The Dallas Cowboys simply don’t understand that taking a risk on players with red flags in the past isn’t the way of building a consistent culture of success.
Things just aren’t the same when it comes to “America’s Team” with how the organization is run these days. It seems like it was just yesterday the Dallas Cowboys were the team to beat, led by a powerhouse offense with the best offensive line in all of football, a stout defense capable of stopping anyone and leadership establishing a winning culture.
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The past few years haven’t been all that great from the Cowboys, especially 2015. Due to injuries, lack of execution and players making headlines for all the wrong reasons, they ended the year at just 4-12 in the bottom of the NFC East. The offseason couldn’t come fast enough for the Cowboys but due to several suspensions of key players, it’s one that they’re trying to pretend is just fine when in reality it isn’t.
Three players were suspended for games this upcoming season due to violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Linebacker Rolando McClain was hit with 10 games, defensive end Randy Gregory for four maybe even 10 games after further investigation and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence for four games.
It’s a shame really as there is nothing wrong with having players seek professional help to conquer their demons but these red flags were all visible to the Cowboys when they decided to take a major risk in acquiring these players. Even with the hope of running back Ezekiel Elliott being the next incarnation of Emmitt Smith, he is also under investigation by the NFL due to domestic abuse charges that at the time of this writing, is unclear if they’re true or not.
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Taking risks in players is one thing but it’s getting absolutely ridiculous that owner and general manager Jerry Jones doesn’t simply understand the bigger picture.
The best teams in the NFL have key franchise players that for the most part, prove their worth both on and off the football field.
It’s one thing to take players right out of college with a past of substance or domestic abuse and throwing them to the wolves too soon but it’s another in giving them a golden opportunity to contribute without the proper help and guidance they need before they step foot on the gridiron.
In an article written by Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPN.com, here is what head coach Jason Garrett had to say about this belief of taking a huge risk on players that :
"“We’re bringing in the right kind of guys, and then you take some risks and take some chances on some other guys to see if you can help them fit into that culture,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “We have a number of great success stories [over] the last few years of guys fitting into that culture. Are we always right? No.”"
At the end of the day, the Cowboys are tarnishing their overall image and above all else, are struggling to even field a contending team at this point by continuing to take big risks on players that aren’t panning out at all. They lost some of their top defensive players by taking risks on them and if something happens to Elliott where he could get suspended, they would be starting the upcoming season without their first-round draft pick and x-factor on offense.
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If the Cowboys don’t soon start to invest in players that can be trusted for the long-term, they’ll continue to have a culture of having players not respect the tradition of not only the franchise but of the game of professional football.
The Cowboys aren’t perfect but lately, their belief in acquiring risky talent hasn’t been paying off at all lately and if this continues, they’ll soon find themselves in major risk of losing their most dedicated fans due to the apparent instability of the franchise.