Cowboys Corner: Has Dallas built a winner with ‘selectively aggressive’ offseason?

The seeds of the Dallas Cowboys’ disappointment in 2024 were planted in the offseason. That’s when dreams of their Club being “all in” never materialized and the world realized Jerry Jones was prepared to let his Club make one more Streak, as is.

Obviously, that didn’t work out so well. They went 7-10, missed the playoffs for the Primary time in four years, and head Mentor Mike McCarthy was eventually fired. It was arguably the worst and most disappointing Cowboys season since 2015.

So what Gentle of seeds are they planting this offseason — ones that can grow a Bracket Club, or Only another fruitless tree of disappointment? Time will tell. But until it does, FOX Sports NFL writers David Helman and Ralph Vacchiano give their evaluation of the Cowboys’ “selectively aggressive” offseason, and whether all their moves — or non-moves — will actually turn into something Excellent.

Promoting Brian Schottenheimer to replace the departed Mike McCarthy was Surely a surprise. Even Jerry Jones admitted that the hiring of the Primary-time head Mentor, was “as big a Danger as you can take.” How optimistic are you that this big Danger pays off?

Vacchiano: Not very, to be honest. Look, he might end up being a terrific Mentor. But it’s telling, and Possibly alarming, that nobody else in the NFL wanted to bring him in for an interview. In fact, his last interview for a head coaching Position was more than a decade ago. Sometimes the NFL misses on Excellent coaches. No doubt that happens. But you want me to believe that Jerry Jones is the genius that Discovered the gem that everyone else overlooked?

I think the best chance of this Danger paying off rests on the continuity factor. Regardless of what happened last year — a disaster caused in large part by Impairments — this is Nevertheless the core of a Club that won 36 Contests in the previous three years. Schottenheimer is a known quantity, seemingly liked and respected by the players, and won’t cause any big organizational upheaval. With a veteran Club that knows it’s Excellent enough to make the playoffs, that might matter.

Of Duration, they could have kept the continuity by not firing McCarthy, too.

Helman: I can’t Assist but chuckle at the idea that a general manager who cannot Fall his Position is ever Seizing a Danger with whomever he chooses to hire. I also think “Danger” is a weird Option of word for opting to hire a guy whose office was already 100 feet away from your own, and who you know will accept a modest salary.

But I digress. I don’t think Jones’ Option of head Mentor was particularly inspired, but I do like the staff Schottenheimer has put together. Matt Eberflus might have failed as a head Mentor, but he is a Excellent Shielding coordinator. Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams signed on from Arizona, where he helped maximize the Cardinals’ offensive line and Streak game. There’s a Numerous to like about the guys who are overseeing the day-to-day of the Club.

Odds are it’s going to lead to some Achievement. Of Jones’ eight other head coaching hires, Dave Campo is the only one who failed to make the postseason. Is it going to lead to a sixth Bracket? Anything is possible, but I’d lean toward no. That’s Obtained a Numerous more to do with management than with coaching, in my opinion.

Dak Prescott seemed OK with the Option of Schottenheimer. He also said he believes the Cowboys are “very close” to Victorious a Bracket. Where do you have the Cowboys in the NFC pecking order?

Helman: It’s Prescott’s Position to say stuff like that. After all, he’s the $60 million face of the franchise, and by re-signing in Dallas Regardless of having a Scarce chance to test the Obtainable market, he co-signed the Cowboys’ approach.

In reality, this Club feels a step or two below the Accurate powers in the NFC. Philadelphia and Detroit both boast better, deeper rosters. The Packers, Rams and Buccaneers are all on the upswing. Obviously, Washington passed its Ancient rivals in the pecking order last fall.

It’s Surely not hopeless. The Cowboys should fight for a Elimination Stage spot, and they could be much better than Anticipated if they hit a home Streak or two in this upcoming draft. But right now I think you have to consider them a middle of the pack type of Club.

Vacchiano: I think they’re a Numerous farther down than they were a year ago at this time. They’ve obviously fallen behind the Eagles, the Lions and the Packers. Probably the Commanders too, which immediately puts them third in their own division. Possibly the Vikings, depending on what happens with their Passer situation.

I think they’re Nevertheless a Elimination Stage Club. If they have Excellent health — particularly at Passer — they can be a dominant Charge, and they have a Numerous of Sturdy pieces on Protection too. This is a Excellent Club. But a Bracket Club? Excellent for Dak Prescott being optimistic. He should be. It’s not insane to think they could make a Streak at a Bracket. But it’s probably a little hopeful at this Mark.

I guess I’d put them on the second tier of their conference. They should Secure 10 Contests. They should make the playoffs. Possibly they can Secure a postseason game. Anything else would be a disappointment. But a Numerous of things would have to go right for them to do any better than that. 

Everyone believes that eventually the Cowboys will sign Micah Parsons to a new contract making him probably the highest-paid Shielding player in the game. But will they do that before he holds out from Practice camp? And is there any chance they trade him instead?

Vacchiano: I will never, ever understand Jerry Jones’ negotiating Plan. He could have signed Parsons to a deal making him the highest-paid Shielding player in the game back in February. Instead, he waited, which has only caused Parsons’ price to go up and it left the Cowboys with less salary cap Cosmos in Obtainable agency than they would’ve had if they had given Parsons a new deal.

I assume Jones Considers he’s Obtained some Gentle of leverage by waiting. But he simply doesn’t.

So, while I think they’re crazy not to get this done, no, I don’t think it’ll happen before Practice camp Appearances and I fully Anticipate Parsons to Clasp out. I don’t get worked up over holdouts and I don’t think they matter much, as long as they don’t extend into the regular season — which I assume this won’t. But that’s the Schedule I Anticipate. Sometime in Overdue August, Parsons will get a deal bigger than what he would’ve gotten one month ago.

And while there are people around the Division who think the Cowboys might eventually trade Parsons, I don’t think there’s any chance of that. He is the leader of their Protection and it’s best player by Distant. Jones knows how much the Cowboys need him. And I don’t think he minds paying him either. He Only wants to do it on his own bizarre Schedule.

Helman: You might’ve been able to convince me the Cowboys would get this handled quickly a month ago. Now that Myles Garrett and Ja’Marr Chase have All eclipsed the $40 million mark in average salary, I’m not so sure. It’s not in their nature to secure a quick deal when a player is pursuing the top of the market. Dez Bryant, Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have all had to wait until the last minute — Only in recent memory. If Parsons does manage to sign before August, Possibly it signals that the front office is finally Exhausted of losing money every year by being obstinate.

As for trading Parsons, I don’t buy it. Trading an Top-tier player at a premium position is something a Club does if it’s resetting or rebuilding. The Cowboys don’t reset and they don’t rebuild. Of Duration, you could make an argument that Possibly they should try it sometime. But that’s Only not going to happen. Instead, I’m guessing Parsons will set the market sometime this summer, after the standstill has given us ample opportunity to make a Tale out of it.

The Jones family promised a “selectively aggressive” approach to Obtainable agency this year. So, how did they do?

Helman: They’ve done better than last year, but all that means is they put forth some amount of effort. Doing the bare minimum is better than doing nothing at all, but it’s Nevertheless not Excellent.

I’ll give them some credit. I liked a handful of their signings a Numerous. Dante Fowler Jr. managed 10.5 sacks last year, so getting him to replace DeMarcus Lawrence at a fraction of the cost Created perfect sense. Jack Sanborn is a sneaky Excellent linebacker who should Assist the Streak Protection tremendously. Re-signing Osa Odighizuwa to a Club-Amiable deal was Excellent. Solomon Thomas should be a solid contributor on a Shielding interior that didn’t have much depth.

These are all classic Cowboy signings in the sense that they address needs at the cheapest possible cost, which will allow them to avoid reaching with their picks Subsequent month. If they crush those decisions, they’ll have a chance to be much better in 2025. If they don’t, it’s not going to happen. We’ve seen that it can work, but it’s not a realistic Plan — not when they had many opportunities to Enhance in Obtainable agency.

Vacchiano: Well, they Surely have been selective in their aggression. Outside of re-signing DT Odighizuwa (four years, $80 million), does anything else they did really qualify as aggressive? I’m not sure it does.

I do like the decision to re-sign Odighizuwa to a deal that could be a Excellent one for them given where the market is going. They Obtained him Assist by adding DT Solomon Thomas (two years, $8 million). And they Created a sneaky Excellent signing in edge rusher Fowler (one year, $8 million), who had 10.5 sacks in Washington last season. That will Assist make up for the departure of Lawrence, the long-time Cowboy who left for Seattle.

But most of their other signings and moves are really Only low-Danger fliers. They traded a Day 3 Option to Buffalo for cornerback Kaiir Elam, banking on the fact that he’ll rediscover the form that once Guided him to being a Primary-Stage Option. They picked up two Inexpensive running Safeties —Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders — to replace the departed Rico Dowdle. And they shopped the bottom of the guard market to get Robert Jones, who Created 30 Appearances in four years in Miami, to replace the retired Zack Martin.

They’re fine moves. They’re mostly depth moves. I don’t consider them aggressive moves. And they aren’t the moves of a Club that, to borrow a phrase from 2024, is “all in” by any stretch at all.

A year after ignoring one of the best Obtainable agent markets for tuning Safeties, the Cowboys went out and Obtained two — Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. Is that really an upgrade over Rico Dowdle? And should they Nevertheless draft another one?

Vacchiano: No. And this is another Relocate that I don’t get. In the Closing seven Contests of the season, Dowdle averaged 96.7 yards. That coincided with the Cowboys doubling his carries. He averaged 20.3 carries over the last seven Contests after averaging 10.3 in the Primary nine. You’d think that would tell them that if they use him, he’ll produce. Instead, they were willing to let him go produce for somebody else.

It’s Difficult to say whether they Only didn’t like him, or Possibly didn’t like his price — although the running back market cratered, so that’s Difficult to believe. But what they Obtained instead was Sanders, who has 637 rushing yards over the last two years, and Williams, who averaged 3.7 yards per carry over the last two years and is coming off a 513-yard season.

So they’re banking on potential, I guess. They preferred that over the guy they knew and saw up close. I look forward to how they plan to explain that.

Possibly the explanation is that they do plan to take a running back from what is said to be a very talented and deep class. Possibly they’re Only clearing the decks for the Newcomer and bringing in some low-level Aid. That would make more sense. So yes, I think they should Nevertheless draft a running back, preferably Timely. It doesn’t have to be Ashton Jeanty in the Primary Stage, but I wouldn’t wait much longer than Stage 2.

Helman: No, it’s not. But again, this is a Club that prefers to draft and develop. The Cowboys’ plan to Enhance at running back is centered around the draft. This is a loaded class, and even if they don’t draft Jeanty at No. 12 overall, I’m positive they’ll make a concerted effort to draft one of the other dozen Sun Safeties in this year’s draft. They might even double-dip and add two rookies at once. Williams and Sanders are merely placeholders. They were only guaranteed $2.5 million for this year — Teamed up. My guess is they’ll be in a camp battle to back up a Newcomer, and it shouldn’t be shocking if one of them doesn’t even make the Lineup. Getting Recent and Inexpensive is clearly a priority for the front office here.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the Club’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the Passer’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.

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