Dallas Cowboys already have some very big holes to fill
Back in 2018, the Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East and a playoff game. Now the team comes off a disappointing year and it’s already been a trying offseason.
The “legal tampering” began on Monday and the new contracts became official at 4:00 pm ET. And in less than a week, the roster of the Dallas Cowboys looks dramatically different and not necessarily in a good way.
Entering this offseason, the club took the chance of losing their starting quarterback, top wide receiver, team sack leader, leading cornerback, ageless tight end and a bit more.
The organization would put the franchise tag on four-year quarterback Dak Prescott and keep Amari Cooper off the free-agent market courtesy of a five-year, $100 million deal. But defensive end Robert Quinn is now a member of the Chicago Bears, standout defensive back Byron Jones took his talents to South Florida and Jason Witten left the team again. Only this time it was to ink a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Witten wasn’t the only Cowboys’ player to head to Sin City. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins and safety Jeff Heath also joined Jon Gruden’s club.
Meanwhile, veteran wideout Randall Cobb is still in the Lone Star State but as a member of the Houston Texans. And reserve tackle Cameron Fleming, who made a combined five starts for Jerry Jones’ team the past two seasons, has joined the New York Giants.
So where does this leave Mike McCarthy and his staff? The team has added a pair of veterans in defensive tackles Gerald McCoy (Carolina Panthers) and cornerback Maurice Canady (New York Jets) while linebacker Sean Lee re-upped with the team.
But the departures of Quinn, Collins and Jones loom large for a defensive unit that was a disappointment a season ago. The Cowboys don’t have a bevy of cap room so they will have to fill those holes via one-year bargains or via the draft.
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Entering 2019, the Dallas Cowboys had the look of a promising squad thanks to an efficient offense and a defense that appeared to be on the rise. Now there’s a new man on the sidelines and suddenly the roster is missing some of its most productive performers from this past season. Can the front office fill some of the team’s holes over the next few months? It could prove to be quite the challenge.