Dallas Cowboys: Looking at the bigger picture
The Dallas Cowboys had a pretty good win last week against the Redskins inching them closer to a potential wild card birth. But are we all missing the bigger picture?
It seems all is suddenly okay in Cowboys Nation this week as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins. Better yet, some of the teams they needed to lose actually did lose.
Sitting at 6-6 the Dallas Cowboys have an outside shot right now of making the playoffs if they can win out and get a bunch help along the way. If they can put together wins and look good doing it, I have a feeling all will be buzzing among fans.
However, there is a bigger picture that we all be missing…
Sure, in 2016 the Cowboys had a phenomenal season. I think everyone knew with a harder schedule and a complete change in the secondary this season wasn’t going to lead to another 13-3 season. Since Jason Garrett has been the coach this team is basically a .500 team. But, this isn’t the bigger picture either.
The bigger picture is the unknown of what the Cowboys will be going forward. Now, we all know as long as Ezekiel Elliott plays, this team has a fighting chance in most games. Beyond him, what the exact future of this team is anyone’s guess and has been argued ad naseum on social media, forums, and even face to face.
What we do know is that Dak Prescott is the quarterback for this team for at least a while. Dak is not the quarterback to get you 300+ yards, 3 TDS, and hit the most amazing passes. He could be one day, but right now he is not that. He needs a decent enough run game to get him rolling. But, if you are gauging his passing stats as the end all be all, you will be left wanting.
So assuming we know Dak, Zeke, and the offensive line are pretty much going to be together for a little while. What does that really mean as to the identity of the Cowboys? Well, it means we may see some turnover at positions more than we would like. Keeping an offensive unit core together costs a lot of money.
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This means the Cowboys may not be able to keep David Irving, DeMarcus Lawrence, and anyone else who steps up on defense AND the offensive unit together. Be prepared for more turnover this offseason in the linebackers and depth positions. That is who the Dallas Cowboys are and will be, a team with a core and not much depth.
This all means that as players get injured depth could still be an issue over the next few seasons. Some of the issues certainly land on the coaches and their ability to adjust.
However, if they can hit a few home runs in the draft this team could be set up for a long term run in the future.
Next: Can the Cowboys afford to keep injury-prone Sean Lee?
So who are the Dallas Cowboys? With Jason Garrett they are a .500 team with potential to be more. With a little more focus on depth, this team could be so much more. The coaching staff just needs to be able to adjust and be less predictable. If those things can come together, this team should be set for a long run. Now, we all wait.