What keeping the same core of big paid players has produced

[ArtClink]

I will start with the assumption that most of us would agree that the “core” players this team has built around the last 5-8 years are the players based on their contracts and/or future contracts. Doesn’t mean we all agree they are worth it, just that these are the players the Cowboys have chosen to keep and pay big bucks to keep:

CORE PLAYERS UNDER BIG CONTRACTS

• Dak Prescott (been here since 2016- signed a 4 year, $160 million contract in 2021, and is negotiating an extension)
• Tyron Smith (been here since 2011- signed big in 2014 and has been extended multiple times- probably not back in 2024)
• Zack Martin (been here since 2014- just signed a 2 yr $36 million extension)
• DeMarcus Lawrence (been here since 2014- signed a 3 year, $40 mil contract in 2022)
• Michael Gallup (been here since 2018- signed a 5 year $57 million contract in 2022)
• Tony Pollard (been here since 2019- was on the franchise tag last year for $10 million)
• Donovan Wilson (been here since 2019- signed a 3 yr 21 million contract in 2023)
• Trevon Diggs (been here since 2020- signed a 5 year $97 million contract in 2023)
• Terrance Steele (been here since 2020- signed a 5 year $82 million contract in 2023)

CORE PLAYERS PROJECTED TO GET BIG CONTRACTS (there will be others too but these are obvious)

• Cedee Lamb (been here since 2020. Will get a big deal soon)
• Micah Parsons (been here since 2021. Will get a huge deal soon too)

So here’s my big point- with all the money sunk into all these players over multiple years, with two different HCs, multiple coordinators and assistant coaches - THIS CORE GROUP OF PLAYERS HAVE WON 3 WILD CARD PLAYOFF GAMES. If having these guys is soooo important, why haven’t we done better in the playoffs?

So here’s some questions:
1. if this core group hasn’t been able to accomplish more than 3 wild card wins in 10 years, why are we “running it back” thinking 2024 is going to be “the year”?
2. Why do assume these guys are all worth keeping together when having them together with multiple coaching staffs hasn’t gotten much further than an occasional wild card win.
3. Are we really just a couple of players away from winning multiple playoff games? I can’t see how that’s true.

Agreed on all points. I still think the damage of having a HC w no power (Jerry is our hc since he holds and executes the power of the HC like hiring staff for incoming HC before they are even announced). Trying to build on such a flawed foundation has not produced results in the postseason.

 

[ArtClink]

Rock, I‘m actually talking about having a whole different approach to building the roster. I never said in the OP that I wanted to get rid of any particular player. What I was emphasizing is that I don’t understand why we think all these guys are so valuable that we cannot allow them to walk.

Regarding building the roster, I would not extend Dak. (I would try to trade him but I know that’s not possible unless he agreed to and another team is interested) If he has a great year in 2024, a new contract could be considered. I would release Gallup as a post June 1 cut, let Pollard walk, I would let Tyron walk in FA. Also would let Biadaz sign somewhere else. I would release Cooper Rush- he’s not expensive but why waste a second on him as a backup if this FO thinks Lance is worth keeping around?

And draft some big nasty DL and LB…get bigger and more physical on defense. Draft a RB, maybe sign a FA RB.

My bigger point is this: Stop thinking we have a core of players that must be re-upped time and again. Because they haven’t done anything big in the playoffs anyway.

Agreed. I could care less if we have one or ten pro bowlers. I just want a deep playoff run.

 

[Diehardblues]

Excellent summary of the situation. When your GM falls in love with his own players, all objectivity for winning goes out the window. This GM usually waits to move on from a player when it’s so obvious they are not what they once were, even the fans can see it. (Some Examples- Zeke, Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith, Miles Austin, Jay Ratliff,etc)

All other NFL organizations have someone on the accountability hook for their results. Which is why those GMs are more aggressive and have a critical eye on players at all times. Their job depends on it. JJ has a loving eye on his players at all times because he picked them.

Yep , more evidence of this dysfunctional organization and why it’s truly amazing we are able to field a playoff caliber team.

But it explains why our owner and GM manage’s his team in the fashion he does. He’s kinda surprised he’s built a playoff contender and afraid to break up some of the key pieces because he knows doesn’t have ability to find suitable replacements.

And the fact these key stars while helping prop up his franchise to this level also help promote his brand and provide him the product he has to hype. It’s all wrapped up together for him.

This is what we get. And I’m not so sure we are probably fortunate he’s even able to field a team this competitive .

 

[Diehardblues]

Agreed on all points. I still think the damage of having a HC w no power (Jerry is our hc since he holds and executes the power of the HC like hiring staff for incoming HC before they are even announced). Trying to build on such a flawed foundation has not produced results in the postseason.

Totally agree. No doubt but it’s the evermore reason to be surprised arguably one of the worst owner and GM in the league has been able to build a team this competitive.

And to expect these egoistical idiots to build better teams than some of the best ran franchises in the league is totally unrealistic.

 

[Chasing6]

Calm down, I said easier said than done. You have to admit Dak can't get the job done in big games, he's had his chance. I would pay him off for 2024 and let him go IF he does not get us to the NFC Championship game. If he does that, then let's talk about an extension. You can still sign the best guys with back loaded deals. I would also be looking to trade up in the draft for a chance to grab a guy like Jayden Daniels, trade Dak since he is such a hotshot.
My beef is that Dak has had 8 years and looses pretty much every big game. A top QB can put the game on his back and does not make critical mistakes in big games. We can keep doing the same for another 6 years, then look for a better guy or we can look for that guy now. Just sayin' I'm tired of the same old crap year in and year out.

No QB can get the job done by themselves. Figure it out already.

 

[Diehardblues]

Recently Philly has been to the super bowl with 2 separate QBs. LA recently won the super bowl trading Goff and the going with Stafford. Tampa Bay picked a QB and won a super bowl recently and finally KC got rid of their good QB and picked up another and won a few super bowls.

This narrative of OMG if we get rid of Dak we'll never find a good QB again ever is really funny. Maybe people who sprout that idea should look and see that its being continually done in the NFL every year.

Yes, but how much confidence do we have this ownership will find it?

There’s several much better front offices and GM’s with better eyes than ours who miss .

If we hadn’t got lucky this era with a couple QB’s falling in our lap we’d be stuck with 1st round picks like Manziel and Lynch.

The one time this era we actually drafted a QB to be a starter was Quincy.

I think it’s why our owner has had such a love affair with Romo and Dak. He’s so thankful they are enough to make his franchise relative and interesting for which he can hype and promote his brand.

 

[Diehardblues]

Jerry builds an emotional connection with his players and can't stomach letting them go to another team. He needs to separate his emotions from business decisions and he can do that by bringing in a GM.

Sure but he’s not going to do that. He will continue to run his team thru the eyes of a fan.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Calm down, I said easier said than done. You have to admit Dak can't get the job done in big games, he's had his chance. I would pay him off for 2024 and let him go IF he does not get us to the NFC Championship game. If he does that, then let's talk about an extension. You can still sign the best guys with back loaded deals. I would also be looking to trade up in the draft for a chance to grab a guy like Jayden Daniels, trade Dak since he is such a hotshot.
My beef is that Dak has had 8 years and looses pretty much every big game. A top QB can put the game on his back and does not make critical mistakes in big games. We can keep doing the same for another 6 years, then look for a better guy or we can look for that guy now. Just sayin' I'm tired of the same old crap year in and year out.

calm down? where in my post wasn't I calm. simple question. nothing more. nothing less. never take this stuff too seriously like some around here.

Dak hasn't done in big games. more so this year where the entire team failed. I wasn't so mad last year. SF was the better team. we had opportunities and we didn't cash in. but this performance against GB, who was not the better team, was uninspired, nobody was ready, motivated or played hard. coaches, players, Dak. all of them sucked.

not so sure about Daniels. plenty of question marks. and isn't he older? and we don't have much draft capital to trade up. giving up draft capital that is so badly needed to add talent, leaves whomever we draft without much support. we are not in a good place and this thing is going to blow up. Jerry is going to have a lot of spinning to do next year.

Dak has a no trade clause btw.

I don't as much mind the first 3, 4 years. specially his rookie year. what do you expect from a 4th round pick. but last 4 have been disappointing to say the least.

and Dak is not a top QB. never argued. he is what he is. people complain about Dak not being elite. well duh! he is not. never been. he is what he is. I won't fault him for that as some do. he is just not good enough. so not good enough, then we need a strong team and our GM can't do that. you put mahomes on this team, we may win against GB, but not SF. this team didn't have the heart the Chiefs had. and that's the problem for this team. they have no heart.

 

[kskboys]

calm down? where in my post wasn't I calm. simple question. nothing more. nothing less. never take this stuff too seriously like some around here.

Dak hasn't done in big games. more so this year where the entire team failed. I wasn't so mad last year. SF was the better team. we had opportunities and we didn't cash in. but this performance against GB, who was not the better team, was uninspired, nobody was ready, motivated or played hard. coaches, players, Dak. all of them sucked.

not so sure about Daniels. plenty of question marks. and isn't he older? and we don't have much draft capital to trade up. giving up draft capital that is so badly needed to add talent, leaves whomever we draft without much support. we are not in a good place and this thing is going to blow up. Jerry is going to have a lot of spinning to do next year.

Dak has a no trade clause btw.

I don't as much mind the first 3, 4 years. specially his rookie year. what do you expect from a 4th round pick. but last 4 have been disappointing to say the least.

and Dak is not a top QB. never argued. he is what he is. people complain about Dak not being elite. well duh! he is not. never been. he is what he is. I won't fault him for that as some do. he is just not good enough. so not good enough, then we need a strong team and our GM can't do that. you put mahomes on this team, we may win against GB, but not SF. this team didn't have the heart the Chiefs had. and that's the problem for this team. they have no heart.

Calm down is what people say when they feel inferior, trying to make themselves appear not so inferior.

 

[ArtClink]

Totally agree. No doubt but it’s the evermore reason to be surprised arguably one of the worst owner and GM in the league has been able to build a team this competitive.

And to expect these egoistical idiots to build better teams than some of the best ran franchises in the league is totally unrealistic.

It’s laughable to think a Jerry run team will mk a deep playoff run, ever.

 

[Verdict]

I will start with the assumption that most of us would agree that the “core” players this team has built around the last 5-8 years are the players based on their contracts and/or future contracts. Doesn’t mean we all agree they are worth it, just that these are the players the Cowboys have chosen to keep and pay big bucks to keep:

CORE PLAYERS UNDER BIG CONTRACTS

• Dak Prescott (been here since 2016- signed a 4 year, $160 million contract in 2021, and is negotiating an extension)
• Tyron Smith (been here since 2011- signed big in 2014 and has been extended multiple times- probably not back in 2024)
• Zack Martin (been here since 2014- just signed a 2 yr $36 million extension)
• DeMarcus Lawrence (been here since 2014- signed a 3 year, $40 mil contract in 2022)
• Michael Gallup (been here since 2018- signed a 5 year $57 million contract in 2022)
• Tony Pollard (been here since 2019- was on the franchise tag last year for $10 million)
• Donovan Wilson (been here since 2019- signed a 3 yr 21 million contract in 2023)
• Trevon Diggs (been here since 2020- signed a 5 year $97 million contract in 2023)
• Terrance Steele (been here since 2020- signed a 5 year $82 million contract in 2023)

CORE PLAYERS PROJECTED TO GET BIG CONTRACTS (there will be others too but these are obvious)

• Cedee Lamb (been here since 2020. Will get a big deal soon)
• Micah Parsons (been here since 2021. Will get a huge deal soon too)

So here’s my big point- with all the money sunk into all these players over multiple years, with two different HCs, multiple coordinators and assistant coaches - THIS CORE GROUP OF PLAYERS HAVE WON 3 WILD CARD PLAYOFF GAMES. If having these guys is soooo important, why haven’t we done better in the playoffs?

So here’s some questions:
1. if this core group hasn’t been able to accomplish more than 3 wild card wins in 10 years, why are we “running it back” thinking 2024 is going to be “the year”?
2. Why do assume these guys are all worth keeping together when having them together with multiple coaching staffs hasn’t gotten much further than an occasional wild card win.
3. Are we really just a couple of players away from winning multiple playoff games? I can’t see how that’s true.

We do a good job of drafting and resigning our own. We do a pretty good job of developing players. We do a pretty good job of not getting bent on bad contracts for incoming free agents.

The bad:

1. We overvalue some of our players. We pay them a higher percentage of the cap than their performance level justifies.

2. We don’t place a high enough priority on winning. It’s more important to keep feel good stories around than make hard decisions to move on. (Witten, Sean Lee)

3. We piss off premium draft picks routinely (2nd round). When you take Joseph over Creed Humphrey you really need your *** kicked for screwing that up.

4. We let go of players too late in their careers to get any salvage value.

5. We coddle our Qb. Dak has been coddled his entire tenure here. He might perform better if he feels pressure behind him.

 

[TexasBoys2288]

No QB can get the job done by themselves. Figure it out already.

Absolutely correct. However, our offense was pretty good in 2023. No QB with this offense should be tossing INTs and pick-6s against the 6th seed either. Go back a few posts, I figured it out for ya.

 

[StarChamber_33]

The goal of every team in the NFL is to win enough games to qualify for the playoffs; Once you're in the tournament of 7-teams {preferably with a high seeding} let the chips fall where they may. You need to be "lucky", "healthy", and "hot at the right time". Although we've fallen short of the Ultimate Goal for 28 years now, this team would be totally irrelevant without the "core" / "foundational" players mentioned. We'd be a team like the NY Jets who haven't made the playoffs since 2010, or a team like the Miami Dolphins who haven't won a playoff game since 2001. Granted the Cowboys haven't been able to win it all, at least they were in the mix with a chance to win.. I get it, we all want much more, but sometimes you just need to be thankful for what you got. Believe me, it could be much worse than this..

 

[kskboys]

The goal of every team in the NFL is to win enough games to qualify for the playoffs; Once you're in the tournament of 7-teams {preferably with a high seeding} let the chips fall where they may. You need to be "lucky", "healthy", and "hot at the right time". Although we've fallen short of the Ultimate Goal for 28 years now, this team would be totally irrelevant without the "core" / "foundational" players mentioned. We'd be a team like the NY Jets who haven't made the playoffs since 2010, or a team like the Miami Dolphins who haven't won a playoff game since 2001. Granted the Cowboys haven't been able to win it all, at least they were in the mix with a chance to win.. I get it, we all want much more, but sometimes you just need to be thankful for what you got. Believe me, it could be much worse than this..

It's really not. The goal of most teams is to get to the super bowl. It's Jerry that's only interested in getting to the playoffs, most teams don't feel that way.

 

[Diehardblues]

It’s laughable to think a Jerry run team will mk a deep playoff run, ever.

It would be truly amazing. We are after all the most handicapped franchise with our owner determined to be our GM. I’m shocked they can even field a team this competitive.

The rest of the league who operate in a normal fashion who can’t put a team together better than us should be ashamed. But at least they have a better opportunity to finally get it right.

 

[Diehardblues]

It's really not. The goal of most teams is to get to the super bowl. It's Jerry that's only interested in getting to the playoffs, most teams don't feel that way.

Yep.. our priorities are out of whack under this dysfunctional ownership.

They of course would love to win a championship but aren’t making the decisions or even investing the resources to reach those goals. They don’t even sense the urgency.

They’re very content with their current status. A consistent playoff contender regardless the early exits provides all they need to stay in place and continue hyping and promoting their record revenue level .

Perhaps if fans received some of the financial benefits they’d be more comfortable with our lack of success too.

 

[Slick]

The difference is I don’t care about those other teams.

The difference is they have real GMs and no Jerrah!

 

[Diehardblues]

The difference is they have real GMs and no Jerrah!

Yea , it’s a huge obstacle to overcome . Those other teams with normal FO situations should be ashamed hey haven’t fielded a better than than Jethro has.

But at least they have a better opportunity to finally get it right. And why since our last championship appearance we have seen most of the league get it right even if briefly.

Only Wash and Dallas in NFC has failed to reach a championship game since our last. And I wanna say only a couple teams in AFC.

 

[John813]

IMO there comes a point where the old guard needs to be replaced.

No one will ever say Tyron Smith or Zach Martin were an issue, but now in their mid 30's, how much longer do you keep paying them top dollar?
Dak Prescott is going for his 3rd contract. In the large scope of QB play, he is a top 5-10 QB based off his stats. But, his postseason success is less than stellar. Do you reinvest in him at another record setting deal?
Guys like Parsons and CDL are still on their ELCs and still "young" you keep that core locked up. But I get the premise and how long do you keep those guys at the tail end of their 2nd contracts when they've shown not too much postseason success/play.

 

[Toro9]

Dak has a ~43% victory rate vs winning teams. This is the problem. Maybe not the only problem but the biggest seeing as how QB is widely regarded as the most important position.