Dallas Cowboys playing a game of silence so far in off-season

The NFL Draft is less than three weeks away, and the Dallas Cowboys remain stuck in neutral following a 4-12 season.

Free agency was a wash as the Cowboys chose to go the bargain-basement route rather than spend money to significantly upgrade their roster.

The list of outside additions totals just four, and only one could be considered a walk-in starter — the same number of starters expected from the litany of in-house free agents that were re-signed.

The former is defensive tackle Cedric Thornton from Philadelphia, and the latter is middle linebacker Rolando McClain.

The rest of the moves were about reserves and depth — all important parts of the process, but none that suggest a significant upgrade or championship contender.

So where do the Cowboys stand?

Return of Dez and Romo

Owner Jerry Jones was right about one thing. The return to health of Tony Romo and Dez Bryant makes the Cowboys significantly better than they were at the end of last season. Romo and Bryant could put the Cowboys right back at the top of the NFC East. But they don’t hang division-title banners at AT&T Stadium for a reason. The goal is to win a Super Bowl. Their return will light up the scoreboard, but that alone is not enough to get over that hump.

Alfred Morris helps

The signing of Alfred Morris gives the Cowboys a stronger running back position than they had at the end of the season. He should pair nicely with Darren McFadden, who had a surprisingly strong 2015, but both are considered stop-gap options. There is no guarantee McFadden can duplicate last season’s success. Add in the uncertainty surrounding the return of Lance Dunbar, and it seems likely the Cowboys will draft a running back.

Pass rusher needed

The biggest setback of the off-season was Randy Gregory’s four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. It turned what was already a big problem at defensive end into a disaster. The Cowboys signed Benson Mayowa from Oakland and retained free agent defensive end Jack Crawford, but those moves were done to add depth. The Cowboys need a premium pass rusher. DeMarcus Lawrence could be that player, but he is recovering from back surgery. No real pass rush, no hope for marked improvement on defense.

Who is the backup QB?

Arguably the biggest surprise of free agency is that the Cowboys didn’t address the backup quarterback position with a veteran. Vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys didn’t want to overspend on a backup because of what they are paying Tony Romo. Their back up plans of Brandon Weeden and then Matt Cassel helped doom them last season, and there is no guarantee Romo will play 16 games again. Are they really going to put the hopes of the franchise on Kellen Moore in place of Romo?

Draft targets

What the Cowboys plan to do with the fourth overall pick remains up the air, although it seems probable they will not take a quarterback or running back at that spot. Defensive end Joey Bosa, cornerback Jalen Ramsey or defensive end DeForest Buckner are the likely picks if they stand pat. The Cowboys will almost certainly address quarterback, running back and defensive line in the draft. Of their 30 pre-draft visits, there were six quarterbacks, five running backs and six defensive linemen at the team’s Valley Ranch headquarters. That defensive line total goes to seven of the draft’s top prospects if you include Alabama’s A’Shawn Robinson, a first-round talent who attended Dallas Day and is a Fort Worth Arlington Heights graduate.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Dallas Cowboys playing a game of silence so far in off-season."