Dallas City News

This is a very interesting year for the Dallas Cowboys. Head coach Mike McCarthy is in the last year of his contract, and if the team doesn’t find a way to have some playoff success this upcoming season, that could be all she wrote for the McCarthy era. A new head coach in 2025 would likely mean an entirely new coaching staff, and with that a new learning curve that could create some delays before we might expect them to be strong contenders.

Adding more complication to the mix is their quarterback situation. At the start of that future 2025 season, Dak Prescott will be 32 years old. And, as we all know, he’s not currently under contract for that season. The Cowboys will need to decide real soon if they plan to re-up on Prescott even if it means putting the final stretch of his career in a time window when the coaching staff, culture, and play-calling, might be under construction. That does not seem desirable.

That’s why the decision with Dak is so important. Having a bad quarterback on your team is a death sentence in the NFL. But at the same time, investing in a high-priced quarterback doesn’t guarantee success. Nine NFL quarterbacks make more than $40 million annually and four of them played in the playoffs. A total of 16 quarterbacks make more than $30 million and seven of them played in the playoffs. In both cases, 44% of the teams who have an expensive quarterback on their roster made the postseason.

You can make a case that having a high-priced quarterback on the roster is neither an advantage nor a detriment, and what matters the most is how the team builds around him. Look no further than Sunday’s Super Bowl teams to show the difference in roster-building approach as they are considerably different.

When you look at the money distribution between these two teams, obviously the quarterback position stands out. Patrick Mahomes cost a good chunk of change whereas second-year, seventh-round pick Brock Purdy is dirt cheap. You can also see that the Chiefs double-downed on their QB investment by making sure Mahomes is protected. Over the last few years, they have paid top dollar for two free-agent offensive linemen (Joe Thuney and Jawaan Taylor) as well as drafting an All-Pro center in Creed Humphrey. And somehow they find ways to replenish the offensive skill positions like Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt with low-cost youngsters Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco (seventh-round pick).

But that’s not to say they got nothing on defense. They’ve spent money on key pieces like DT Chris Jones but have also done an outstanding job filling in the gaps with over-performing defenders still on their rookie deal like George Karlaftis, Trent McDuffie, and L’Jarius Sneed.

On the flip side, San Francisco is heavily invested in their front seven. The 49ers are using a lot of funds to make sure they are strong at defensive end, defensive tackle, and linebacker. Players like Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, and Fred Warner are all among the top paid at their respective positions. It’s no secret, that the 49ers are built on their defense, but they also have done a very good job allocating enough resources to give their young quarterback plenty of weapons. They’ve spent money on offensive linemen (Trent Williams), wide receiver (Deebo Samuel), and tight end (George Kittle).

When you look at both rosters, two important factors apply to each team. First and foremost, they must have a good quarterback. Expensive or cheap, they need to be able to make plays. Second, there needs to be enough talent spread out around them. But again, that doesn’t necessarily mean a lot of money has to be thrown around at certain positions. The Super Bowl Champions have shown that they can survive without spending a lot on defense if they have enough young pieces.

So, what does that mean for the Cowboys? Well, the money distribution for the 2023 Cowboys looked as follows:

As you can see, they don’t follow either strategy of the two Super Bowl teams. The Cowboys are throwing heavy funds at the “money five” positions, which it’s hard to argue is a bad thing. Premium positions cost premium bucks. We already know the Cowboys go cheap at defensive tackle, they also skimp at safety, and they’ve recently decided to spend less at linebacker.

Their approach isn’t a bad one as long as their quarterback is good enough and they’re providing enough talent around him. With that in mind, the Cowboys’ plan should be as follows:

1. Extend Prescott – We can debate for days about whether or not Prescott is “the guy” but he just finished second in the NFL MVP voting so some people out there think he’s pretty good.
2. Secure the line – If you expect your quarterback to be successful, then they have to keep him upright. Prioritizing the offensive line to make sure Prescott has time to operate is crucial.
3. Fix the holes – The front office is really good at replenishing roster spots with young talent who can perform. In the last five drafts, they’ve selected four Pro Bowl players who were taken on Day 3 of the draft. They can find the talent, but they must be able to be honest with themselves about where they are weak and address those positions. We need to see some improvements at the defensive tackle and linebacker positions, and it wouldn’t hurt to have more safeties who can help in coverage.

The Cowboys have a talented roster, we’re sure most would agree on that. But teams will continue to attack their weaknesses and “find the bunny” so it’s important to shore up those areas where they are lacking. And Prescott is the guy. Granted, he needs to prove he can be the guy in the postseason, but we’ve seen what he can do with time and adequate weapons, so there’s no reason to shake things up and go a different direction at quarterback. A few roster tweaks here and there combined with a quarterback who can make plays when it counts is the winning formula for success in 2024.