The Dallas Cowboys can win now with Romo and Bryant, but adding another star talent is critical. Running back is the way to go, a perfect compliment for this dynamic duo.
We’re tackling each team in the league, traveling alphabetically to debate their biggest offseason issues. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.
TODD:
With the age and talent across the roster, the Dallas Cowboys are in win-now mode. However, they are coming off of a season in which they lost the most games in the NFC. Is this simply a case of needing Tony Romo back healthy and everything will fall into place? Or is there more wrong with the Cowboys?
One of the main pieces wrong with Dallas last season, at least from a personnel standpoint, was Greg Hardy. He is a free agent and is unlikely to return. Running back Joseph Randle and his rap sheet are also gone. What’s left is a super talented offense and a questionable defense. Usually that is still enough to compete for the postseason, but it seems like something is lacking.
Dez Bryant could probably use a running mate along the outside, especially with Jason Witten aging at tight end and no one developing as his replacement. Darren McFadden will also need a literal running mate in the backfield. Dallas was lucky to get 200+ carries out of him in 2015.
The offensive line is still elite, and Romo is still elite when behind center. The defense has holes, but everyone’s in the NFC East does. Really, success comes down to whether or not the blueprint of the Cowboy offense is correct to build off of.
Is it right to build a team, a hopeful championship contender, around Romo and Dez?
Although he is still thought of as one of the three or four best wide receivers in football, Bryant was not at all productive last season. He was banged up. He also missed Romo, but aren’t the premiere receivers supposed to make others better, not the other way around?
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Romo and Bryant combine to eat up about 22 percent of the entire Dallas salary cap for 2016. They aren’t leaving anytime soon either. Each has a contract that expires in 2020. I’m under the impression that this IS a good baseline for a winning club, but others have floated out the idea of Dallas drafting a quarterback with its first-round pick (fourth overall). And news constantly surfaces about people wanting to run Dez out of town because he’s trouble.
Where do you stand? Is it time for Dallas to move on from the Romo-Bryant pairing? Perhaps it’s not enough, a la the Chris Paul-Blake Griffin pairing in the NBA. Sure, the Clippers are good, but they have never been good enough. The same could be said of Dallas, albeit on a different tier.
DAN:
Does the NFL Have a WAR statistic (wins above replacement), because I’d bet Tony Romo’s is the highest in the league. I’d also stand behind any conspiracy theory that had Jerry Jones pushing for Dallas to tank last season, once Romo was gone for two months with injury. Half of Dallas’ losses came by seven points or less. The Cowboys now hold the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, ensuring they improve at least one aspect of their ailing football team.
Despite Romo’s obvious impact to the team, I’m not a proponent of him being the be-all-end-all for the Dallas offense. The Cowboys can win with a reliable journeyman at the helm, but winning with Romo is much easier. Winning with a combination of Romo and Bryant is even better. But Dez’s best seasons are likely behind him and Dallas must act quickly to infuse talent back into the offense.
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I wouldn’t waste a top draft pick on a quarterback this season, especially with so much other talent that can help the Cowboys immediately. The Black Griffin and Chris Paul comparison is a good one. The Clippers hoped that bringing in star coach Doc Rivers would push them over the top. Yet its hard to elevate above what the Warriors are doing, maybe even impossible. A similar story has unfolded in Dallas. The Romo and Bryant combo has yet to be better than an Aaron Rodgers and Player X combination, or a Russell Wilson and Best Defense in the League combination. Now its Cam Newton and a Great Defense as well. Romo can get it done, but he needs more help at this point in the narrative.
Dez Bryant can be a big time threat next season, but he needs an equally imposing threat across the field from him. Look what Eric Decker did for Brandon Marshall last year in New York. This threat doesn’t have to be at wide receiver, however. The Cowboys can easily add a star running back, either in the draft or through free agency. The Jets have several solid players who will be available. The Bears also let their former star running back walk. Behind Dallas’ offensive line, nearly every free agent back can find success. Chris Ivory is a solid target, but I’m also a big fan of Ezekiel Elliott out of Ohio State.
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The narrative in Dallas must read Tony Romo and Star Player X, with Dez Bryant being the best possible third name in that combination. The Cowboys were worse than they should have been last season, hence my tanking conspiracy, but that likely means they find themselves on top of a weak NFC East in 2016.