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The Dallas Cowboys had another season that ultimately ended in disappointment in 2019. This time though, it seemed to be the final straw.
The Cowboys were easily in the worst division in the NFL in 2019. Despite that, Dallas went just 8-8, missing the playoffs as the Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC East with a 9-7 record.
The other two teams in the division, the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins, had just seven wins combined between them.
There was no reason for 2019 not to be a dominating year for the Cowboys. They seemed to misstep at every opportunity though. And it cost head coach Jason Garrett his job.
Former Super Bowl-winning Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was hired to replace Garrett. And don't expect that to be the end.
The Cowboys will likely be busy in free agency now, as they look to get players suited for McCarthy and take the necessary steps to get back to Super Bowl contention.
However, they need to be careful. Here are two free agents the Cowboys should avoid this offseason.
Michael Bennett
Michael Bennett has proven that he's still an extremely talented player. However, there are a few issues with him.
First of all, he's likely going to ask for a pretty decent chunk of money. His last contract had him making over $8-million. That's not insane money, especially because he was still productive.
However, Bennett is coming off a season in which he had just 6.5 sacks. More importantly, he's been on four different teams over the last three years. That has to say something about him, right? Clearly there is a reason a talented player is bouncing around so much.
Bennett is 34. He's coming off the season with his lowest sack total since 2016 (when he had five) and his second-lowest since 2011 (when he had four). This is likely his last chance to get a bigger contract for multiple years.
The Cowboys had him for a portion of last season and he was solid. They can't be too swayed though. They need to save up all the money they can for Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper (along with others).
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Giving money to an aging defensive end when you already have a solid unit there just doesn't make much sense.
Any Long-Term Backup Quarterback
Your opinion on Prescott doesn't really matter. Some think he's an elite quarterback, one of the best in the game. Others believe he's extremely overrated and lucky to be considered even average.
Then there are those in the middle that believe he's not even close to bad, but he isn't elite either.
Where you stand doesn't matter though. The Cowboys believe he is their franchise quarterback for the next decade-plus. If they want to get him to commit, they need to do a few things.
First, save up money. So no spending recklessly on things you don't particularly need.
Bigger than that though, they need to prove to Prescott that they believe in him. As ridiculous as it sounds, that means not going after any potential replacement backups.
If you want to sign someone to a one-year deal, that's fine. Giving Blake Bortles or A.J. McCarron a one-year deal likely won't mean much.
However, signing Marcus Mariota, Teddy Bridgewater, Ryan Tannehill (or someone in that grouping) to a multi-year deal could send bad vibes to Prescott. It could come off as having a backup plan in case the Cowboys don't re-sign him. Which makes it seem like they aren't as invested in getting a deal done as they have been putting on.
It's pretty clear the Cowboys really want to keep Prescott. So they should be doing everything they can to ensure that happens.
