Dallas Cowboys Worst Case Scenario

Jan 28, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back

talks at the SAP booth at the NFL Experience at the Phoenix Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

This offseason for the Dallas Cowboys could be either really good, or turn into the worst case scenario for the team. There is a lot of talk about DeMarco Murray, however there are a lot of things up in the air that could be a huge problem for the Cowboys beyond the running back situation. With a lot of the talk being the Cowboys will be focused on the defensive side of the ball in the draft there are a lot of questions that could either change that, or force them to go in very specific directions on defense.

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Beyond DeMarco Murray, we are all aware of the potential franchising of Dez Bryant and over the years plenty of players have held out when the tag is put on them, I am not saying Dez will, but it could make the WR position very weak if he does. With Joseph Randle and his off-field issues and the potential leaving of Murray many fans are leaning towards getting Adrian Petterson, the problem there is the Vikings still own his rights and would have to release him for the Cowboys to even make a play. Add in that Dwyane Harris and Cole Beasley are both free agents as well as Doug Free at tackle the offensive side of the ball could be weakened very quickly if certain players don’t resign, forcing the Cowboys to have to draft offense with a few picks. We haven’t even talked about the health of Tony Romo and who is there to back him up.

On the defensive side of the ball things get even more murky. With the recent issues of Rolando McClain and the free agency of Bruce Carter, not even to mention the health problems that Sean Lee has had, the linebacker position could be one of the weakest on the team after being such a strength this past season. On the outside Sterling Moore is a free agent, Maurice Claiborne having never lived up to the hype, and Brandon Carr with such a huge hit to the salary cap for what many think is very little in return could leave the CB position with Orlando Scandrick and not much else. The line could potentially lose Henry Melton, Anthony Spencer, George Selvie, and Nick Hayden. While this wasn’t the best line in football and the Cowboys looking to upgrade their pass rush, losing the experience and depth would hurt this team horribly, no matter how they drafted.

Worst case scenario for the Dallas Cowboys could leave this team in shambles as they move toward the next season. Without the money right now (although the salary cap still hasn’t been finalized) to be big players in FA they will have to find value in free agency and draft very smart. If they miss they could go from one of the best teams in the NFL to a full rebuild project within a few short seasons. Such is the NFL, but if they restructure some contracts, play the FA game smart, and acquire and pick smart they could have a young talented team. They have needs almost everywhere on defense, backup QB, WR, RB, and even soon at long snapper. It will be interesting to see how they remedy this with resignings, free agency, and the draft. So hold on, it is going to be a ride.

Let’s all pray for the best case scenario, or at least not the worst case scenario.