Slow free agency approach has Dallas Cowboys trailing 27-0, all over again

When the Cowboys last played, a slow start destroyed their margin for error. They trailed 27-0 late in the first half. Their offense needed scores; their defense needed stops. A potential comeback required an improbable, collective effort.

That was two months ago.

Nothing has changed.

More than two weeks into free agency, a slow start at turning a hole-ridden roster into a Super Bowl-caliber one has again left the Cowboys little margin for error. More low-cost veteran acquisitions are coming. Navigating a shallow draft class with average pick capital is ahead. Effectively trailing 27-0 again, the team likely needs to hit on personnel decisions at an extraordinary rate to avoid setting up another letdown like the one Jan. 14.

Drop a pin on this point in the offseason.

If the Cowboys are to field a better team than the one the Green Bay Packers popped in Arlington, tremendous return on marginal financial investments is required.

Team decision-makers identified the run game and run defense as focal points to upgrade for next season. So far, the club has responded by losing its top running back, Tony Pollard, and two starting offensive linemen, left tackle Tyron Smith and center Tyler Biadasz. The next external free agent the Cowboys, who cut wide receiver Michael Gallup, sign on offense will be their first.

On the defensive line, Dorance Armstrong and Johnathan Hankins are the most notable departures. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch retired Monday in a move the Cowboys anticipated. Still, his absence created an obvious void last year and won’t be easily filled.

Eric Kendricks can help.

He signed a one-year deal with $2.5 million guaranteed and projects to start at Mike linebacker. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer coached Kendricks, 32, from 2015-21 with the Minnesota Vikings. The Cowboys return linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, a 2023 third-round pick, from a preseason ACL tear. While excitement within the organization surrounds his future, it is premature to project what his presence will mean for the 2024 run defense.

More linebacker help will be added in the coming weeks.

Perhaps more pivotally, the Cowboys need to keep their linebackers clean with a defensive line that can better anchor double teams and avoid reach blocks. As the group is comprised today, Dallas is highly dependent upon nose tackle Mazi Smith making a leap in his second NFL season. The former first-round pick played four snaps in the 48-32 first-round playoff loss to Green Bay. While Smith is capable of meaningful strides, currently bulking up and training to that end, it could be viewed as risky to count on a drastic leap as Plan A for how the Cowboys become formidable on their interior line.

Running back Rico Dowdle returned on a one-year, $1.255 million contract. He factors into a committee conversation that will soon add company. At least one veteran back stands to join him in free agency. Dallas figures to draft a running back, too, although the 2024 class is widely considered weaker than in past years, hence why many teams were so aggressive to sign veteran backs this month.

Ultimately, it is too early to judge the Cowboys’ offseason, just as it was too early at 27-0 to declare the playoff deficit the defeat it became.

But make no mistake: The Cowboys are a worse team today than they were in mid-January. More roster holes exist today than did then. And a tight checkbook is not about to alter personality, as the club clears a runway for potential Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons extensions in the next year or so while bracing for a 2025 salary-cap storm when dead money from past restructures and failed contracts coalesce.

This is hardly an ideal climate for a coaching staff riddled with one-year contracts to flourish. It would be understandable if someone in that group saw the absence of resources being devoted to personnel upgrades and felt somewhat set up for failure — or at least, not set up for success. The odds are stacked, just as they were a couple months ago.

The Cowboys failed to adequately rally then.

They need to now.

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