So to be clear where we are roster wise

[Flamma]

Which is why we haven't won in 28 years. It's always about the one season.

Not the reason we haven't won in 28 years. It's the reason we can't win in the last decade. Their current system makes it almost impossible to win a SB now. Within the last decade. Previous to that they still made moves, just a lot of bad ones. But good ones too. They were still trying. The entire reason we had that 2007 season was because they were trying. Acquiring T.O. was part of it. We would never do that today.

 

[charron]

- We apparently lost our LT- They drafted Tyler to be the future LT, this hasn't changed and he can start now.
- We lost our center- This one will hurt a bit but even Hoffman isn't a big drop off from what we had last year. They should draft center late round 1 and the best centers are usually still available here.
- Our RB room is the weakest in the NFL right now- I'm just as concerned with what plays they run as to whom is running. The scheme is terrible and personnel are major concerns.
- We lost one DT and may lose our best one in Hankins Losing gallimore is no concern, but replacing hankins should be a priority. What they do with Mazi is also critical. I think they set him back having him play 3T last year.
- We are down one of our top 3 WRs. That's really all they had last year. Tolbert should be able to replace Gallups weak production but they need to draft someone as well.
- We have little to no depth at DE now They are going to need a day 2 pick to add some long term talent here. Will be interesting to see who they sign in free agency as well.

I will also add LB as a major concern. We saw last year when the only MLB they had went down they used safeties that were ran over. Weak up front and weak in the middle is no way to roll into the playoffs if winning is the goal.

 

[TNCowboy]

Hankins is a jag of jags. That he's better than Mazi shows just where Mazi is.

 

[Sydla]

- We apparently lost our LT- They drafted Tyler to be the future LT, this hasn't changed and he can start now.
- We lost our center- This one will hurt a bit but even Hoffman isn't a big drop off from what we had last year. They should draft center late round 1 and the best centers are usually still available here.
- Our RB room is the weakest in the NFL right now- I'm just as concerned with what plays they run as to whom is running. The scheme is terrible and personnel are major concerns.
- We lost one DT and may lose our best one in Hankins Losing gallimore is no concern, but replacing hankins should be a priority. What they do with Mazi is also critical. I think they set him back having him play 3T last year.
- We are down one of our top 3 WRs. That's really all they had last year. Tolbert should be able to replace Gallups weak production but they need to draft someone as well.
- We have little to no depth at DE now They are going to need a day 2 pick to add some long term talent here. Will be interesting to see who they sign in free agency as well.

I will also add LB as a major concern. We saw last year when the only MLB they had went down they used safeties that were ran over. Weak up front and weak in the middle is no way to roll into the playoffs if winning is the goal.

But the point isn't about the quality of who left but rather the fact that they are creating a bunch of holes, signed no one to replace them and that it's unrealistic to think, gee, we'll just find a bunch of DTs, a LB, a new C or LG, a 3rd WR, depth at DE and one or two new RBs in the draft.

It seems clear they are going to just fill the roster out with slop at some point with cheap, can't really play, talent. There is zero doubt in my mind that the 2024 Cowboys will be less talented than the 2023 team. Jerry isn't taking advantage of what he had, instead we are likely getting worse while the Commanders and Eagles went out and tried to get much better. And Philly has a TON of draft picks too.

 

[Captain-Crash]

they will release mazi in a few years, or try to get a 7th rounder for him.

 

[big dog cowboy]

- We apparently lost our LT
- We lost our center
- Our RB room is the weakest in the NFL right now
- We lost one DT and may lose our best one in Hankins
- We are down one of our top 3 WRs.
- We have little to no depth at DE now

All this was expected.

I don't get the handwringing over this.

 

[Creeper]

Not to worry, Stephen is going to fix all this once other teams throw out their trash. Come June Stephen will be dumpster diving around the league finding star players who will take vet minimum salaries to play on 1 year contracts for Dallas. Of course all these players will be great until they take they field.

 

[Creeper]

Just to recap where we are today:

Gone:
Dorance Armstrong, DE
Tyler Biadasz, C
Tony Pollard, RB
Tyron Smith, LT
LVE, LB
Michael Gallup, WR
Dante Fowler, DE
Neville Gallimore, DT

Free Agents Still:
Rico Dowdle, RB
Chuma Edoga, OL
Stephon Gilmore, CB
Jonathan Hankins, DT
Noah, Igbinoghene, CB
Jayron Kearse, S
Sean McKeon, TE

Signed:
Jourdan Lewis, CB
CJ Goodwin, ST/CB
Eric Kendricks, LB

Look at that list of players who are gone already. Every one of they contributed to some extent. 5 would be considered starters. 3 more starters are still free agents and as far as we know, the Cowboys have made no attempt to re-sign them.

We have 7 draft picks, 2 late 7th round, and a late 6th round. No 4th round pick. It is safe to say we are not filling all the holes in this roster with the draft. We could in free agency, but we already know that the Cowboys are not signing any free agents that are as good as the player we lost already. Stephen says he is waiting until other teams cut some players and no one is cutting anyone who can make a big impact. If you have any optimism about the 2024 season I suggest you temper it now to avoid major disappointment. With our 1st place schedule we can expect to get stomped a few times this year.

 

[Setackin]

Come on lol. Tell me you haven’t played competitive sports before or if you have, you’re just reaching for negativity on this.

This has nothing to do with last year. I wasn’t an NFL player by any means, but played highly competitive high school and collegiate football. I coached several teams and even helped scout for a few colleges.

My point is, I have played with, coached and talked to thousands of players. These players do not have this mentality. They especially don’t at this level. This is all fan speak.

This franchise sure does.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

Don’t fret, there will be many two-star JAG’s available soon enough

Just what the the boys been waiting on.

 

[Aven8]

This thing is scary. Now that FA is pretty much over, as far as really good players are concerned, I see no reason to extend Dak. This season is going to be bad.

 

[Blast From The Past]

Keep in mind, next season we will be playing the division winner schedule. So, we will be facing the other division winners. We didn't fair too well against .500+ teams last year. This year could be even worse.

Every season starts anew but this season is gonna test fan loyalties because the teams will be better that we face. Our FO is fiddling while the Star is burning.

 

[Sydla]

All this was expected.

I don't get the handwringing over this.

Not hard to figure out what the issue is.

Then again, there are fans that continually make excuses for how the Cowboys roster build. The whole "hey, we are only a week into FA" crowd.

 

[KJJ]

The Cowboys have lost more contributors in one offseason than I can remember and they may lose even more. Doubt there’s another team that’s lost more talent than us. The team is currently loaded with holes. We better hope we have a GREAT draft. If it’s anything like last years draft we’re going to be in serious trouble. Currently all the arrows are pointing down for the Cowboys on the 2024 season.

 

[Sydla]

The Cowboys have lost more contributors in one offseason than I can remember and they may lose even more. The team is currently loaded with holes. We better hope we have a GREAT draft.

And drafting is not an exact science. The fact the Cowboys put all their eggs in the draft basket is idiotic but some fans just lap it up when Jerry and Stephen talk about it. Just look at last year, other than bringing Hankins back, the Cowboys ignored DT in free agency assuming they'd fix it in the draft. They took Mazi Smith who was a non-factor last year and surprise, surprise, we had DT issues much of the year.

A great draft is hitting on 3 guys. The Cowboys, given their total disgust of FA, need to hit on 4-5 guys in the draft. That's unlikely. And hence why they always seem to have issues roster wise.

How much easier would life be if you said, hey, let's go out and sign a legit TB and maybe a quality interior OL? Because then, you've given yourself flexibility in the draft. You don't have to then draft (or overdraft) a RB. Or an OL. The Cowboys do no such thing. Since the Carr signing, they have put all their eggs in drafting to fill their holes and what has that resulted in? Nothing.

 

[KJJ]

And drafting is not an exact science. The fact the Cowboys put all their eggs in the draft basket is idiotic but some fans just lap it up when Jerry and Stephen talk about it. Just look at last year, other than bringing Hankins back, the Cowboys ignored DT in free agency assuming they'd fix it in the draft. They took Mazi Smith who was a non-factor last year and surprise, surprise, we had DT issues much of the year.

A great draft is hitting on 3 guys. The Cowboys, given their total disgust of FA, need to hit on 4-5 guys in the draft. That's unlikely. And hence why they always seem to have issues roster wise.

How much easier would life be if you said, hey, let's go out and sign a legit TB and maybe a quality interior OL? Because then, you've given yourself flexibility in the draft. The Cowboys do no such thing. Since the Carr signing, they have put all their eggs in drafting to fill their holes and what has that resulted in? Nothing.

The draft is a crapshoot and we’ll be banking on it in April. We’ve been decimated by departures. I can’t recall an offseason like this with the Cowboys. We may have to start Mazi next season and he looks nothing like a starting caliber player. He was a liability last season. He only got four snaps against GB. We’re going to have to draft another DT. We may have to hit a home run in the draft with several contributors or we may not win 9 games next season.

 

[ElGatoGrande]

All this was expected.

I don't get the handwringing over this.

I think the handwringing has to do with the team's lack of FA activity and MO of replacing players with bargain bin JAGS... most of those positions need upgrades anyway IMO. Disappointed they didn't keep Armstrong.

 

[Chasing6]

- We apparently lost our LT- They drafted Tyler to be the future LT, this hasn't changed and he can start now.
- We lost our center- This one will hurt a bit but even Hoffman isn't a big drop off from what we had last year. They should draft center late round 1 and the best centers are usually still available here.
- Our RB room is the weakest in the NFL right now- I'm just as concerned with what plays they run as to whom is running. The scheme is terrible and personnel are major concerns.
- We lost one DT and may lose our best one in Hankins Losing gallimore is no concern, but replacing hankins should be a priority. What they do with Mazi is also critical. I think they set him back having him play 3T last year.
- We are down one of our top 3 WRs. That's really all they had last year. Tolbert should be able to replace Gallups weak production but they need to draft someone as well.
- We have little to no depth at DE now They are going to need a day 2 pick to add some long term talent here. Will be interesting to see who they sign in free agency as well.

I will also add LB as a major concern. We saw last year when the only MLB they had went down they used safeties that were ran over. Weak up front and weak in the middle is no way to roll into the playoffs if winning is the goal.

I really think GM Jeruh has a fascination with comp picks. He does not want to sign free agents that will impact his losses. So he only wants players that have been cut or vets that are close to league minimum.

I think he will trade late round picks for next year, because he knows they will be replaced with comp picks. Same as last year with Gilmore and Cooks.

So he has to wait and see who is on the trade block.

 

[Sydla]

I think the handwringing has to do with the team's lack of FA activity and MO of replacing players with bargain bin JAGS... most of those positions need upgrades anyway IMO. Disappointed they didn't keep Armstrong.

And again, it's not that fans expected them to trim off all this fat and then spend like drunken sailors filling all the holes with the highest priced FAs, etc.

But the fact they literally have ignored pretty much every hole they have in FA even with mid-level FAs is depressing. They signed Kendricks, who is an older, cheaper LB and not a bad pickup. But honestly, they could probably use another veteran LB.

It's clear they are going to bank on the draft delivering 4-5 good players and then hope that the inevitable slop they pick up in a week in FA works out due to luck.

 

[charron]

But the point isn't about the quality of who left but rather the fact that they are creating a bunch of holes, signed no one to replace them and that it's unrealistic to think, gee, we'll just find a bunch of DTs, a LB, a new C or LG, a 3rd WR, depth at DE and one or two new RBs in the draft.

It seems clear they are going to just fill the roster out with slop at some point with cheap, can't really play, talent. There is zero doubt in my mind that the 2024 Cowboys will be less talented than the 2023 team. Jerry isn't taking advantage of what he had, instead we are likely getting worse while the Commanders and Eagles went out and tried to get much better. And Philly has a TON of draft picks too.

You are not wrong. But i'm trying to stay more even about how they do business. For the most part most of the guys who left are easily replaced. Waiting is the worst part, maybe things turn out ok maybe they don't. The last 2 years i've predicted 8 win team and doing the same this year. With how things are going 8 wins might be the limit for them.