Dallas Cowboys fans hoped that last week's bye was the perfect opportunity for head coach Mike McCarthy to get his players back on track. Instead, the Cowboys' Week 9 return saw them fall 30-24 to the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium, dropping the franchise's record to 3-4 in the 2024 NFL season.
The Cowboys have qualified for each of the last three postseasons, however, that streak is in jeopardy of ending if things don't change quickly. While certain players have lived up to expectations, others have struggled to prove they belong on the 53-man roster.
In other words, some players' future in Dallas hinges on how they finish the campaign. If they can't show any signs of improvement, they likely won't be back with America's Team next season.
With that in mind, here are seven Cowboys who are playing themselves out of the team's 2025 plans.
1. Ezekiel Elliott, RB
The Cowboys needed some serious running back help this offseason. Instead of bringing in a proven game-changer like Derrick Henry or Saquon Barkley, owner/general manager Jerry Jones opted to turn back the clock by signing Ezekiel Elliott to a one-year contract.
Based on how he's performed in recent years, most fans knew that they weren't getting Elliott's prime version on the field this season. Although he made a lot of great memories in Dallas, this is an aging runner who just averaged a career-worst 3.5 yards per carry in 2023.
It turns out that pessimistic fans were right because Elliott has looked like a shell of his former self this season. The former Ohio State RB has only tallied 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 48 carries across seven games. His efficiency is even worse this time around, highlighted by his new personal worsts in yards per carry (3.1) and rushing yards per game (21.3).
There just isn't a reason to bring Elliott back next season. As beloved as he's been in Dallas throughout his career, continuing to roster him does more harm than good. Let the 29-year-old veteran soak in his final games in a Cowboys jersey because chances are he doesn't have much more of an NFL future.
2. Rico Dowdle, RB
Sticking on the topic of running backs, Rico Dowdle's future with the Cowboys is also up in the air.
The ex-South Carolina product was solid as Tony Pollard's back last season, amassing 505 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns on 106 touches in 16 games. Some Cowboys fans thought that performance left Dowdle more deserving of the No. 1 RB job over Elliott, especially since he's also a few years younger than the latter.
Dowdle has gone on to start five of his six appearances, however, his performance has been anything but otherworldly. The former undrafted free agent has 246 rushing yards on 59 carries but has yet to find the back of the end zone on the ground. Having said that, he does have 131 receiving yards and a pair of TDs on 16 catches.
Assuming he continues at his current pace, Dowdle is projected to finish the 2024 season with just over 1,000 scrimmage yards and eight TDs. While those are far from horrible numbers, they aren't RB1 numbers that the Cowboys have desperately lacked in recent years. In fact, that would even be worse than Pollard's performance as the lead back last year.
With both Dowdle and Elliott underperforming, don't be surprised if the Cowboys' next No. 1 running back is found in the 2025 NFL Draft.
3. Mazi Smith, DT
The 2024 NFL campaign was supposed to be a fresh start for Mazi Smith. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's arrival combined with the former Michigan product regaining some weight was supposed to lead to Smith unlocking his full potential this fall.
Instead, Smith has been invisible more often than not on the gridiron.
Although the 23-year-old has registered a career-high 11 solo tackles in seven starts, that's all he's done. He's struggled to stop opposing rushers, resulting in a 29.9 run defense grade on Pro Football Focus. Not only does his current mark rank second-worst among eligible interior defenders, but Smith's 31.8 overall defense grade is dead last at his position.
Considering how he's failed to produce under two different DCs, it's safe to say that Smith is looking like one of the Cowboys' biggest draft busts in recent years. Dallas has been one of the worst teams against the run this year and the ex-Wolverine's abysmal performance has played a major role in those struggles.
Unless the Cowboys still see something in Smith's potential that fans don't, his days in Big D could be numbered.
4. Luke Schoonmaker, TE
The Cowboys shocked a lot of people during the 2023 NFL Draft when they selected Luke Schoonmaker with the 58th overall pick. While the budding tight end showed promise during his time at Michigan, it wasn't a positional need that the team was dying to address.
Schoonmaker's rookie season didn't help Cowboys fans feel any better about management's questionable draft decision. He only registered eight catches for 65 receiving yards and two TDs in 17 games and only went on to make a single seven-yard catch during the Wild Card loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Unfortunately, Schoonmaker still isn't lighting up the world this season. Although he's already matched last year's catch total in 10 fewer games, the Hamden, CT native has only tallied 56 yards without a TD. He's also been targeted just twice in his last four games, highlighting how he's fallen out of favor in the passing game.
Things would be different if Schoonmaker was a decent blocker, however, he hasn't even been doing that well. He's played to a 39.1 pass block grade on PFF on 70 passing downs after tallying a mark of 58.1 as a rookie.
Until Schoonmaker shows that he can have a connection with Dak Prescott, it's hard to imagine him staying around Dallas for much longer.
5. Linval Joseph, DT
As previously mentioned, the Cowboys have struggled to stop the run throughout the 2024 season. While Smith has played a large role in those issues, so has fellow DT Linval Joseph.
After signing a one-year deal with America's Team this offseason, Joseph hasn't looked like a former two-time Pro Bowl defender. The former East Carolina product has registered just five solo tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble in seven games, resulting in PFF's 47.7 defense grade — 103rd out of 123 eligible interior defenders.
Additionally, Joseph's 30.1 run defense grade is the third-worst at his position in the NFL.
Given that he's only on a one-year deal, it's hard to imagine the Cowboys wanting to re-sign Joseph in the offseason. While he might provide a decent locker room presence, he's a negative asset on the field and that's the last thing Dallas needs if it wants to end its Super Bowl drought.
With his best years in the rearview, it wouldn't be shocking if Joseph is out of the league in the near future.
6. Brandin Cooks, WR
Brandin Cooks was one of the Cowboys' top scoring threats during the 2023 season. Although his 657 receiving yards were far from his usual performance, he still racked up eight touchdown grabs on 54 receptions, marking the second-best total of his lengthy career.
Cooks opened the 2024 campaign with a strong outing, recording 40 yards and a touchdown on four receptions in the 33-17 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. Unfortunately, it's been downhill since then. In the three subsequent games he's played, the ex-Oregon State receiver only has five catches for 51 yards without a score despite being targeted 12 times during that stretch.
Cooks has been sidelined for the last four weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a knee issue. He's since returned to practice last week, however, it remains to be seen if his knee will hold him back down the stretch.
Considering how the current season is the last on Cooks' contract, he must have a strong end to the year whenever he returns. Otherwise, it's going to be hard to convince teams — not just the Cowboys — that he's deserving of another NFL contract.
7. Mike McCarthy, HC
If the Cowboys fail to make the playoffs come January, chances are that Mike McCarthy won't be given another chance to turn the ship around.
Before the 2024 season, there was no denying McCarthy's regular-season success in Dallas. After all, he had just coached three consecutive 12-win teams. The issues came with how the Cowboys consistently fell apart in the playoffs under his watch, leaving time to tell how he'd fare in the final season of his five-year contract.
While most coaches would do their best to step up in a contract year, that hasn't been the case for McCarthy. The 60-year-old head coach has led the Cowboys to a 3-4 start and unless the team wins the majority of the games down the stretch, their postseason streak is likely ending this winter.
If the Cowboys were at least above .500 and on pace to win the NFC East again, you could at least make the argument of bringing him back for another season. With that being said, the divisional crown will likely be won by the Philadelphia Eagles or Washington Commanders, proving that the Cowboys are noticeably a step behind their rivals.
After Jerry Jones has made it clear that he won't pull off another in-season coaching change, McCarthy will have at least the rest of the year to prove himself to ownership. The Cowboys might even squeeze out some wins during that span, however, it likely won't be enough to result in an encore contract for the former Super Bowl-winning coach.
At least, that's assuming that Jones still has some integrity and won't treat McCarthy as Jason Garrett 2.0.
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