Frisco, Texas – This has happened before. Several times.
It's happening again. It's an important time.
It will happen in the future. As long as the Cowboys continue to build a star-studded roster like they did in 2023, that's for sure.
And no one needs to be reminded of the upcoming contract with 10 Pro Bowlers, four All-Pros and last season's No. 2 quarterback. He led the NFL in touchdown passes with 36, led the NFL in receptions with 135, and was a “lionbacker.” He led the NFL in QB pressures and had the fourth-most sacks in NFL history in his first three seasons (a stat dating back to 1982), but all of that will have to be paid for immediately.
It's creating a desert of salary cap space, so to speak.
And Jerry Jones, who pays for these special rosters, said, “Without being theatrical, I'm going to get down on my knees and say thank you for this.
“That's an open question.”
So welcome to Star, the land of opportunity where young people can thrive, injured people can reinvigorate their careers, and aging can turn back the clock.
Yes, these cowboys may build their own Statue of Liberty along Cowboys Way and welcome the mostly unknown for this 2024 season. They are once again exposed to the unforgiving NFL salary cap and have few other options, so they are inevitably guaranteed a chance to succeed.
In pioneering times, we heard the words, “Young man, go west.” Now, especially now, the Cowboys might post “Come to Frisco.”
Because unless the Cowboys find cap dollars from under the couch cushions in the upstairs front office, they're going to have to rely on a bunch of young unknowns to develop in front of their eyes. If this team has any hope of winning more than a dozen games for the fourth straight season, it's about regaining that slack. They became the first team since 2004 to repeat as NFC East champions. And to reach the NFC Championship Game, over a mountain that has been expanding for 28 years.
Of course, he's only been a free agent for two weeks. One month left until the NFL Draft. A deal is still possible. But for the most part, for the Cowboys to have the luxury of having the best players at each position in the NFL, they need some raw youngsters to develop before their eyes, but this Easter weekend This may seem unsettling, but it is true. There are no golden eggs there.
Let's start with the offensive line. With two of the starting five spots open, players like Brock Hoffman, TJ Bass, Matt Waletzko, Josh Ball, and Asim Richards have no name recognition, let alone a primary backup opportunity. There will be a chance to raise it.
Rico Doodle, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn, Snoop Conner and Hunter Luebke all have once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, but there's no soul on the current roster that can match Dowdle's 96-year NFL career.
And at wide receiver, Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Kavonte Turpin, Jalen Cropper, David Darden and Martavis Bryant will all have to compete for the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 spots. And with the exception of Bryant, who last caught an NFL pass in 2018, the other players have totaled 43 receptions.
Young tight ends such as Peyton Hendershot, Luke Schoonmaker and John Stevens will be tested as backups to starting pitcher Jake Ferguson.
On the defensive side, we will introduce some of the players who will have opportunities. Second-year player Maji Smith and third-year player Sam Williams have a chance to earn starting positions at the wide-open defensive tackle and defensive end spots, respectively. It's time for last year's fourth-rounder, Junior Fehoko, to get his first NFL snaps. So is sixth-round cornerback Eric Scott. We can't keep waiting for Chauncey Golston. The time has come, and for players like defensive backs Navshon Wright and Israel Mukuamu, this could be a do-or-die training camp.
There is a lack of experience at linebacker, and the acquisition of veteran helper Eric Kendricks and the growth of Damone Clark means Mark's Bell and Juannie Thomas will have to return to safety. There is. But it also means Demarvion Overshawn will have to return to linebacker after tearing his ACL last summer. Tyrus Wheat also needs a big leap in his second year.
As for these guys, I just hope we know their names before November rolls around.
However, this includes nine players who were considered starters (Tyron Smith, Tyler Biadasch, Michael Gallup, Tony Pollard, Dorrance Armstrong, Jonathan Hankins, Leighton Vander Esch, and the currently unsigned That's what happens when you lose Stephon Gilmore and Jaylon Kearse) and top rotation players. Dante Fowler Jr., Neville Gallimore, and unsigned middle horse Edga.
There's only so much the Cowboys can do with just seven picks starting at No. 1 and 24 in the draft. And he can't rely on more than three draft choices, even if there are many, to fill those gaping holes. We need young people to step up…or else.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said, “If the roster is built correctly, the development of a young player who was playing 15 games a game could increase to 45 or 50 games a game.'' Ta. “At the end of the day, maybe you want a guy who can start at 70-75 to play.
“The biggest impact on our football team will be the players we currently have on our roster. We will have a draft class coming in. We will continue to be involved in free agency.”
The Cowboys, and McCarthy in particular, subscribe to a “draft and develop” philosophy of team building. And for the most part, that was a sound philosophy, considering that in Green Bay's playoff games, 16 starters were drafted and two more starters arrived as undrafted rookie free agents.
Now, that track record must continue, but it will certainly take not only this 2024 draft class, but also last year's 2023 draft class to pick up the pace. That's because only three of those eight rookies earned starting pitching, and all of them are in Magi Smith, but only started for one year. Wounded Hankins' location. These rookie draft picks played in a total of 56 games, 34 of which were in the rotation/special teams with Magee and Schoonmaker, and only the other three appeared in the remaining 22 games.
“We knew it was going to be difficult, it always is,” Jones said of assembling the 2024 roster with limited cap space. Young players have to step up, injury or not.
“They're going to step up. Some not as much as we would like, but some more.”
But this is what happens when you bend over backwards to restructure the contracts of your star players to maintain your roster. And this cap issue isn't just this year's problem. That's also next year, which is one reason the Cowboys refrained from offering any flashy long-term deals to free agents. Or you could keep your own unrestricted free agents like Tyrone, Tyler, Dorrance, Dante, Toney, while next year have Dak, CeeDee, and Mika, Zack, DeMarcus, and Osa around. A name you know.
“We had a great roster by any standard, but I'm very happy that we were able to get the roster that we wanted over the last three or four years,” Jones said. “With that in mind, we have to pay the fiddlers who have that roster.”
In doing so, we are reminded of the Olympic Closing Ceremony tradition in which the IOC President always says, “I call on the young people of the world to come together in four years' time…”
Because the Cowboys need their “youth” to immediately start “gathering” on the fiddler who plays all-too-familiar songs in these parts.
