FRISCO — Nearly a year ago, Dallas Cowboys brass began promising an attitude for the offseason that would lead to an “All-In” campaign for the 2024 season.
The truth? Jerry Jones was “all-in” on signing Dak Prescott – eventually. But otherwise, the theme to the season was truly “Blow It Up.”
The Cowboys regressed in a significant way, going 7-10 and ending a streak of three straight playoff appearances. They also ended their streak of 12-win seasons while plummeting to third in an improved NFC East.
Granted, injuries hurt their cause in a significant way. Once Prescott went down with a season-ending hamstring injury, any faint hopes of contention disappeared.
But Dallas’ problems existed all the same when they had their star players suited up. Both offensively and defensively, they fell off drastically from previous seasons.
Many Cowboys fans assign that blame, and rightfully so, to Jerry Jones and his team who refused to improve their roster in any way from 2023. Dallas made no major outside free agent signings and no significant trades, instead relying on free agent additions Eric Kendricks and Ezekiel Elliott to move the needle forward.
While we’ve talked about it all being part of a plan to remodel in 2025 with $100 million of possible cap room, Cowboys Nation is skeptical.
But there have been changes.
That started with the team’s decision to move on from Mike McCarthy and bring on Brian Schottenheimer. There have been doubts about the inexperienced head coach, but the staff assembled around him has calmed those nerves for the time being.
Schottenheimer and the Cowboys now have to assemble the right roster. Jerry made some comments on those decisions Thursday at the NFL Honors.
First, he talked of “rebuilding.”
“The decisions I’m making are not based on rebuilding. They’re based on competing and competing now,” Jones said, “I think I paid Dak more than anybody has ever been paid in the NFL. That’s now, That’s not the future.”
And later he offered up a doozy.
“I wouldn’t have signed Dak Prescott, highest-paid player in the NFL, if now wasn’t when we wanted to win,” Jerry said. “This is a shocker to be here at this Super Bowl and not have the Cowboys here (playing in it.)
“I didn’t plan on that when I made that agreement with him. So we’re going to do everything we can to get (to a Super Bowl). … I know what it takes to get there.”
That is … a mouthful.
The “rebuild” comment can be construed as misleading; they just went 7-10 with a roster full of expired contracts. Of course they are “rebuilding.” They just need to do it quickly.
The “Super Bowl Shocker” remark? It’s absurd.
That might’ve been a goal for 2024 – it always should be. But that wasn’t the plan for 2024. … again, based on the roster-building inaction beyond the Dak signing.
We agree that Jones “knows how to get” to the Super Bowl.
But if he thinks the 2024 Cowboys were prepared to do that just because he signed Dak Prescott? We just watched the entire season prove him wrong.
