talent, much to the chagrin of a lot of fans. The front office appears set to try and run things back with head coach Mike McCarthy in 2025. entering into negotiations after a 7-10 season that wasn’t going anywhere before a myriad of injury issues reigned down on their roster. In a situation where the coach is no longer under contract, but with an exclusive negotiating window keeping McCarthy from talking to other teams until January 14, Dallas could be reaching out to perspective coaching candidates, but has yet to do so. Eventually, once the coaching situation is resolved, the next step will be to focus on another faction of internal talent, their pending free agents. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is set to hit free agency come March, and it’s a real possibility he will not be returning to America’s Team. If Lawrence walks, it’s expected for him to have heavy interest despite missing the three-fourths of the season with a foot injury. Lawrence started the season in strong fashion after appearing in back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2022 and 2023. There hasn’t been any apparent slippage in his play, so he could command a hefty salary as a hired gun, and that could be for his former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn who is now the head coach in Washington. Pro Football Focus recently suggested Lawrence should be the top free agent target for the Commanders. Even as the Commanders surged past all expectations to a playoff berth this season, their defense needs legitimate upgrades across the board. That rings true along the defensive front, where Dante Fowler Jr. will be a free agent and only Dorance Armstrong produced a pass-rush win rate above 11%. Lawrence was sidelined for most of 2024 due to a foot injury, but the 32-year-old was sensational in 2023. A season ago, Lawrence’s 91.0 PFF overall grade was tied for ninth among defensive players with 500 or more snaps. To illustrate how well-rounded Lawrence’s game is, he was one of three players with a 91.0-plus pass-rushing grade and a 79.0-plus run-defense grade. Reuniting with Dan Quinn to beef up the Commanders’ pass rush and run defense would be a perfect fit. Quinn’s Commanders were a surprise this season thanks to rookie QB Jayden Daniels, but the defense also rounded into shape. Their pass rush is anchored by two of Lawrence’s understudies the last few years in Texas, Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler, with the latter finishing 12th in the NFL in sacks in a reserve role. Lawrence has been with the Cowboys since being drafted in the second round of the 2014 class. He’s completed thee contracts with the club, most recently signing a three-year deal in 2022 for a total of $40 million. The structure of the deal currently has over $8.5 million in dead money on Dallas’ books for the 2025 season.
NFL Wild Card playoffs football live discussion: Chargers at Texans, Steelers at Ravens
Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images Enjoy a Saturday Wild Card playoff double-header from the NFL The NFL playoffs kick off today with two Wild Card games. First the Chargers will play the Texans, then the Steelers visit the Ravens. This is an open thread for game chat.
Defensive end should be priority No. 1 for the Cowboys this offseason
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The Dallas Cowboys are going to be in serious need of pass rushers next season. In 2023, the Dallas Cowboys defensive end rotation was loaded. Dan Quinn had a platoon to deploy with Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dante Fowler, Dorance Armstrong, Sam Williams, Chauncey Golston, and Tyrus Wheat as their developmental rusher. Heading into 2025, the only healthy players under contract are Micah Parsons and Marshawn Kneeland. That is a glowing, beaming, and screaming red light of a problem. Williams is still with the team but is recovering from his torn ACL, which he suffered in training camp. Dallas has recently become all too familiar with ACL recoveries, with Trevon Diggs, Terence Steele, and DeMarvion Overshown twice over. Fans should keep their expectations of Williams low until he can find his footing again. Carl Lawson’s sack. Lines up in Houston and fights through a chip, but he’s able to create enough momentum that the LT has no chance to anchor or adequately combat Lawson’s long arm chop, especially with Lock drifting back in the pocket. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/1WwFrNbpH9 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 29, 2024 That leaves just Parsons and second-round pick Kneeland as the only two legitimate pass rushers and edge players. Lawrence, Golston, Wheat, and veteran Carl Lawson are all entering free agency. Owner Jerry Jones seemed to signal Lawrence’s time in Dallas may not be over just yet, and Lawson indicated this week that he would also like to return to the Cowboys next season if they want him. There could be a world where both players return, and the depth looks much better heading into the draft. However, Lawrence will be 33 next season, and Lawson will be 30. They need to add younger depth around Parsons and Kneeland, which could be a reason to bring back Golston on a front office patented two-year deal for a few million after he had a career season with 5.5 sacks. Through two games–really like the early returns on Cowboys 2nd round DE Marshawn Kneeland (#94). Still putting it together as a rusher but already looks like a plus run defender. Strength + twitch really pops. pic.twitter.com/3WXPUzJS6g — Mina Kimes (@minakimes) August 18, 2024 The Cowboys can’t afford to re-sign all three players. They will need to address other key positions in free agency, too. The draft will allow them to replenish the position at an affordable price tag and provide more extended control under a rookie contract. It would be wise for Dallas to re-sign two of the three. Considering their history with the team, Lawrence and Golston seem like a logical duo. However, Lawson could be the better choice to pair with Golston, not only from a health standpoint, but also because his price tag could be lower than what someone of Lawrence’s status might command. Lawson also had a bounce-back year after his time with the New York Jets, recording five sacks despite being a rotational player at the start of the year. Regardless of who coaches the defense in 2025, that coach needs a rotation of players who can rush the passer and get to the quarterback on any given down. The defensive line was at its best when Parsons and Lawrence could leave the field for a few plays, and Armstrong and Fowler would come in and be just as productive. Parsons and Kneeland need help. The Cowboys have free agency and the NFL draft to figure out how to solve this problem.
