The term “lame duck” hails from 18th century England, describing a broker of the London Stock Exchange who had defaulted on debts. The offending party would be in lame-duck status and effectively locked out until they could pay off their debts and regain their membership. Since then, the term has expanded to politics and sports.
In politics “lame duck” signifies the period of time between a general election and an outgoing politician’s time in office. In sports it refers to an athlete or coach in the final year of his/her contract. The 2024 Cowboys are loaded with lame ducks. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb headline the list of players, but the entire coaching staff populates the list of coaches.
As if the Dallas front office was somehow unsure of what they had in the coaching ranks, they opted to kick the can on that particular decision-making process. It’s an action that’s understandable for a young and unproven coaching staff, but for an experienced group that consists of Mike McCarthy, Mike Zimmer and Brian Schottenheimer, it’s mighty curious.
Entering Year 5 of the McCarthy era, the Cowboys have a pretty good idea of what they have. McCarthy was hired to get a talented team over the top in a way Jason Garrett could not. What McCarthy has done is deliver one postseason win amidst three consecutive 12-win seasons. Props are certainly due to a coach who could deliver the consistency no other Cowboys coach could do before, but over the top was about the postseason, not the regular season, and McCarthy’s only win in the playoffs has come against an 8-9 Tampa Bay team that was just lucky to be there.
Zimmer was added as the new defensive coordinator in 2024. He was brought in to tighten up the Dallas defense and add some accountability to a unit that long enjoyed a relatively hospitable environment under player’s coach, Dan Quinn. But it speaks volumes he was hired to a one-year commitment to match McCarthy and company.
Jerry Jones understands the perception with Mike McCarthy in last year of his deal it’s Super Bowl or bust. But he also added McCarthy could get a contract extension. pic.twitter.com/xIvGyRXUCJ
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) March 2, 2024
To borrow an expression from Mark Cuban, the Cowboys are “keeping their powder dry” for the future. Maybe they want to re-sign McCarthy and staff or maybe they don’t. Surely, they know the answer but unlikely they want anyone else to know that is.
Under McCarthy, the Cowboys have failed to find any more postseason success than under Garrett. Despite having the talent of a top-five roster most years, they’ve accomplished next to nothing. Some may blame the clutchness of players like Prescott, Lamb and Parsons as to why there hasn’t been postseason success. But the issue, which seems to be systemic, has been lingering throughout different rosters dating back to the turn of the century. It’s hard to blame the players when the culture seems to be the culprit.
If McCarthy hasn’t changed it by now, it’s unlikely he ever will. Maybe that’s an irresponsible conclusion given sample size or maybe that’s just being realistic.
Reading into the Cowboys’ actions regarding their coaching staff can get dangerous. The front office knows these coaches. They also know which coaches are going to be on the market in 2025. They want a successful in the 2024 season but based on their actions (or inactions) in free agency and coaching, they aren’t actively pursuing it. Letting everyone play out their deals on the coaching staff will allow a clean break in 2025 and save literally millions of dollars. If that’s what they want to do.
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