There’s a new era of Dallas Cowboys football coming in 2020. For the past 10 seasons, it was all about the right kind of guys (RKGs) under former head coach Jason Garrett. If Garrett liked a player, there was little doubt about his status with the team. Garrett was loyal, sometimes to a fault, to players he believed in.
The hiring of Mike McCarthy signaled a different direction for the Cowboys. McCarthy will build the team with the players who have the traits he admires. Garrett had his guys, Bill Parcells had his favorites, and McCarthy will have his. With Dallas having a high number of free agents heading into this offseason fans are about to find out what type of players McCarthy values.
Given the recent amount of news regarding possible Cowboys reunions, it feels like McCarthy’s opportunity to stamp the Cowboys with his vision.
Linebacker Sean Lee is the latest Cowboys veteran to express his interest in continuing to play.
#Cowboys LB Sean Lee, at 33 years old, is playing in 2020, his agent @MikeMcCartney7 says. Considering how strong Lee finished last season — double digit tackles in two of his last five games — this makes sense. He’ll test free agency, but also could return to Dallas.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 10, 2020
Add Lee to a list that includes WR Dez Bryant, who hasn’t played with the Cowboys in two years, and TE Jason Witten, who still wants to play. None of these three players are under contract with the Cowboys and none have ties to McCarthy.
Under Garrett, there has been little resistance in bringing these veterans back. Witten returned to the team after retiring to the announcing booth and Sean Lee slashed his pay in order to stay with the Cowboys in 2019 with Garrett at the helm. Bryant never got back to Dallas after they unceremoniously released him in 2018, but that hasn’t stopped him from making his plea to Cowboys VP of Player Personnel Stephen Jones.
Report: Stephen Jones Says @DezBryant Texted Him About Cowboys Return https://t.co/Vm4z50cUcd
— 105.3 The FAN (@1053thefan) February 7, 2020
However, there’s a new sheriff in town and there is nothing that ties McCarthy to any of these players. The sentimentality and loyalty that may have existed under Garrett is no longer present with McCarthy.
The Cowboys are thin at linebacker and could use another red zone target or two for QB Dak Prescott, but that doesn’t mean Bryant, Witten or Lee play for Dallas in 2020. It might have been a different story if Garrett were still the coach.
Times have changed for the Cowboys, and we’ll find out just how much with how McCarthy handles the possible return of three of their biggest stars of the last decade. The outcome is less certain in 2020 than it might have been in the past.
You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi
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