If they didn’t realize it before the loss in Atlanta… 2024 is a lost season for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys’ season was already on fire before Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Coming out of that game with injuries to QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb, and falling further to 3-5, means it’s time to stop putting any additional energy or resources into the 2024 season and start making every decision about the franchise’s future.
Yes, mathematically, Dallas could go on a nine-game run and still finish 12-5. If you think that’s about to happen then you’re adorable. But there is nothing about this team, even if they get every injured player back, that says they’re built to do anything positive.
Remember that 44-19 loss to the Saints in Week 2? Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence were still playing then. This team is broken on both sides of the ball; an insolvent offensive line and a pushover defensive front. Young players aren’t going to improve enough this year to help, and returning veterans aren’t going to move the needle.
Quarterback Dak Prescott was already struggling mentally and now has physical issues. The only consistent receiver finished the last game looking like he’d just been through a Hell in a Cell match. And now you’ve got Ezekiel Elliott apparently going from dead weight to a cancer with behavior that got him benched and left at home?
This season is done, friends. Some predicted it, but at least held out hope that a Super Bowl-winning coach and proven All-Pro talent would find ways to overcome the offseason concerns. But so many criticisms about Mike McCarthy, Jerry Jones, Prescott, and anyone else who’s ever had mud slung their way have been validated so far this year.
If the Cowboys front office wants to start doing things right, then it’s time to direct every effort toward next season. Don’t make any trades for Titanic deck chairs before Tuesday’s deadline; just let it go. Nobody you add now is going to make a difference. You’d still have a coaching staff that can’t figure out how to use what they’ve already got.
And even if you don’t have the next guy on staff, it’s time to fire McCarthy. Letting this continue is only going to further frustrate things with your roster and fans. Even if there is some fantastic, foolish hope of turning this season around, he’s not the guy to do it. A coaching shakeup is the only move left that’s big enough to spark a miracle. Let Mike Zimmer run the show and give Al Harris the keys to the defense for the next nine weeks. Things couldn’t get any worse, and you’d get a nice sample of what Harris can do as defensive coordinator to help with future decisions.
It’s also time to make Trey Lance available for games. Either make him QB2, which will happen now that Prescott will miss time, or consider giving him some playing time. We don’t need to see more of Cooper Rush, a 31-year-old free agent next year. Lance may not be back in 2025 but at least his playing time would make things a little more interesting as we trudge through the remainder of the season.
If Zack Martin isn’t coming back next year, give more time to T.J. Bass or Brock Hoffman. If you know guys like Terence Steele, Malik Hooker, and Donovan Wilson are going to end up as cap casualties, give their reps to players with the potential to help you in the future. More experience will either help prospects prosper or help the front office see they need to find new prospects.
The pretense that there’s still something worth fighting for in 2024 has to end. The Jones boys gave up on this season back in March, so why pretend now? You didn’t make it loud, but it was pretty clear from free agency and the draft that decisions were being made with future years in mind. It’s time to fully embrace that strategy; a different kind of “all in” than what Jerry originally claimed but the only kind that makes sense now.