Cowboys Lose Again: What Now?
Cowboys’ owner offers words of encouragement to fans after another crushing season
PERSPECTIVE
By Chris Johnson
Spectrum Sports Writer
After another disappointing loss in the playoffs, Jerry Jones and Dallas Cowboys ownership claim they are “all-in” going into the 2024 offseason. For any other fans, Jones’ reassuring words might spark excitement. But after almost 30 years of failing to put the pieces together, Cowboys’ fans are more skeptical than ever.
What do these words mean? What course of action will the Jones family take?
It is now time for Jones to assess the landscape and see whether there are any moves team owners can make to get the Cowboys back into the big game.
Ever since the 1990s, the Cowboys have always had immense pressure to win and to win big. The pressure intensified after a lull in the early 2000s.
Although exciting, longtime Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo could never quite overcome injuries, stale defenses and the Cowboys’ somewhat over-traditional approach to the game. Following his final injury and a spectacular NFL debut by current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Romo retired and a new era was ushered in at Dallas. The only problem now is that the Cowboys run the risk of wasting Prescott’s talents much like how they wasted Romo’s.
Things in Dallas have seemed bright lately after the hiring of Super Bowl-winning coach Mike McCarthy during the 2020 offseason with Prescott elevate his play and the Cowboys having consistent regular season success resembling their golden era. But after more playoff failures and a disastrous wild card loss to McCarthy’s former team in this year’s playoffs, it’s clear that it’s not the players or the coaches on the team, but instead how the team is run.
When looking at the Dallas Cowboys’ roster and how they’ve operated since hiring McCarthy it becomes apparent that the Cowboys have a certain way of doing things. Since 2020, the Cowboys front office has traded key players for scraps, thrown players under the bus during contract negotiations and maintained loyalty to staff members who’ve visibly been detrimental to the progression of the team – all while doing very little to add talent to the roster.
That was until the 2023 offseason where some aging, but still talented pieces were added in wide receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore. But even they could not make up for injuries, questionable defensive efforts, conservative play calling and cheap talent in the trenches.
Sound familiar?
So where do the Cowboys go from here? They’ve kicked off the offseason by losing their defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to the rival Commanders in what appears to be a mutual departure with some local fans celebrating the vacancy. As of Feb. 7, the Cowboys have yet to fill that vacancy. With many great coaching candidates still available, I think the first step in proving that they are “all in” is the front office getting this hire right. Bringing in someone who’s passionate about the game enough to do what’s needed to win regardless of backlash from upstairs.
After figuring out who is going to run the defense, it is imperative for the Cowboys to upgrade their linebacker room as well as a running back who can complement Dak in the passing game. As for the draft, they must take the best players available at the money positions like corner, wide receiver, edge rusher and interior line. They’ve also shown success in trading for players. So if the Cowboys want to show that they are serious, expect another trade to break on social media.
If Jones and the Cowboys can ace all these moves going into next season, maybe fans will buy back in and scream, “It’s our year” for the 29th time in a row.