When you look at the offseason the Dallas Cowboys have had, it may have made you feel pretty good about the coming year and sense that maybe, just maybe, this team is finally doing things correctly. Many are convinced that they’ve learned their lesson and are finally doing things like a normal front office should.
While that is a nice thing to think about, this notion that the front office has magically changed its approach might be a bit of an illusion. The reason things feel less dramatic is that there
is no looming holdout and fans feel rather satisfied with the number of new additions they’ve acquired this offseason. When you look at things closely, not a lot has changed. Jerry and Stephen Jones are running nearly the exact same playbook they run every single year, with one caveat, which we will get to later. But before we get to that, let’s look at things we think are different but really aren’t.
The biggest source of calmness comes from a total lack of contract holdouts. The front office is still up to its old foot-dragging tricks, as wide receiver George Pickens did not get a long-term extension this offseason. Instead, he is stuck playing on the franchise tag. But there is no drama. And it is not because the front office carefully finessed its intentions or made empty promises to appease him. They have been transparent about their plan, and Pickens just happens to not be making a stink about it.
At the same time, there started to be some drama with the Brandon Aubrey ordeal when some incorrect claims were being tossed around the media, but then things fizzled, and he eventually got a new deal. A new deal means everyone is happy, but this is pretty much par for the course in how the Cowboys handle contracts. Down to the wire. Last minute. Keep who they want. Rinse and repeat.
But it goes beyond the contract stuff. The feeling is that the Joneses actually seem to care about the roster this year because they are actually doing stuff, starting with the signing of free agent safety Jalen Thompson. His three-year, $33 million contract is the most they have paid an outside free agent in over a decade. Finally, they are coming to their senses, right?
Well, not really. The Cowboys may have gotten themselves one pricier player, but they have still only invested $59 million in free agency this offseason, ranking them in the bottom 10 for league spending. Only $33 million of that is guaranteed, which is the fifth-lowest of any team this offseason. Don’t be fooled. The front office is still sticking to its guns of sparingly using cap resources on outside free agents.
New players are one thing, but what about the new teachers? The Cowboys hired a new coaching staff this offseason to fix a terrible defense. It is perfectly okay to be excited about this change, but we should remind ourselves that at this exact time last year, the Cowboys had a new defensive coordinator who was also supposed to fix a very bad defense. He failed miserably. So, why will this be different?
It will be different because defensive coordinator Christian Parker is a young, sharp mind with intriguing upside. He’s unproven. He’s unfamiliar. He’s not the typical type of coach the Joneses hire, as they prefer someone with experience at the position. This would be turning over a new leaf if the Cowboys hadn’t done this exact same type of move last year with the hiring of new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams. The excitement for Parker is great, but we should at least consider that this has a chance to blow up in their faces. Any cynicism seems to be buried under relentless optimism. But whatever you feel, is it any different from what was going on this time last year?
Last year admittedly brought some additional worry because both coordinators were new, as was first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Total shakeup, compared to just defense this year. Maybe there was more dread due to fans being skeptical about the new head coach. It certainly did not help that the Cowboys themselves seemed confused about what they wanted, looking like they were trying to awkwardly hang on to Mike McCarthy. But now, are people suddenly feeling better about the decision? What’s changed with that?
Sure, there is talk about influence and culture, yada yada yada, but has Schotty actually done anything to warrant excitement? The Cowboys finished with a losing record last season for the second straight year. That is the first time that has happened in over 20 years, dating back to when Dave Campo was the head coach. Even worse, it is the first time it has ever happened when their quarterback started every game during the season. Ever. Across 66 seasons! That is not to suggest we should be in a total panic about Schotty, but based on first-year results, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to continue to label his coaching ability as TBD.
Even the players we feel good about this year consist of several young defensive guys, some of whom we are holding our breath for as they return from injury. Remember, this was also the case last year, and things did not go well.
This would be a good time for a cliffhanger, as we want to give you a moment to think about this. Do you know where this is going, what thing they have done differently? Let us know what you think the answer is and we’ll revisit this question tomorrow with our reveal.
