Why the Dallas Cowboys ‘tanking’ does more harm than good
After the Cowboys’ disappointing start to the season was amplified by a season-ending hamstring injury to quarterback Dak Prescott, a prevalent feeling coming from the fanbase was for the organization to intentionally lose out in favor of a higher draft pick, also known as tanking.
“Have to tank the rest of the season,” X user SunsValley480 wrote after the Cowboys’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “Winning now is just dumb.”
“If you’re not going to win it all…might as well tank and get high picks,” Clay Slocum posted on X.
Even after an upset over the Washington Commanders that saw the Cowboys get back in the win column after a five-game losing streak, some fans came away more agitated than exhilarated after a victory over an NFC East opponent.
“We can’t even tank correctly,” X user BobbyBuckets88 said after the win.
The narrative around the fanbase has made its way to the Cowboys’ locker room, as players, coaches and executives still see a reason to win, even if playoff chances remain slim.
“I’m not done yet,” defensive end Micah Parsons said after the win. “I don’t plan on tanking. If the higher-ups are looking for a draft pick, I hope that’s ruined, because we got a lot of football left to play. As long as I’m a part of this team, we’re always going to fight.”
Fortunately for Parsons, the same sentiment is felt by those higher-ups in the Cowboys front office, as owner and general manager Jerry Jones echoed similar sentiments in his weekly radio show with 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning.
“That has not come across anybody’s mind in our organization,” Jones said. “I get all of it, but it’s critical to all of us to get out there and compete. Those guys will be there for us when we get there in the draft.”
How could picking, say, fifth in the 2025 NFL Draft differ from picking 15th if the Cowboys finish closer to .500 than expected? Maybe elite talents such as Colorado’s two-way phenom Travis Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty are comfortably off the board, but grabbing an elite defensive tackle in Michigan’s Mason Graham or offensive tackle in Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. still exists.
That margin does not justify losing games and killing confidence of young players around the organization. Ahead of an offseason where veterans such as Zack Martin and DeMarcus Lawrence are expected to depart Dallas, having adversity-tested young players that attempt to win, and succeed in doing so, will benefit the long-term projection of how the Cowboys will perform when they are healthy again in 2025.
That, in Jones’ mind, is more beneficial than a few spots in the draft.
“We have a young team out there on that field,” Jones said. “We have some inexperience out there because of the number of the injuries we’re dealing with…That group of young players, we’re going to be playing with for years to come. They need those snaps, they need to move the chains, they need touchdowns, they need success on that field.”
