Not official ‘win-now’ actions but Cowboys credited with improvement
The Dallas Cowboys font office wasn't given rave reviews for their free agency, but they did get credit from The Athletic for positioning themselves
With Dak Prescott turning 33-years-old this summer, the playoff window is narrowing for the Dallas Cowboys. In a quarterback-driven league, fielding a franchise caliber signal-caller is half the battle. The Cowboys front office has acknowledged as much, making statements that invoke thoughts of a setting sun.
They speak of urgency and commitment, and at times their actions sometimes back up those words. In a free agency analysis done by The Athletic, Jourdan Rodrigue breaks down each NFL team and buckets them in a category of urgency. She separates those who are taking actions to win-now, those who are executing a rebuild and those who fall somewhere in between.
The Cowboys, self-billed as a team a team who’s willing to “bust the budget” to win now, fell somewhere in between, not-so surprisingly. Earning top spot in the “Neutral-positive” category, the Cowboys are credited with effort while falling short in actual accomplishment. Citing their attempts at adding Maxx Crosby as proof of their desire to improve, Rodrigue concludes the front office was “setting the table to hit the draft hard on [the defensive] side of the ball.
” It’s possible Rodrigue was being too kind to a front office that’s known more for words than actions, but it’s also possible she’s pointing something out that many disgruntled Cowboys are too jaded to see: A successful offseason is about writing a complete story and not about simply winning the first chapter in a vacuum. In said vacuum, the first chapter was underwhelming for the Cowboys. They hardly displayed budget-busting behavior in their various trades and signings.