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Dallas Cowboys: 3 Players who won’t be back in 2021

By Randy Gurzi

Sep 13, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (24) hangs on to the ball after he intercepted a pass intended for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson (12) in the second half of the game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 13, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (24) hangs on to the ball after he intercepted a pass intended for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson (12) in the second half of the game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

These 3 players won’t be part of the Dallas Cowboys 2021 plans

2020 was a season to forget for the Dallas Cowboys and their fans. There was a lot of hype following the replacement of Jason Garrett with Mike McCarthy as head coach as well as seeing Mike Nolan take over for Rod Marinelli.

While the previous staff had run their course, the new one ended up starting behind the eight ball due to a canceled preseason and shortened offseason. They also had far too much drama with the Jones family not wanting to pay Dak Prescott.

The quarterback proved his worth by getting injured as the entire team floundered without him and finished 6-10. Now, as they look ahead to the 2021 season, we identify three players who won’t be back with the club in 2021.

3. Andy Dalton, Quarterback

When he was signed in the offseason, Andy Dalton felt like a great addition. His signing gave them the best backup quarterback they have had in the Dak Prescott era — excluding when Tony Romo technically backed him up in 2016 that is. It was also a homecoming for the 33-year old who was a star at TCU before joining the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011.

In a dream scenario, the backup quarterback is never actually needed but that wasn’t the case in Dallas. When Dak Prescott broke his ankle in Week 5, Dalton was called upon. He started out with some late-game heroics, setting up a winning field goal against the Giants.

From there, it was mostly downhill. Dalton started nine games while appearing in 11. He had 2,169 yards with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions but lost to every team with a winning record. He also fell to the Giants in Week 17, with his final pass being an ugly interception with the game on the line.

At this point, it would be hard to see Dalton coming back. Dallas is going to have to pay Prescott (finally) and it would make more sense to go with a more affordable option such as Garrett Gilbert who played very well in his one appearance against Pittsburgh this season.

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