Offseason Primer: Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys will be entering the 2016 offseason the same way they entered the 2015 season, soaked in an enormous spotlight. A season which was riddled by insults and injury, was nothing but disappointing from start to finish. As everyone knows, it all started with the injury to Tony Romo, whose future is certainly in question, and was compounded by injuries to Dez Bryant and others. A team which was a Super Bowl favorite in the eyes of many, quickly became an eyesore. What’s most unfortunate for Dallas, is this might’ve been their best team, with the best chance of truly contending for the championship. With Romo’s age and injury concerns lingering, their window may not be closed, but it’s certainly getting narrower. Team owner Jerry Jones is certain to make waves in some shape or form this offseason, as he always does, whether it be through a coaching change, quarterback change, or otherwise. The front office has expressed faith in Jason Garrett and his staff, however, in Dallas, anything is possible. Garrett has yet to prove that he is a coach who is going to sustain success and that’s assuredly what Jerry Jones is looking for, as he grows older. Many around the league are hesitant to suggest the security of the coach’s job, as Garrett signed a five-year $30 million dollar contract last January and is likely to return next season.

The coaching staff and quarterback are not the only areas of concern, however. In what felt like a lost season for the franchise, there are numerous positions which need to be addressed this offseason, if the team wants to return to their status as a top team in the NFC. Fortunately for Dallas fans, they shouldn’t worry about a reluctance from ownership to address these issues, as Jones is one of the more lavish owners in the NFL and wants nothing more than to win. Jones has shied away in recent years from spending big money on free agents and has taken what some would call a more analytical approach to team building. How Jones and the rest of the organization decide to map out this offseason, will rely on a few key components.

Tony Romo’s Health: Before Dallas can make any organizational decisions, they must first figure the situation with Tony Romo’s health. If Romo can no longer play an entire 16 game season without injury, Dallas could be in store for an offseason like the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning had back in 2012. With Dallas in line to receive the 3rd overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, it is a possible that they could be drafting a quarterback this season, leaving Tony Romo searching for a new team. Unfortunately for Dallas and perhaps fortunately for Romo, there are no quarterbacks in this upcoming draft who appear to be as remarkable as Andrew Luck was in 2012. Romo, after missing just one game in each of the 2013 and 2014 campaigns, missed 12 games this season and watched his offense implode into the least efficient offensive unit in the NFL. After a quarterback carousel transpired for much of the season following Romo’s injury, Dallas was made acutely aware of his importance to the team’s success. Given that somewhat obvious revelation, the most likely scenario is that Romo returns to the team next season and that Dallas drafts a player who can fill a positional need and help the team win now, with a reserve quarterback coming in the later rounds of the draft. Seeing how it’s quite hard to be worse than 4–12, Dallas, if healthy, could be poised to return to the playoffs next season and could be a “worst to first” candidate, like this year’s Redskins.

Restock Roster Depth: Dallas, a perennial contender in 2014, saw those days pass them by with a myriad of injuries this season. Much of that despair, was because the team was devoid of playmakers, following the departure of a successful back in DeMarco Murray and long terms injuries to Romo and Dez Bryant. The team struggled to run the ball once their quarterback play was diminished and was even forced to waive Joseph Randle, their initial starter, after a run-in with law enforcement. Darren McFadden struggled at times as his replacement and would be better suited as a change of pace, pass-catching back on third downs. Look for Dallas to address the running back position, in some form, through the draft or free agency, this offseason. It is likely they will take the same approach to the position that they took last offseason and devote little cap space to it. If they do elect to sign a free agent running-back, look for them to chase after low-risk, high reward candidates like Shaun Draughn or Tim Hightower. Dallas would also love to address the wide-receiver position as well, with little playmaking ability, outside of Dez Bryant, on the current roster. Their cap situation, however, is quite murky and could provide them few options in free agency. Their year-to-year restructuring of bad contracts is finally catching up to them and their offensive playmaking ability, especially at receiver, could suffer because of that.

Develop Talent: Given Dallas’ cap situation, they’ll need to develop the talent they already have. In nothing short of a miracle, Rod Marinelli, one of the best coaches in football, somehow led Dallas’ defensive unit to being the 19th ranked defense in football. Not only does that signify the talent of Marinelli, but also the talent which exists on the roster already. Defensively, Dallas will look to build around the young building blocks such as Demarcus Lawrence, Byron Jones and Tyrone Crawford. With no scheme change forthcoming, the Cowboys ought to be able to get the best out of their developing players. With additional production coming from the likes of Sean Lee, Barry Church, and for their sake, hopefully, Orlando Scandrick, the defense is under less pressure than the offense this offseason. With the offense no doubt in question, the defense and special teams areas is where fans are more likely to see familiar faces.

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