What the rest of this year should be about

Bobhaze said:
With approximately 54% of the season completed for the Cowboys, they sit near the bottom of the NFC and have extremely long odds to make the playoffs. The Cowboys have been burdened with another poorly constructed defensive roster, a rookie HC trying to find some traction and the heart-breaking experience of losing a teammate in tragic circumstances. It’s been a rough half of the 2025 season.

So what should the rest of the 2025 season be about and what can we realistically expect from this team moving forward? If I were in charge I would focus on the following:
  • Determine what you want this team to be, then find out who can help get us there and maybe more importantly, who cannot.
  • Start with aggressively figuring out who and what to build this team around for the future. Play young guys who maybe aren’t ready to start yet but need playing time to develop.
  • NOW is the time to develop young players. Find out who can play and who can’t. Be like Jimmy was back in 1989-90. Churn the roster hard.
  • With the new trade addition of Q Williams, find out what combo of defensive players best compliment his skills.
  • By the end of this season, our coaches and FO should be in agreement on who needs to go and who stays. Even if that means trading or cutting some guys who are highly paid.
This 2025 Cowboys roster is not a playoff team. So spend the rest of this season finding out who is worth keeping and who isn’t. Stop keeping so many of the same guys who aren’t getting us anywhere.

The first step in becoming a great team is recognizing that you are currently not close to being great. Our FO needs to stop pretending this is a really good roster who has been “unlucky”. It’s not unlucky. It’s not talented enough.
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They are already doing what you are suggesting.

Murray
Only player definitely playing too much is LB Murray, but they need a veteran to wear the Green Dot.
- They traded for a LB with multiple years on his contract to replace Murray.

Steele
They basically benched him at some point in the AZ games.
- I think "migraines" is the answer they now give when somebody gets benched.

Diggs
They put him on IR when he likely could have returned earlier than the 4 week IR minimum.

Osa
He's playing 60-ish percent of snaps, not 90-ish like he might have in the past.
 
Holden at WR Mafah at RB and Liufau at LB should all get PT . Let’s see if some of these young players are worth a plane ticket to Oxnard next July or cut loose
 
May as well give Blue a run as well.. see if he has anything to offer.

Also in the.. give Milton a few games.. camp as well.
 
If this were a real team the rest of the season should be all about trying to make the playoffs but also benching veterans that have no business playing. No more Sanborn. No more Murray. Goodbye Diggs. No more Schnoonadoodler. No more Steele. No more Tolbert. These guys do not deserve to play. Guyton is on a short leash. More Odiggy to DE. Clark and Williams manning the middle and giving Dallas the best DT combo they have had in forever. Let The Boot kick a 70 yarder. Try to tamp down the Shottenheimer awe schucks interviews. Jerry and Stevie stay off the airways.

Just football ok?
 
plymkr said:
I know. It sucks. I don’t want Dak to get hurt because I don’t wish injury on anyone but if we’re out of playoff contention and Dak tweaks his ankle and has to miss a game or two that would be beneficial. In this lost season I’d rather have Dak get injured and Milton get reps as opposed to next season when we’re playing good and Milton is forced into action and he’s an unknown.

With Dak’s injury history and the amount of money we got invested in him I personally feel it’s foolish to have him play meaningless games at the end of a lost season. What if we’re in New York the last game of the season and Dak rips his ACL or tears an Achilles. I know Jerry doesn’t see it that way and sometimes I don’t understand that. But if we’re out of playoff contention I see no need to play Lamb, Dak, Tyler and some of the other big money guys.

On more point on this. Last season Jerry benched Rush so he wouldn’t have to pay him a 500K bonus but doesn’t see how resting Dak would save him millions and we get to see what Milton is. Doesn’t make sense.
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Great points. I have seen for a long time how our players get playing time commensurate with their draft position and/or how much money Jerry is paying them. This type of system is just another Jerry makes winning more difficult.
 
xwalker said:
They are already doing what you are suggesting.

Murray
Only player definitely playing too much is LB Murray, but they need a veteran to wear the Green Dot.
- They traded for a LB with multiple years on his contract to replace Murray.

Steele
They basically benched him at some point in the AZ games.
- I think "migraines" is the answer they now give when somebody gets benched.

Diggs
They put him on IR when he likely could have returned earlier than the 4 week IR minimum.

Osa
He's playing 60-ish percent of snaps, not 90-ish like he might have in the past.
Click to expand...
Those are some good moves. But it’s not enough IMO.

Here are some other examples we should employ:
  • I would like to see if Guyton could possibly be better at RT. It seems clear Steele is likely a June 1 designated cut next spring. Why not try Guyton at RT at some point?
  • Why not use Ryan Flournoy more? We already know what Tolbert is and isn’t. I doubt if he’s back next year. So let’s see more of what Flo has.
  • There are a ton of guys in the secondary that should be looked at more. IMO Donovan Wilson and Marquese Bell need to be released next spring. Can Juanyeh Thomas play or not? Diggs is gone so what do we have in Caelon Carson and Trik Bridges?
Guys I think are done (or should be done) in Dallas at the end of the year:
  • CB Trevon Diggs
  • RT Terance Steele
  • WR Jalen Tolbert
  • S Donovan Wilson
  • DE Sam Williams
  • S Markquese Bell
  • LB Damone Clark
  • DL Solomon Thomas
And there may be more. This team probably needs one of the biggest roster churns in team history.
 
ArtClink said:
Third youngest and 31st in defense. That has nothing to do with “hate”, just simple facts which I know you will embrace with great alacrity.
Click to expand...
Moving the goal posts I see. Never was the defense mentioned in my post. You wanted to play the younger players. Having the 3rd youngest team in the NFL shows they already are. Sheesh you haters.
 
Bobhaze said:
Those are some good moves. But it’s not enough IMO.

Here are some other examples we should employ:
  • I would like to see if Guyton could possibly be better at RT. It seems clear Steele is likely a June 1 designated cut next spring. Why not try Guyton at RT at some point?
  • Why not use Ryan Flournoy more? We already know what Tolbert is and isn’t. I doubt if he’s back next year. So let’s see more of what Flo has.
  • There are a ton of guys in the secondary that should be looked at more. IMO Donovan Wilson and Marquese Bell need to be released next spring. Can Juanyeh Thomas play or not? Diggs is gone so what do we have in Caelon Carson and Trik Bridges?
Guys I think are done (or should be done) in Dallas at the end of the year:
  • CB Trevon Diggs
  • RT Terance Steele
  • WR Jalen Tolbert
  • S Donovan Wilson
  • DE Sam Williams
  • S Markquese Bell
  • LB Damone Clark
  • DL Solomon Thomas
And there may be more. This team probably needs one of the biggest roster churns in team history.
Click to expand...
Because we don't have another OLT on the roster. Everyone keeps screaming to move him to ORT, but there's no one at OLT then. Takes a special skillset to play OLT. Guyton has that skillset, no one else on the roster does. Unfortunately, due to past draft gaffes, it looks like Guyton or bust.
 
Rockport said:
Moving the goal posts I see. Never was the defense mentioned in my post. You wanted to play the younger players. Having the 3rd youngest team in the NFL shows they already are. Sheesh you haters.
Click to expand...
Sheesh, you name callers. Can't have a cogent argument, so you just hurl insults and call names. I feel sorry for you.
 
Rockport said:
Moving the goal posts I see. Never was the defense mentioned in my post. You wanted to play the younger players. Having the 3rd youngest team in the NFL shows they already are. Sheesh you haters.
Click to expand...
Yet the topic was a fan expressing doubts about Jerry's ability to build a team capable of something more than a wild card win once every 8-10 years. What you call "hate" I call an opinion on an opinion's forum lol.
 
1. Is Jerri still owner and GM ?
2. Is Stephan whatever he is ?
3. If the answer to 1 or 2 is yes, then don’t bother with players, coaches, anything else as we will not win a Super Bowl, it is too competitive and neither have the commitment to winning required.
 
Trajan said:
1. Is Jerri still owner and GM ?
2. Is Stephan whatever he is ?
3. If the answer to 1 or 2 is yes, then don’t bother with players, coaches, anything else as we will not win a Super Bowl, it is too competitive and neither have the commitment to winning required.
Click to expand...
This ^^^
 
ArtClink said:
Yet the topic was a fan expressing doubts about Jerry's ability to build a team capable of something more than a wild card win once every 8-10 years. What you call "hate" I call an opinion on an opinion's forum lol.
Click to expand...
Yet I wasn’t responding to the thread topic goal post mover(GPM).
 
Bobhaze said:
Those are some good moves. But it’s not enough IMO.

Here are some other examples we should employ:
  • I would like to see if Guyton could possibly be better at RT. It seems clear Steele is likely a June 1 designated cut next spring. Why not try Guyton at RT at some point?
  • Why not use Ryan Flournoy more? We already know what Tolbert is and isn’t. I doubt if he’s back next year. So let’s see more of what Flo has.
  • There are a ton of guys in the secondary that should be looked at more. IMO Donovan Wilson and Marquese Bell need to be released next spring. Can Juanyeh Thomas play or not? Diggs is gone so what do we have in Caelon Carson and Trik Bridges?
Guys I think are done (or should be done) in Dallas at the end of the year:
  • CB Trevon Diggs
  • RT Terance Steele
  • WR Jalen Tolbert
  • S Donovan Wilson
  • DE Sam Williams
  • S Markquese Bell
  • LB Damone Clark
  • DL Solomon Thomas
And there may be more. This team probably needs one of the biggest roster churns in team history.
Click to expand...
Snap Counts in AZ game:
Flournoy 67%
Tolbert 10%

Carson 42% (zero on D prior to AZ game).
- i.e. They are moving him up the depth chart. He is already the 3rd CB based on.AZ game snap counts.
 
Bobhaze said:
With approximately 54% of the season completed for the Cowboys, they sit near the bottom of the NFC and have extremely long odds to make the playoffs. The Cowboys have been burdened with another poorly constructed defensive roster, a rookie HC trying to find some traction and the heart-breaking experience of losing a teammate in tragic circumstances. It’s been a rough half of the 2025 season.

So what should the rest of the 2025 season be about and what can we realistically expect from this team moving forward? If I were in charge I would focus on the following:
  • Determine what you want this team to be, then find out who can help get us there and maybe more importantly, who cannot.
  • Start with aggressively figuring out who and what to build this team around for the future. Play young guys who maybe aren’t ready to start yet but need playing time to develop.
  • NOW is the time to develop young players. Find out who can play and who can’t. Be like Jimmy was back in 1989-90. Churn the roster hard.
  • With the new trade addition of Q Williams, find out what combo of defensive players best compliment his skills.
  • By the end of this season, our coaches and FO should be in agreement on who needs to go and who stays. Even if that means trading or cutting some guys who are highly paid.
This 2025 Cowboys roster is not a playoff team. So spend the rest of this season finding out who is worth keeping and who isn’t. Stop keeping so many of the same guys who aren’t getting us anywhere.

The first step in becoming a great team is recognizing that you are currently not close to being great. Our FO needs to stop pretending this is a really good roster who has been “unlucky”. It’s not unlucky. It’s not talented enough.
Click to expand...
Your bullets were my suggested plan the week before the season started, because it was just too much to ask this first-year HC with this incomplete roster and all of its questions (o-line, RB, and the entire defense, including the DC) to make a deep playoff run. That was never going to happen.

As I said when the season was beginning, if Shotty wins 7, that would be a good season, all things considered. 8 wins would be an over-achievement, and may then be deserving of a long-term extension.

So, yes, it's time for both sides of the ball to get creative, trying a variety of strategies and combinations of players. Find out which players are worth keeping now during the season, and then, yes, churn this roster as much as needed during the offseason, and do it early. And figure out the trenches...who is going to be a reliable 5 starting offensive linemen? Find some LBers who can play, and pray they stay healthy. Try EVERYone at safety...maybe they'll find a hidden DB who performs well back there. If no one works out back there, then plan to draft a good one or find one in Free Agency.

I think it's safe to say that many of this roster, they're not good enough...but while they're here, give them one last chance this season to prove themselves. If they ain't got it, they ain't got it....and that should include Eberflus. :oops:
 
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