Planning out the Cowboys Offseason

The NFL offseason is now in full swing after the conclusion of Super Bowl LII…

Finally, we can stop hearing about how much more successful the Jacksonville Jaguars have been since 1997 than the Cowboys.  Although, as the Jaguars and many other teams proved, the key to having a successful season is a successful offseason.  In my eyes, Dallas has three objectives to take care of this offseason. If the priorities are addressed, this team would be in a good position to make a strong postseason run.

Objective #1: Be more aggressive in Free Agency

The Cowboys have 15 players set to hit free agency (via Spotrac) this offseason.  Key contributors like DeMarcus Lawrence and David Irving are players Dallas cannot afford to lose. The Cowboys need to focus on re-signing their own players and then looking at the outside market.  

The free agency period begins on March 14th.  This year, the Cowboys should take note of what the Eagles have done and been more aggressive in the free agent market. 

I’m not saying they should start handing out 5-year $100 million dollar contracts, but the very passive low-risk, low-reward strategy has not been paying dividends.  Players like Danny Amendola or Kenny Vaccaro could be signed to reasonable deals and make an impact on the field.

Objective #2: Address the Dez Bryant situation

Dallas needs to address the Dez Bryant situation.  The Cowboys should rework his contract to at least make it more team friendly because Bryant will likely not accept a pay cut.

 Cutting Bryant is an option but it would be very difficult to replace his experience and leadership.  Dallas obviously can not trade Bryant because no team would be willing to pick up his contract based on the production (or lack thereof) the last two season.

Bryant clearly has not been himself for a few years now.  After 3 straight 1000+ yard and 10+ touchdown seasons from 2012-2014, he has fallen off dramatically.  

Part of that can be contributed to injuries in back to back seasons.  However, Bryant will be 30 years old in November. His extremely physical style of play has taken a toll on his body over his career.  Now, this is not to say his career is over, but recently he’s not been worth his contract.  

Objective #3: Have a successful “Home” Draft

Dallas has several roster holes that need to be filled, specifically at linebacker, defensive line, wide receiver, and offensive line.  Deficiencies in production and playing time at those positions were a major factor in the Cowboys missing the playoffs.  Since all those needs cannot adequately be filled in free agency, the bulk will have been made through the draft.  

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The NFL Draft Combine takes place starting February 26th in Indianapolis.  It’ll give the Cowboys a chance to evaluate the talent to make the best selection.  This year’s NFL Draft will take place from April 26th to 28th at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.  

The Cowboys will have 10 draft selections this year.  6 are their own and 4 are compensatory picks.  On a side note, superstitions don’t always lead to results but Philadelphia hosted the draft and then won the Super Bowl, just saying.  But anyway, by the time training camp rolls around, the Cowboys will be ready to go.

Next: What Should the Cowboys do with Randy Gregory?

As I mentioned in the beginning, the key to a successful season is a successful offseason.  By taking care of those 3 objectives, Dallas should be set up for an exciting 2018.