While we all want to win while Dak is on his rookie deal, paying the QB hasn’t stopped other teams from winning. I think we are in a calculated transition period in which the offense will look at stars for next year.
Our recent history shows that we had a franchise QB in Tony Romo. The team paid him generously and restructured, paying him more overall, in order to surround him with other stars on offense. We overpaid Marion Barber. We surrounded him with receivers like Terry Glenn, Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, Dez Bryant, Miles Austin....receivers who were traded for, drafted and eventually paid top dollar to retain. They brought in more TEs in a never ending quest to have more weapons. They drafted RBs. Some moves worked, and some were enormous failures for many reasons. Finally, they used most of their draft capital to build an OL to balance the offense.
What did we get with all these stars on offense? Lots of points and a defense that had almost no talent, no balance, weaknesses exposed in big game after big game and tons of dead money.
Now we have gone ultra cheap on receivers and TE and depth on the OL in order to build a young, legit defense. The final record will pay the price. We have a young team with a young QB and RB surrounded by a weak receiving crew and an OL that is out of sync and weakened up the middle with a backup C and rookie Guard transitioning from OT. I don’t believe Bailey was released only due to his decline, though what’s he doing now? I think we saw a chance to move on with a young up and comer and reduce salary.
If the defense proves to be legit, it will certainly need additions here and there as players leave, but I think we will see draft capital and more action in free agency in 2019 targeting better receivers and OL depth, even a true 3rd down scat back.
It’s a process...hahaha. The process used by JJ throughout Romos career failed because our defense couldn’t stop anyone at crunch time. The process of paying every star or good player top dollar to retain him was a failure...you have to let some guys walk, replace them, and keep both sides of the ball competitive.
Maybe this offense gels if Fredrick returns and Collins improves and Smith stays healthy, while all the new receivers and returners thrust into new roles develop better chemistry and timing with the QB. Dak needs at least initial time to read the defense, avoiding instant pressure off the snap. He probably needs legitimate weapons around him. He’s not a QB who is ready to lead a bunch of nobodies, probably never will be. But he’s a leader and can lead this team to victory. As we dismantled the defense, it took time to rebuild. The offense has the OL starters, the QB and RB. It needs OL depth and playmakers at WR and TE.
