It’s not exactly Cowboys owner Jerry Jones declaring that the team is “all in” for the upcoming season, as he did last winter, resulting in one of the most disappointing offseasons imaginable for the franchise. Jones’ statement was misunderstood throughout the NFL, with many believing it meant the team would be highly aggressive in recruiting new players.
However, players such as Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley passed them up in free agency. The Cowboys were never mentioned in potential trade talks to meet needs with studs such as Brandon Aiyuk. They let stalwarts such as Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard, and Stephon Gilmore go without proper replacements.
In retrospect, Jones meant by “all in” that the team was all in on its squad and coaching staff as it was at the time, and that if they tanked, they would change things after the season. Of course, the Cowboys tanked at 7-10 in 2024, and they did make changes, removing coach Mike McCarthy and appointing offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach.
With that in mind, team vice president Stephen Jones, Jerry Jones’ son, told the Dallas Morning News that he expects the Cowboys to be more aggressive in free agency this winter and spring.
Fans who have been burnt by 2024 may be skeptical of his claims. However, that is the current outlook.
Cowboys Have a ‘Good Chance’ of Being More Aggressive
To be fair, Jones did not state that the team plans to make major, splashy, headline-grabbing changes in the coming weeks and months. However, he acknowledged that the Cowboys have lost a number of key players, the most recent being tackle Zack Martin, and that those players must be replaced.
“I think there’s probably a good chance of that,” Jones said of signing free agents. “I believe that is part of it, given what we lost last year and what we have for free this year.” Every year is a unique year.”
First and foremost, the Cowboys must deal with their own roster. Micah Parsons is the front-runner, though the Dallas Morning News says that a new contract for Parsons will likely come second, after the re-signing of free agency interior lineman Osa Odighizuwa.
Parsons has a fifth-year option worth $24 million for next season.
Brian Schottenheimer Sees Quick Turnaround
Certainly, there is still hope in Dallas that the team may make a rapid turnaround after finishing 7-10 last season. After all, the squad had gone 12-5 the previous three years, and merely filling some holes could be enough to get things back on track.
That was the message from new coach Schottenheimer.
“The objective and the main thing is we want to win the Super Bowl …” Schottenheimer said. “And I think one of the things about me taking over this prestigious position is we can hit the ground running pretty fast because I don’t need to learn the decision-makers. I don’t need to learn the quarterback. I don’t need to learn how things work. And so, I feel like we’re kind of ahead of the curve with some of these other teams that made changes.”
