Off-season 101 (The basics for a great off-season)

Defensive line watching...

Dallas has already lost two defensive linemen who were on the roster last year. Defensive end K.J. Henry signed with the Eagles for the 2025 season.

Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips played two games last year for the Cowboys before heading north to play for the Bills the rest of the year.

Tackles Justin Rogers and Denzel Daxon will both be ERFAs in 2026. But both are under contract for the upcoming season and both under $1 million for the season.

Ends Earnest Brown, who will be an unrestricted free agent next year and will play for $1.1 million this fall, and Tyrus Wheat, who is an ERFA, will be on the roster too.

The remaining four will be free agents starting this week. Tackle Linval Joseph along with ends Chauncey Golston, Carl Lawson, and Carlos Watkins may all be playing somewhere else this fall.

https://insidethestar.com/cowboys-front-office-has-its-work-cut-out-shoring-up-this-position
 
With Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland returning, plus Osa Odighizuwa’s big contract and Micah Parsons’ pending deal, the money isn’t there.

This group will depend upon the work of Jerry and Stephen...we'll see.
 
CCBoy said:
Great coaching and this makes a great team.

McClay’s very first draft in 2014 would start a streak of three seasons where his 1st round picks all became All-Pros or Pro Bowlers. The Dallas Cowboys’ drafting of RG Zack Martin at 16th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft set the tone for what would become one of the most impressive runs of draft success in the league.

McClay’s keen eye for talent resumed in 2016 with the selection of RB Ezekiel Elliott at fourth overall. Elliott’s impact was immediate. As a rookie, he won the NFL rushing title with 1,631 yards, teaming up with fellow rookie QB Dak Prescott to lead the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and the #1 seed in the conference.

Two years later in 2018, the Cowboys went to the defensive side of the ball with the selection of LB Leighton Vander Esch at 19th overall from Boise State University. He made an immediate impact in his rookie season, earning Pro Bowl honors after an impressive campaign in which he recorded 140 tackles.

In 2020, McClay made a bold move by selecting WR CeeDee Lamb with the 17th overall pick.
2020 NFL Draft began perhaps the greatest three-year stretch of first round selections in franchise history. The following season, the Cowboys drafted LB Micah Parsons from Penn State University with the 12th overall pick.To complete the hat-trick of All-Pro players, McClay selected OL Tyler Smith from Tulsa University with the 24th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

https://insidethestar.com/will-mcclays-track-record-in-the-1st-round-puts-him-a-cut-above-the-rest

Stephen insures they stay around...and does a good job of building and retaining.
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Interesting that you stopped where you did. The recency bias has him on video banging the desk to pick Mazi.
 
CCBoy said:
With Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland returning, plus Osa Odighizuwa’s big contract and Micah Parsons’ pending deal, the money isn’t there.

This group will depend upon the work of Jerry and Stephen...we'll see.
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Yep, there's no way we add top end talent to the D-Line (unless a must take ala Parsons or CeeDee falls to us in the draft). It's the way Jerry spreads his talent/money, one player in each area to 'mentor' younger talent.....Jerry NEVER concentrates resources to create a team identity. I suppose it's a bit like the relevancy approach.....ok, with no weakness (but no overwhelming strength).....JUST ENOUGH (to get to play-off discussion in January).
 
CCBoy said:
With Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland returning, plus Osa Odighizuwa’s big contract and Micah Parsons’ pending deal, the money isn’t there.

This group will depend upon the work of Jerry and Stephen...we'll see.
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If we are depending on the roster building “work” of Jerry and Stephen Jones we are in a world of trouble.

We have some talent for sure but without a major infusion of talent upgrades at several positions or major improvement from existing players this is not a serious contender.

Maybe that will change in the weeks ahead but based on the Jones’ recent history, I’m not holding my breath.
 
Bobhaze said:
If we are depending on the roster building “work” of Jerry and Stephen Jones we are in a world of trouble.

We have some talent for sure but without a major infusion of talent upgrades at several positions or major improvement from existing players this is not a serious contender.

Maybe that will change in the weeks ahead but based on the Jones’ recent history, I’m not holding my breath.
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Responsibility rests at the top. Building is done by staff, scouts, and coaching staff. You imply here in connection to Jerry and Stephen, his staff is sadly deficient as are his complete team? I don't agree on that premise alone.

That is seriously wrong as the team reviews and makes the choices.

Agreed, very early and even projections of player choices have very strong members. The level of performance is handicapped at a significant level by those hurt, just as in was in SF.

We don't have a real projection of who Dak Prescott will even be working with. I believe in the process as well as the game, myself.

With the top levels of drafting success with Pro Bowl players, there is no reason not to expect that doesn't continue and replace lost pieces along the way. Pro Bowl team players is very impressive since about 2016.
 
CCBoy said:
Alexander the Great's body ended up in Alexandria. The greatest warrior of all time. He was under study of Aristotle at one time.

Applied to football, measure of greatness changes with time.
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Not exactly sure what you mean, sir. In my opinion, the measure of greatness in football has always been winning in the playoffs. The measure of success has always been winning the SB. If this is different with Jerry Jones, that speaks volumes.
 
ChuckA1 said:
Not exactly sure what you mean, sir. In my opinion, the measure of greatness in football has always been winning in the playoffs. The measure of success has always been winning the SB. If this is different with Jerry Jones, that speaks volumes.
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There are aspects to sport. It would take an actual mental deprived not to understand the top level of winning. Someone who has played and followed the Cowboys since Murchison fielded a team and put them on the field.

I'm not touching your excitement. My view of the sport also includes fan respect, sportsman, respecting a second place finisher, and how I grew up with players serving as strong examples. I give it respect, but that isn't lost in my views. That involves both pride in my team and myself.

Jerry was no one's fool when he studied the complete picture of the team from the beginnings of Murchison. Both owners entered under much different conditions. Both were earned. As a fan, I have to respect that also.

Me, I haven't earned the right to condemn honest effort with actually good football sacrificed for and given us.

Every one loves winning, even the Giants.
 
Adding two bullets to “Off-season 101”…
  • Use wise free agent signings to fill most of your biggest roster holes. If not you overtax your draft, expecting Day 3 draft picks to be immediate starters who can perform.
  • Failure to do the above means you will draft solely for need and pass on some really good players.
 
Well, ahead of the 2025 NFL season, the Cowboys officially got an NFL-high four compensatory picks for April's Draft based on last year's free agency. The losses that yielded such picks were center Tyler Biadasz, edge rusher Dante Fowler, running back Tony Pollard, and left tackle Tyron Smith.

This free agency, Golston has been lost as well as Jourdan Lewis...while waiting to sign Parsons.

Returned compensatory picks for those lost last season:

  • Round 5, Pick 170 (34)
  • Round 5, Pick 171 (35)
  • Round 5, Pick 174 (38)
  • Round 6, Pick 211 (35)
Alternatively, the Cowboys could use their draft capital to shop for veteran players like they did a couple of years ago when they acquired WR Brandin Cooks and CB Stephon Gilmore during the 2023 offseason.

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/arti...antage_of_on_a_yearly_basis/s1_17313_41890748
 
Bobhaze said:
Building a quality NFL roster that is capable of competing for a championship is not easy. But there are some basics that I believe great NFL front offices follow that I wish our FO would learn and practice. We are about to find out if they have learned anything lately or if they somehow believe they just need to get lucky.

THE BASICS:
HAVING A CLEAR GUIDING PHILOSOPHY AND METHODOLOGY FOR ROSTER BUILDING
  • You must have a guiding philosophy. Know exactly what kind of team you are now vs what kind of team you want to be in the coming season and beyond.
  • Draft and acquire players that align to the team’s guiding philosophy.
  • Be proactive. Take a calculated risk once in a while.
  • Being too conservative is just as bad as being too risky.
  • If you know the players you want to keep long term, extend them EARLY. Waiting costs more and hurts your ability to make other moves. If you’re not sure about committing to a player that has current value, trade them while they still have value.
  • If you feel you have a team that has a realistic shot to compete for a championship, TAKE SOME RISKS; forget about 3 years from now, focus on NOW.
THE IMPORTANCE OF GREAT SCOUTING AND COACHING
  • Make sure you hire a great head coach who aligns with the team’s guiding philosophy. Great coaching matters in the NFL. Otherwise you are just playing fantasy football.
  • Invest lots of resources into acquiring outstanding talent scouts. (There is no cap on what you can spend on coaches or scouts) Having great scouts along with great coaches is a very wise investment.
  • Use every available source of talent acquisition: draft, free agency, even spring leagues like the XFL to find talent.
  • Do not rely solely on the draft to build your team. Why? It takes too long in today’s NFL. You must have good drafts PLUS some key, quality free agents to build a top roster.
FINALLY: LET YOUR COACHES AND STAFF DO THEIR JOBS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE

There are no guarantees that doing these things will build a top notch roster and bring a championship. But I can guarantee that if this front office continues doing what it always does we cannot expect different results.

We are about to find out very soon if our leaders have learned anything from their decades of mistakes.
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So Everything the Jones are Not. lol
Jerry still believe 2+2 =6
 
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