Subscribe
Follow Us
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2020 NFL season hoping that a new coaching staff and offensive game plan could propel them to the type of postseason success that has eluded them for nearly three decades. Led by standout talent on both sides of the ball, the Cowboys brass believed that the club was only a few adjustments away from perennially contending for championships.
As luck would have it, the squad wouldn't even qualify for the postseason.
Operating with a team devastated by both injuries and ineffectiveness, Dallas finds itself at a crossroads. Given the impending free agency of Dak Prescott–as well as his potentially career-altering leg injury–the Cowboys may find it in their best interest to reboot their roster in search of a stable, long-term answer at the quarterback position. Though this would invariably lead to the club punting on the upcoming 2021 season, the financial hurdles that the organization would otherwise have to clear make a rebuild the path of least resistance.
While most other teams would almost certainly opt for this route, Jerry Jones has made known his desire to see the Cowboys make a postseason run sooner rather than later. With the organization under such a mandate, it's doubtful that Dallas will initiate any type of firesale, regardless of what the balance sheet might dictate.
That said, the Cowboys will have to thread the needle between parlaying their draft position into players capable of contributing in the short term and maximizing their cap-space to sign players over the long-term. With the start of free agency less than two months away, here are our three players the Dallas Cowboys should target on their way back to contention.
Cowboys targets:
3. Dak Prescott
The most obvious target for Dallas also doubles as the one that will dictate the organization's plans for the rest of the offseason. While questions abound over Prescott's ability to regain the form that made him the Cowboys' prized possession, there's no denying that the QB still holds a higher ceiling than any play-caller the team could find either on the market or with the tenth pick in the draft.
However, how the team brings Dak back into the fold will matter just as much as his return.
With the uncertainty surrounding Prescott, the most apparent course of action would be for the Cowboys to franchise tag the play-caller for the upcoming year. Given the nature of the rule, the tag could limit the long-term risk the club would be exposing itself to should Dak be unable to duplicate his previous success level. Moreover, the considerable salary that the move would entail–estimated to be over $37 million for QB's in 2021–would mean that it is doubtful that Prescott would feel alienated from the franchise and keep the door open for an extended contract between the two sides at a later date.
The Cowboys' problem is that a franchise tag on Prescott would limit any free agency additions. With the team stuck in limbo over the calculations of next year's cap, franchising Dak might mean the difference between having zero space with which to work and being tens of millions of dollars over it; neither of which is an ideal scenario for a franchise with multiple holes to fill.
The only remaining option for Dallas would be to sign the quarterback to a multi-year deal that reduces his yearly average to a manageable figure while still giving Prescott financial security should the worst-case come to fruition over his leg injury. While neither side will be thrilled with the arrangement–with the Cowboys committed long-term to a player with real question marks and Dak forced to sacrifice millions that he otherwise would have made–charting a middle course is in the best interest of both sides, given the present circumstances.
With the deadline for using the franchise tag approaching on February 7th, signing Prescott will be the first and most consequential decision Dallas makes over the next nine months.
2. Trent Williams
Article Continues Below
While not as high-profile as that of Prescott, the Cowboys' injuries to their offensive line was every bit as consequential. In addition to the season-ending ailments of La'el Collins and Zack Martin, the loss of left tackle Tyron Smith helped sink Dallas's offensive hopes.
Though the former USC product is expected to make a full recovery from the neck surgery that he underwent in October, the Cowboys' uncomfortable reality is that Smith no longer appears capable of playing in an entire season's slate of games. Despite having made it through his first five seasons in the NFL having missed only a single game, the tackle has gone on to miss at least three contests over the following five years due to a variety of ailments.
Now on the wrong side of 30, it remains doubtful that Smith will suddenly rediscover the durability that once made him one of the most dependable left tackles in all of football with the Cowboys.
Enter Trent Williams as a Cowboys target. Since holding out the entire 2019 season while still a member of the Washington Football Team, Williams returned to form as a member of the San Franciso 49ers. With his athleticism and ability to operate in space, Williams has proven to be one of the most adaptable offensive linemen in the game today. Watch any clip of him defending the quarterback on a pass play, and what's sure to stand out is his lateral quickness against opposing rushers, his low stance, and active hands preventing a collapse of the pocket from the blindside.
While the Niners are certain to try and retain his services for the upcoming season, the Cowboys would be remiss not to try to pry him away. Though it may be a heavy lift, signing the tackle won't be impossible for Dallas if the league and players union agree to lift the salary cap above $190 million. In that scenario, as long as the Cowboys resolve the aforementioned quarterback situation, the club should be able to approach the yearly average Williams could command in free agency.
Top Cowboys target:
1. Marcus Maye
It's not a question of “if” Dallas will spend on improving their defensive unit this offseason, but rather “where” and by “how much”. With the secondary an area of obvious concern, the Cowboys may find it economical to expend some of their draft capital on the array of cornerbacks entering the league. As for the safety position, should look no further than Marcus Maye.
Despite not possessing the ceiling of fellow safeties Marcus Williams and Anthony Harris, Maye more than makes up for it with his tremendous versatility and ability to operate wherever the team might need him. Against the Buffalo Bills in the opening game of the 2020 season, Maye not only played as a deep safety downfield but worked from the line scrimmage and the slot in collecting two sacks, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble (!).
With the Cowboys defense stuck in the bottom third of the league by almost every metric available, the team's ability to add difference makers capable of affecting multiple aspects of the game will be critical. They're not likely to do better than Marcus Maye.
