Time is right for Cowboys to alter offseason approach, change untrusting ways

The Cowboys haven’t been aggressive in acquiring veteran talent recently, but that should change in 2022, where more of the same won’t cut it. | From @BenGrimaldi

The NFL offseason is upon us and the Dallas Cowboys are preparing for a long journey towards getting under the salary cap while simultaneously building their roster. It will be a juggling act for the franchise that has gotten used to walking that line. As has been well noted, the Cowboys have a high number of free agents, 21, to decide on and are over the projected cap for the league year. For a team that needs to get better, it’s difficult to see an easy path for Dallas to improve.

The Cowboys have become notoriously cheap in free agency with Stephen Jones managing the cap and that isn’t going to change. Jones has already put the word out that the Cowboys aren’t going to be players in the open market, rendering any dreams of signing a high-priced difference maker useless.

The organization will also have trouble re-signing all their own unrestricted free agents, so fans should be prepared to see any combination of these top players in a different uniform come September: defensive end Randy Gregory, tight end Dalton Schultz, wide receiver Michael Gallup, guard Connor Williams, and safety Jayron Kearse.

Dallas might be able to re-sign some of them, but they simply will not be bringing back all their best options. And if they do bring back some of their top options, of which reportedly Gallup is a priority, how are they going to keep all of their current top paid players since they’re over the cap?

This is the hole, and dilemma, Jones has helped dig.

How can the Cowboys have a successful offseason if they can’t re-sign some of their best free agents and can’t afford to sign quality outside talent? Jones continues to boast about the team’s philosophy of signing their own and using the draft to build, but how can the Cowboys do that if they aren’t going to be able to spend money on their own free agents?

To make things even more interesting, the Cowboys are in a spot to capitalize on an NFC that could be losing significant players at the games most important position. It’s early in the offseason and things could go in a million different directions, but the Green Bay Packers could be without Aaron Rodgers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are likely without Tom Brady, the San Francisco 49ers are probably turning to an unproven Trey Lance. That’s a heck of a lot of turnover for some of the top teams in the conference, so there doesn’t seem to be a dominant squad among the other contenders looking to dethrone the champion Los Angeles Rams.

Even Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals are experiencing some marital hiccups.

The Rams will still have Matthew Stafford at quarterback, but it remains to be seen what will happen with defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who is mulling retirement, and the same has been rumored to be true with head coach Sean McVay, who might be bolting for the broadcast booth.

Furthermore, the Cowboys aren’t going to have any drama surrounding the their own quarterback position this offseason. There aren’t any questions about Dak Prescott’s contract and each day he’s further and further away from his major ankle injury of 2020.

Dallas should be building on a solid 2021 and pushing their chips to the center of the table. The team isn’t likely to go full Rams, but if there was ever a situation for the organization to be more aggressive, this is it. After watching the Rams win the Super Bowl, it should be an eye-opener for Jones.

The Cowboys haven’t had back-to-back playoff appearances since 2006-2007, haven’t won the division in consecutive years since 1995-1996, and haven’t gotten to the conference title game since 1996, it’s time to push forward.

The Cowboys have the pieces to go for it in 2022. Prescott can lead the charge on offense and with all-world Micah Parsons coming into his second season, there’s reason to believe he’ll lead the defense as perhaps the best defensive player in the league. The coordinators returned to finish what they started as well.

Tweaks are needed, but that’s the continuity the Cowboys have rarely enjoined recently. An all-in mentality could do wonders for an organization that hasn’t been uncomfortable in a long time and if Jerry Jones is as upset as he seemed after the wild card loss, now is the time to get aggressive.

The Cowboys can start by finding a new offensive line coach. Current leader Joe Philbin led a solid year in 2020 with all the injuries, but the unit didn’t play up to its potential last season. After a strong start, the offensive line fell into a funk mid-season, which coincided with the replacing of left guard Connor Williams with Connor McGovern. Williams had penalty issues that caused the change, but McGovern didn’t prove to be a better option.

The move never paid off and the unit failed to settle back in. The entire offensive line for the Cowboys had penalty problems, which was a big reason for some of the struggles on offense.

Besides the penalties, Dallas’ offensive line also just wasn’t good enough. Prescott was pressured for much of the second half of the season and it’s a group that struggled to open up holes in the running game.

A new voice for the offensive line is needed.

The Cowboys would also benefit by spending money in free agency on at least one of the two positions they have neglected for years, a run stuffing defensive tackle or a quality safety. Or both. Each spot needs an influx of talent and the team hasn’t wanted to invest in either.

Stopgaps at DT have come and gone, but they are usually cheap options that haven’t been able to fix the issue. Brent Urban was a decent signing last season, but the defensive tackle spot needs a difference maker who will be paid accordingly.

Some of the top options in free agency are Akiem Hicks, from the Chicago Bears, B.J. Hill of the Cincinnati Bengals or D.J. Jones, of the San Francisco 49ers, who gave the Cowboys fits in the wild card loss. Any of those options would be a huge upgrade to a defense that struggled to stop the run. With the edge rushers on the defense (assuming DeMarcus Lawrence stays), the Cowboys could build a dominant defensive front with an elite run stopping DT.

At safety, there will be good, and expensive, options as well. Kansas City Chief Tyrann Mathieu will be available, but younger guys like Marcus Williams of the New Orleans Saints and Marcus Maye of the New York Jets are scheduled to be free agents too. All of them would be a big upgrade over what the Cowboys currently field and could help improve the defense.

All of these players at both positions will be expensive, but the time to make a move is now. The window with Prescott is currently at three years and if the Joneses are as desperate as they claim, they need to put their money where their mouth is.

Going for it also means Dallas retaining some of their best players. Wide receiver Amari Cooper and defensive end Lawrence cannot be cut and expect the team to get better. The Cowboys should also re-sign Gregory, Kearse and wide receiver Cedrick Wilson. Gallup might be the priority, but if that doesn’t happen, Wilson is a great consolation prize.

If the Cowboys are going to be aggressive, they need to consider this being an expensive offseason, not one where they are trying to save money. It won’t be easy, but it can be accomplished. This needs to be the best finessing of the cap that Jones has ever done to push the chips to the middle of the table.

The new league year arrives in March with the onset of free agency. But before that happens, the Cowboys have some work to do. If Stephen Jones’ actions match his words, expect fans to be disappointed on how the franchise approaches the offseason.

There’s a window for the Cowboys to alter their recent approach and to go for it in 2022. However, don’t expect that to happen.

You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi