Following three straight 12-5 seasons that ended in increasingly agonizing playoff defeats, the wheels completely fell off the Dallas Cowboys in 2024. Despite owner Jerry Jones’ claim of being “all-in,” the Cowboys made no significant improvements to their roster, leading to a 7-10 record. This spelled the end of the Mike McCarthy era; the head coach who led the Cowboys to their best years since the 1990s dynasty had his contract with the team expire. Now, the fanbase is more discontent than ever, made even worse with hated divisional rival the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl while Jones continues to stir up drama. Now, with a new coaching staff, players returning from injury, a promising rookie class and contract disputes, America’s Team looks to bounce back, though a path to true contention may not be in the cards. But given their track record, lifelong fans have lost hope that it’ll pan out, wondering if it is worth watching another, seemingly inevitable, collapse.
The Cowboys opted to hire from within to fill their head coaching vacancy by promoting offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. This was not a hire that inspired confidence, and fans took issue with the process. The team had clearly wanted to retain McCarthy, even going as far to block other teams from interviewing him for their openings. Ultimately the team couldn’t agree to terms with McCarthy, and hiring Schottenheimer instead of hiring from the outside feels like a panic move. To the team’s credit, Schottenheimer was able to assemble a very interesting coaching staff, highlighted by elite defensive mind Matt Eberflus grabbing the defensive coordinator position.
Hiring Schottenheimer instead of hiring from the outside feels like a panic move.
On paper, the Cowboys’ offense is a major improvement from last year. In 2023, the Cowboys fielded the #1 scoring offense in the league, led by MVP runner-up quarterback Dak Prescott and Offensive Player of the Year runner-up Ceedee Lamb. Yet, in the 2024 offseason, the team lost future Hall of Fame left tackle Tyron Smith in free agency because of their own cheapness, forcing them to spend a first round pick on Oklahoma University’s Tyler Guyton, a raw prospect who struggled in his first season. After a 3-5 start, Dak Prescott missed the rest of the year because of a torn hamstring.
The 2025 offseason saw the Cowboys lose another future Hall of Fame offensive lineup, guard Zack Martin, to retirement. Like last year, the Cowboys were forced to spend a first round pick to replace this hole, grabbing the University of Alabama’s Tyler Booker who was 12th overall. Now, Schottenheimer looks to modernize the offense, introducing a heavy pre-snap motion offense alongside new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, who last year coordinated the third-most efficient rushing attack in the league with the Arizona Cardinals last year. In the team’s biggest move of the offseason, they traded for star wide receiver George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pickens will be a fantastic addition, giving Prescott an elite deep threat. This skillset also complements Lamb, who dominates in the intermediate passing game. The team also drafted the University of Texas at Austin’s Jaydon Blue in the fifth round, who possesses sub-4.3 speed and has continued to earn reps with the first team in training camp.
Not everything is perfect, however. On July 28, Guyton, who was expected to improve greatly under a new coaching staff, suffered a bone fracture projected to keep him out of action for 4-6 weeks. Thankfully, he avoided an ACL tear that would have knocked him out for the year, but this injury still puts the first few weeks of the regular season in question. Still, if the key players can stay healthy, the offense will be a top 10 unit in the league. They have a great quarterback, a top tier wide receiver duo with solid supporting pieces like Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson, a brand new scheme and an offensive line that should be improved.
If the key players can stay healthy, the offense will be a top 10 unit in the league.
The Cowboys’ defense has a much less positive outlook. They lost longtime contributors in defensive back Jourdan Lewis and defensive lineman Demarcus Lawrence. Last season’s breakout star, linebacker Demarvion Overshown, tore his ACL, MCL and PCL in Week 14 and is targeting a return on Thanksgiving. The linebacker core as a whole is a glaring weakness until his return, held together by Marist Liafau, who had a solid end to the season, and free agent signing Jack Sanborn, whose impact is more of an uncertainty.
The secondary is a similar story. Star cornerback Trevon Diggs underwent knee surgery for a second straight year and his status is in question for the beginning of next season. The team spent a third round pick on East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr., someone who likely would have been a first round pick if not for a torn ACL last college season; his status for the beginning of the season is also in question. To address these holes, the Cowboys made trades for Tennessee Titans linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. and Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam, two players that have struggled mightily in their careers, making this change feel as effective as fixing your glasses with scotch tape.
Overall, the defensive line is a mixed bag. The edge rusher group is very solid, with superstar Micah Parsons as the highlight. Second round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku joins the supporting rushers of Dante Fowler Jr. (11 sacks last season) and Sam Williams, who is recovering from a torn ACL. The interior is less inspiring. Osa Odighizuwa and his new $80 million contract is the only reliable asset in the middle. Meanwhile, 2023 first round pick Mazi Smith has had a poor start to his career, and his performance at training camp leaves the fanbase with little hope he will make any significant improvements. The team will have to rely on rookie Jay Toia and United Football League signing Perrion Winfrey to support Odighizuwa.
Unfortunately, like every Dallas Cowboys offseason, there must be some big drama that dominates the new cycle. This year, it’s Micah Parsons’ contract dispute with the front office. Parsons’ holdout is causing him to miss valuable practice time, meaning he is likely to have a slow start to the season when a deal is eventually signed. With a defense that has so many holes, they need their superstar to carry a massive load on his shoulders. The details of the dispute can get a bit complicated, but the main issue is that team owners Jerry and Stephen Jones refuse to engage with Parsons’ agent because they believe Parsons had engaged with Jerry Jones in contract discussions himself. All this has culminated in Parsons announcing on social media that he has requested to be traded from the Dallas Cowboys.
While this sounds really bad, unless Parsons leaves training camp I don’t see any reason to think he will actually be traded. Trade requests being used as a leverage tool is not uncommon; the real issue here is that the Cowboys are making the same mistakes they’ve made before. Last year, both Lamb and Prescott were due for large contract extensions. Instead of signing them early, which would have saved a lot of money, they dragged out the process for no apparent reason, resulting in Lamb holding out until August and Prescott signing his deal literally hours before the first game of the season. They have suffered the consequences of their own mistakes, and this time they messed with one of the most outspoken players in the league. While I do believe that Parsons will eventually sign a well-earned, long-term extension in Dallas, the nauseating fashion in which the Cowboys deal with contract extensions is just tiring. The fanbase is rightfully bored with all the drama, and there is no reason to believe that it will ever change.
While I do believe that Parsons will eventually sign a well-earned, long-term extension in Dallas, the nauseating fashion in which the Cowboys deal with contract extensions is just tiring.
Ultimately, it’s unlikely that the Cowboys can seriously contend in 2025. I have no doubt that the offense will put up plenty of points throughout the year, but the defense is not championship caliber. There are just too many holes and too many uncertainties at important positions on that end of the field. If there are massive leaps in development from Mazi Smith, Murray Jr., Elam and Liafau, instant contributions from Ezeiruaku, Toia and Revel, as well as great seasons from Diggs and Overshown coming off of major knee surgeries, the team could certainly contend. But that is a lot that must go perfectly in order to even be considered a legitimate threat. I think the team will win 8-11 games and grab a wild card berth before an early playoff exit.
No matter what, though, the Cowboys will dominate the ratings. They’ll have the highest viewed games and the Jones family will smile at the millions of dollars they’ll rake in. Unlike other teams in this city, I would not encourage anyone to watch the Cowboys. In this three-decade-long drought of not even making a conference championship, the only thing they have proven to the city is that they do not deserve the benefit of the doubt, and they do not deserve your viewership. I, like millions of other Cowboys fans, will still be there every game day cheering on the team, but the sad truth of what the team has been for my entire life will always be in the back of my mind.
One Comment
This topic makes a fair and honest point. It’s not about hating the Cowboys, but about encouraging higher standards in football. Fans invest time, money, and passion, and it’s reasonable to expect consistent effort and results in return. Challenging viewership in 2025 can push the team to improve, become more competitive, and truly earn the support they receive. Sometimes stepping back is the best way to inspire real change.