Analysis: How the Cowboys went from a contender to big disappointment in 12 months
What has happened to the Dallas Cowboys?
For a team that entered 2024 riding the high of three consecutive 12-5 seasons, having 15 Pro Bowlers and one of its best players in Micah Parsons still on a rookie contract, the Dallas Cowboys were expected to continue to perform at a high level and contend for the NFC title, though they haven’t played in the NFC Championship game since 1995.
The 2024 season was one full of promise that quickly became a disaster.
From demoralizing home losses to significant injuries to stubbornness from the front office, the November rhetoric is no longer discussing what playoff matchups would favor the Cowboys most. It’s now about which 2025 draft pick best fits the roster.
The downfall wasn’t something that happened overnight.
The Cowboys perfect concoction of disarray led to an on-field performance in 2024 that rivals some of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Here is how they got to their dismal 3-6 record:
Draft misses
The current issues have substantial remnant effects from all the way back in April 2023. On the heels of putting together one of the NFL’s top draft classes in 2022 behind Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland, Jake Ferguson and others, the Cowboys went into 2023 looking to match their previous year’s success.
However, just nine months later, their 2023 draft class has been placed last in the NFL in ESPN’s rankings of 2023 draft classes. From Mazi Smith’s weight loss debacle to DeMarvion Overshown’s ACL injury in the preseason to Luke Schoonmaker failing to make an impact offensively, the ‘23 rookie class has not had the needed impact.
While Overshown’s return from injury and subsequent strong play has garnered a lot more confidence for his future, Smith is currently graded 120th out of the league’s 120 defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. Schoonmaker has seen just six offensive snaps in the last three weeks after an evaporation of confidence into what he can bring to the offense.
For a front office that deflected questions about free agency incompetence to trusting the young players on the roster, the youth has not lived up to their billing. Of the remaining 2023 draft picks, only Overshown is graded in the top 85 percent of players around the league at their respective positions, per Pro Football Focus.
Cap mismanagement
The lack of moves in the last offseason is a sore subject for Cowboys fans. In a free agency cycle that saw players around the league hit the market at key positions of need for Dallas, the front office shopped at bargain bins and relied on the draft to fill those needs while other contenders added key weapons to bolster their chances.
Philadelphia added running back Saquon Barkley and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. San Francisco added defensive end Leonard Floyd. Baltimore added running back Derrick Henry. Detroit added defensive tackle DJ Reader.
Dallas replaced offensive tackle Tyron Smith with a first-round pick Tyron Gyton, who had only 14 career college starts; replaced cornerback Stephon Gilmore with fifth-round pick Caelen Carson; replaced running back Tony Pollard with an unproven Rico Dowdle; replaced center Tyler Biadasz with third-round pick Cooper Beebe; replaced defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins with Mazi Smith.
The Cowboys added just two free agents that were active to start the season: linebacker Eric Kendricks and running back Ezekiel Elliott. Neither has had an impact.
When asked about the penurious nature of not spending to acquire outside talent, owner and general manager Jerry Jones explained that the Cowboys would first need to complete new contracts for quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to understand what they could afford down the line.
That only made sense if the front office was proactive about getting those deals done.
Instead, they watched the entire offseason go by before inking Lamb’s four-year $136 million deal after training camp and getting Prescott’s four-year $240 million deal done just hours before the season started. By that time, the only additions that could be made were two reserves, lineman Linval Joseph and running back Dalvin Cook. Had those deals happened in April, for example, there still would have been time to add help.
But even under that same logic, the money that Dallas spent on Elliott (one-year, $2 million) could have been used to sign running back J.K. Dobbins, who signed a one-year, $1.61 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers and is 10th in the NFL in rushing through 10 weeks.
The offseason that Jones once mentioned the team was “all-in” for had the Cowboys folding before the flop could even hit the poker table.
On-field chemistry
The cap mismanagement had a trickle down effect on how the Cowboys were able to start the season, specifically on offense.
Since Lamb did not report to training camp while awaiting a new contract, his rhythm with Prescott and the quarterbacks took seven-plus weeks to find a groove. Then Prescott went down with a season-ending torn hamstring against Atlanta on Oct. 27. He ended the season with a Total QBR of 46.8, which is 26th out of 32 quarterbacks./
The chemistry problems go far beyond Lamb.
Guyton was not being integrated into the starting offensive line until Chuma Edoga went down with a toe injury midway through training camp. This made the learning curve a little steeper for the rookie at left tackle.
Dowdle did not get the bulk of the carries until a few weeks into the season as the overall running game sits at the bottom of the NFL.
The same could be said for Joseph and Jordan Phillips, both brought in with just a few days left in training camp. Phillips has since been released and Joseph has yet to show the big body presence he’s given in the run game in recent seasons.
Injuries
More often than not, the injuries can derail a season. But with an offseason like the one Dallas had, the Cowboys injuries have only added to the chaos.
It began when defensive lineman Sam Williams tore his ACL in the first week of training camp on a routine special teams drill. Then, cornerback DaRon Bland went down late in training camp with a foot fracture and has missed 13 weeks and counting. For a defense that has generated just one interception in its last five games, Bland’s presence as the NFL interception leader from 2023 is missed.
Just a few weeks in, the defensive losses of Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland put a huge handicap on the pass rush efforts for an extended amount of time.
A mishap on a knee injection for wide receiver Brandin Cooks led to him landing on the injured reserve. Then, the cornerback depth was further tested with Carson missing four games and Amani Oruwariye going down with a back injury.
While there was still hope being communicated by the Cowboys after a 3-4 start and mounting injuries on both sides of the ball, Prescott’s injury seemed to be the final gut punch on a season that has been disastrous from the start.
The Cowboys will take all of these negatives into the final eight weeks, which begins on Monday at home against Houston, when they will look to either get back on track or see their season snowball into an interesting draft cycle in 2025.
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 4:00 AM.
