If you happen to weren’t already a believer within the thought of 2024 being a covert reset for the Dallas Cowboys, this final week might have lastly offered you. Whereas different middling groups made strikes to hopefully be extra aggressive this season, Dallas sat on its fingers throughout its bye week. It’s simply one other indication that the Cowboys’ entrance workplace doesn’t appear invested in profitable this 12 months.
Final week, the New York Jets traded draft picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for WR Davante Adams and eventually reached a monetary settlement with move rusher Haason Reddick. The Buffalo Bills swung a commerce to accumulate WR Amari Cooper from Cleveland. And regardless of being undefeated on the time, the Minnesota Vikings traded for RB Cam Akers to bolster their depth chart.
Of those strikes, the one two that had been clearly choices that will’ve helped Dallas had been with the receivers. Granted, Cooper being welcome again within the constructing and even eager to return is up for debate. However reuniting Adams with Mike McCarthy may’ve been fruitful. We don’t understand how keen the Jets actually had been to maneuver on for Reddick or that Akers would’ve been a lot of an improve in our struggling RB room, however they nonetheless signify exercise that groups with aspirations this season are making.
We promise to cease referencing Jerry Jones’ “all in” remark from this previous offseason in the future, but it surely’s nonetheless a noose round his neck for the second. The phrases are confirmed extra hole with each untaken step, together with the shortage of any commerce or vital roster transfer through the bye. To suppose there was a time when you could possibly belief Jerry to take motion within the identify of bettering the crew.
Let’s return to Amari Cooper. In 2018, the Cowboys had been 3-4 going into the bye week and an absence of firepower at WR was an enormous purpose why. They did one thing about it, sending a first-round choose to the Raiders for Cooper. He instantly acquired the offense transferring once more and helped the Cowboys end 10-6 and win a playoff recreation.
However that was a unique time with a unique coach, one which the Jones household nonetheless hoped to maintain working with. There’s no indication of that with Mike McCarthy in 2024; “lame duck” standing is greater than confirmed at this level. Not giving him an extension was one factor because it was logical to make him show he deserved to stay round. However after taking a future-minded method to the offseason and once more remaining quiet on the bye, Dallas is sending a reasonably clear message that McCarthy isn’t a part of the crew’s future.
The irritating a part of all this isn’t the Cowboys’ determination to disengage from this season and work towards a greater future, however the entrance workplace’s lack of honesty about it. Do you suppose a unique coach can do higher? That’s high quality. Most of us would agree. Does Dak Prescott want extra expertise round him to be constantly aggressive? Sure. Clearly.
Cowboys followers are subtle. We’ve probably the most talked-about crew in soccer and get insights and schooling on the sport like few others. It takes lots to idiot us, and this half-hearted deception in 2024 is simply insulting. We see what the entrance workplace sees and what they’re doing about it. They only must personal it and cease pretending, and particularly cease threatening media members who name them on their crap.
This isn’t to say we must always weep for McCarthy. If something, he’s already been right here a 12 months too lengthy. However he’s teaching like a man who’s stopped caring, and that’s comprehensible given how little his bosses appear to care about him. We noticed this catastrophe coming, and the Cowboys’ persevering with inaction reveals that it’s one they had been keen to just accept,
