2022 NFL: Worst offseason move for each of the 32 teams

Dallas Cowboys: The lost starters

This was not a good offseason for the Dallas Cowboys — which is why it’s hard to pin down just one bad move. Instead, it was a couple of moves that really stood out — and they both had the same common issue, a stubborn front office.

Back before the 2019 season, the Cowboys gave in when Ezekiel Elliott held out and allowed him to jump ahead of Dak Prescott in contract talks. While every other team knows the quarterbacks and receivers should be paid, Dallas ran it back to 1995 and gave Zeke a six-year extension worth $90 million and an absurd $50 million guaranteed.

Most running backs don’t have six years of prime play but the Cowboys gave Elliott a six-year extension after he hit his prime. And now, they’re paying because of this.

Their stubbornness in believing the running game is still king is why they had to trade Amari Cooper for a late-round pick which severely limits their passing attack — which could have still been the best in the league had they kept Cooper with CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.

As if that wasn’t enough, they also messed up with Randy Gregory. While negotiating with Gregory, Jerry Jones went to the media and practically told Gregory he owed them after they put up with his suspensions. Then, they put some wording in his contract that frustrated him so much that he backed out of a deal and bolted for Denver.

Sadly, Dallas fans have grown accustomed to the Jones family blundering their way through things, and this offseason was a major example of that.