Fresh off Dallas’ 19-12 loss to San Francisco, Cowboys Nation is reeling. It was another season-ending loss to the rival 49ers and another example of a good Dallas team playing poorly when it mattered the most. The franchise once again failed attempt to advance beyond the divisional round.
Yet, despite all the raw emotions and unchecked vitriol circulating in the aftermath of this disappointment, it’s not all doom and gloom for the Cowboys as they look to the future. While many of the NFL’s best teams are built on the backs of veterans who are at, or on the downslope of, their prime years, Dallas is quite young.
Of the eight teams which played in the divisional round, the Cowboys are the youngest of them all. At an average age of 25 years, nine months, and five days, Dallas’ window is far from closing.
The core of the Cowboys roster is built on young players. Players like CeeDee Lamb (23), Micah Parsons (23), Tyler Smith (21), Terence Steele (25), Trevon Diggs (24), DaRon Bland (23), Jake Ferguson (23), Osa Odighizuwa (24), Damone Clark (22) and Sam Williams (23) are all high ceiling prospects with bright futures ahead.
These are the cornerstones on which Dallas will be built and the reason for optimism going forward.
Sure, older vets like Zack Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence and Dak Prescott still hold important roles going forward. But other veterans like Tyron Smith, Ezekiel Elliott and Anthony Brown are likely to either have reduced roles or be seen as expendable, the latter reducing the average age further and opening opportunities for young ascending talents with bright futures.
Salary cap projections currently show the Cowboys up against the limit heading into the off-season, but the Dallas roster is loaded with convertible contracts that can free up money with a virtual snap of the fingers.
The Cowboys are financially flexible, loaded with young ascending talent, and built to improve. They are the youngest team that made it to the divisional round and are in excellent shape to improve their roster in the off-season.
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