- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,209,189
- Reaction score
- 59
The Dallas Cowboys season is now over. Following their Week 18 contest in New York, the club is immediately moving on to trying to fix things, as there are numerous decisions that have to be made. Moves made by other teams will certainly impact what the Cowboys can do, they don't exist in a vacuum. But a team that doesn't recognize their history is doomed to repeat it, so it's important to look back on the decisions that were made that led to the disappointing season.
Here, we'll review each of the 20 major moves the club made leading up to, and during the season. This covers everything from the coaching staff, to free agency, to trade acquisitions (and departures), extensions and of course the premiere draft pick choices.
There are many sides to a coaching hire, and from the perspective of resetting the culture of a directionless team, it appears Schottenheimer has been a success. He's stood by his convictions in every major issue that's arisen and generally handled having to work for Jerry Jones the best way possible.
However, there were simply better coaches available in the recent cycle. Mike Vrabel has lead the New England Patriots to the AFC East title. Liam Cohen did the same in Jacksonville and Ben Johnson in Chicago. None of them interviewed for the Cowboys' opening.
Part of what Schottenheimer has had to deal with has been the abhorrent defense of the Cowboys, once again flirting among the worst the NFL has seen. The Cowboys interviewed Eberflus before Schottenheimer was fired, which leads to the assumption the always meddling Jones made the DC decision for his HC who wasn't being looked at for any other gigs. It's been a disaster.
Schottenheimer got this one right, along with hiring Conor Riley to lead the offensive line. Dallas' run game, with limited talent at the position, has been unique and inventive. The pass protection isn't where it needs to be, but the offense is fresh, a far cry from what it looked like down the stretch in 2023 and through 2024.
The special teams unit has woefully regressed. The coverage gives up huge returns on virtually every kickoff, handcuffing the defense. Kavontae Turpin, the best returner in the game, looks completely unsure of himself and has made several boneheaded decisions this season. Special teams has been a debacle for Dallas.
The Cowboys were terrified of letting a home grown prospect leave, and ponied up the money for their 3-tech. The problem was that the 3-tech was paid off speculation; he's been a really good pressure player who rarely turns that pressure into sacks. Odighizuwa has been good, but he hasn't been great.
Fowler was signed this offseason to continue his late-career resurgence that saw him tally 20.5 sacks over the last three seasons. He has three.
Williams has outplayed Dowdle, but with more opportunities. Dowdle was the backup in Carolina at first, before bullying his way into the starting lineup. There should be little doubt Dowdle would've pulled off a similar season to Williams if granted the same opportunities.
Murray has been exactly what he was every previous stop of his career, which makes the commitment to him insane. He is still standing in the starting lineup because of what he does in every other facet of game preparation. There is absolutely better linebacker play to be had from this spot.
Elam was acquired because the team didn't know what to expect from the Trevon Diggs situation. That's part of why the front office was so upset; they had to make contingency plans based on lack of knowledge of Diggs' rehab. Elam wasn't good and was released as soon as it became tenable.
Turpin was certainly worthy of an extension after being a top returner. Was the increase in offensive responsibility too much, though? Aside from his big bomb TD in Week 17, he had an underwhelming season as both a receiver and returner, often making bad decisions fielding the ball and stumbling over himself.
Milton is still green, but there's enough to like about him, starting with his insane arm cannon and his scramble ability. If the team keeps him as he matures and learns to make better decisions, he's at minimum a trade chip. The real test will be next year as Prescott hasn't had two healthy seasons in a row since 2018-2019.
Phenomenal selection. Booker is everything this club needed in a guard and he's well on his way to being a Pro Bowler in the next two years.
Ezeiruaku doesn't have the sack totals yet, but everything he's shown indicates he could become a top-tier two-way edge player, shutting down the run and pressuring the QB.
Revel had a major setback in training camp that the team was reluctant to admit, but it dampened his impact as a rookie. So did having to play in Eberflus' zone scheme. A reset should occur this offseason.
Just a brilliant move by the front office. Grabbing Pickens for at least two years (they should franchise tag him, maybe twice) and then letting him walk is probably the best strategy. The club needs to find out they can win with him before investing long term.
Ferguson really only got a two-year deal wrapped in four years, and he is a solid, secure target but the man has zero run-after-catch ability. It's frustrating to watch.
Just hideous. Should've figured it out and if you knew from last draft it wasn't going to happen, trading him when the whole league could've entered a bidding war would've been wiser than waiting until the end of training camp. The reward was decent, but Parsons is a force multiplier and the front office learned how he made everyone around him better, even if he wasn't their idea of a leader.
Bland was entering the final season of his rookie deal, but his extension was to take the heat off of the Parsons trade. It happened just three days after and now it appears that Bland has problems with both feet, again needing a surgery to correct. Hopefully the rest of his deal plays out better than this season, which technically wasn't even part of the extension outside of the signing bonus.
Smith is one of the game's best interior players. Extending him was a no brainer and well deserved. Dallas needs to find a left tackle solution other than kicking Smith outside. He's top tier on the inside, only pretty good on the outside. It's just that pretty good is better than what they've had.
Making this move allows Dallas to recover from the Parsons debacle. We've seen that the edge presence is more important, but the Cowboys have a true disruptor on the interior for the next several seasons. Now, go find him a edge player to stand next to him.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Grading 20 biggest moves from Cowboys' '25: Hires, trades, FA, draft
Continue reading...
Here, we'll review each of the 20 major moves the club made leading up to, and during the season. This covers everything from the coaching staff, to free agency, to trade acquisitions (and departures), extensions and of course the premiere draft pick choices.
Hiring Brain Schottenheimer as head coach | Grade: C
You must be registered for see images attach
There are many sides to a coaching hire, and from the perspective of resetting the culture of a directionless team, it appears Schottenheimer has been a success. He's stood by his convictions in every major issue that's arisen and generally handled having to work for Jerry Jones the best way possible.
However, there were simply better coaches available in the recent cycle. Mike Vrabel has lead the New England Patriots to the AFC East title. Liam Cohen did the same in Jacksonville and Ben Johnson in Chicago. None of them interviewed for the Cowboys' opening.
Hiring Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator | Grade: D
Part of what Schottenheimer has had to deal with has been the abhorrent defense of the Cowboys, once again flirting among the worst the NFL has seen. The Cowboys interviewed Eberflus before Schottenheimer was fired, which leads to the assumption the always meddling Jones made the DC decision for his HC who wasn't being looked at for any other gigs. It's been a disaster.
Hiring Klayton Adams as offensive coordinator | Grade: A
Schottenheimer got this one right, along with hiring Conor Riley to lead the offensive line. Dallas' run game, with limited talent at the position, has been unique and inventive. The pass protection isn't where it needs to be, but the offense is fresh, a far cry from what it looked like down the stretch in 2023 and through 2024.
Hiring Nick Sorensen as special teams coordinator | Grade: D
The special teams unit has woefully regressed. The coverage gives up huge returns on virtually every kickoff, handcuffing the defense. Kavontae Turpin, the best returner in the game, looks completely unsure of himself and has made several boneheaded decisions this season. Special teams has been a debacle for Dallas.
Extending Osa Odighizuwa | Grade: C+
You must be registered for see images attach
The Cowboys were terrified of letting a home grown prospect leave, and ponied up the money for their 3-tech. The problem was that the 3-tech was paid off speculation; he's been a really good pressure player who rarely turns that pressure into sacks. Odighizuwa has been good, but he hasn't been great.
Signing free agent DE Dante Fowler | Grade: D
Fowler was signed this offseason to continue his late-career resurgence that saw him tally 20.5 sacks over the last three seasons. He has three.
Signing RB Javonte Williams / Letting Rico Dowdle walk | Grade: B-
Williams has outplayed Dowdle, but with more opportunities. Dowdle was the backup in Carolina at first, before bullying his way into the starting lineup. There should be little doubt Dowdle would've pulled off a similar season to Williams if granted the same opportunities.
Trading for LB Kenneth Murray | Grade: F
Murray has been exactly what he was every previous stop of his career, which makes the commitment to him insane. He is still standing in the starting lineup because of what he does in every other facet of game preparation. There is absolutely better linebacker play to be had from this spot.
Trading for CB Kaiir Elam | Grade: C
Elam was acquired because the team didn't know what to expect from the Trevon Diggs situation. That's part of why the front office was so upset; they had to make contingency plans based on lack of knowledge of Diggs' rehab. Elam wasn't good and was released as soon as it became tenable.
Re-signing WR/KR Kavontae Turpin | Grade: B-
Turpin was certainly worthy of an extension after being a top returner. Was the increase in offensive responsibility too much, though? Aside from his big bomb TD in Week 17, he had an underwhelming season as both a receiver and returner, often making bad decisions fielding the ball and stumbling over himself.
Trade 7th round pick for QB Joe Milton | Grade: B
Milton is still green, but there's enough to like about him, starting with his insane arm cannon and his scramble ability. If the team keeps him as he matures and learns to make better decisions, he's at minimum a trade chip. The real test will be next year as Prescott hasn't had two healthy seasons in a row since 2018-2019.
Drafting RG Tyler Booker with No. 12 overall pick | Grade: A
Phenomenal selection. Booker is everything this club needed in a guard and he's well on his way to being a Pro Bowler in the next two years.
Drafting DE Donovan Ezeiruaku with No. 44 overall pick | Grade: A
Ezeiruaku doesn't have the sack totals yet, but everything he's shown indicates he could become a top-tier two-way edge player, shutting down the run and pressuring the QB.
Drafting Shavon Revel with No. 76 overall pick | Grade: B
Revel had a major setback in training camp that the team was reluctant to admit, but it dampened his impact as a rookie. So did having to play in Eberflus' zone scheme. A reset should occur this offseason.
Trading a 2026 3rd Round pick for WR George Pickens | Grade: A-
Just a brilliant move by the front office. Grabbing Pickens for at least two years (they should franchise tag him, maybe twice) and then letting him walk is probably the best strategy. The club needs to find out they can win with him before investing long term.
Extend TE Jake Ferguson | Grade: C+
Ferguson really only got a two-year deal wrapped in four years, and he is a solid, secure target but the man has zero run-after-catch ability. It's frustrating to watch.
Trading Micah Parsons for two 1st-round picks, DT Kenny Clark | Grade: F
You must be registered for see images attach
Just hideous. Should've figured it out and if you knew from last draft it wasn't going to happen, trading him when the whole league could've entered a bidding war would've been wiser than waiting until the end of training camp. The reward was decent, but Parsons is a force multiplier and the front office learned how he made everyone around him better, even if he wasn't their idea of a leader.
Extend CB DaRon Bland | Grade: C-
Bland was entering the final season of his rookie deal, but his extension was to take the heat off of the Parsons trade. It happened just three days after and now it appears that Bland has problems with both feet, again needing a surgery to correct. Hopefully the rest of his deal plays out better than this season, which technically wasn't even part of the extension outside of the signing bonus.
Extend LG Tyler Smith | Grade: A
Smith is one of the game's best interior players. Extending him was a no brainer and well deserved. Dallas needs to find a left tackle solution other than kicking Smith outside. He's top tier on the inside, only pretty good on the outside. It's just that pretty good is better than what they've had.
Trading 2nd-round pick, 2027 1st for DT Quinnen Williams | Grade: A+
You must be registered for see images attach
Making this move allows Dallas to recover from the Parsons debacle. We've seen that the edge presence is more important, but the Cowboys have a true disruptor on the interior for the next several seasons. Now, go find him a edge player to stand next to him.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Grading 20 biggest moves from Cowboys' '25: Hires, trades, FA, draft
Continue reading...
