This is what's truly keeping the Dallas Cowboys from improving and it will continue despite their head coaching decision
What should most infuriate Dallas Cowboys fans as the franchise drags out its head coaching decision is not whether or not they run it back with Mike McCarthy or who they bring in to replace him should they decide to move on. Instead, it's the ceaseless and recurrent common theme that we see in every single […]
What should most infuriate Dallas Cowboys fans as the franchise drags out its head coaching decision is not whether or not they run it back with Mike McCarthy or who they bring in to replace him should they decide to move on.
Instead, it's the ceaseless and recurrent common theme that we see in every single thing that the Cowboys do as an organization: A complete and utter lack of intentionality.
That's what's keeping the Cowboys from improving and will likely continue to, regardless of who they choose as their future coach. Ask yourself, when was the last time the Cowboys were decisive in an effort to truly shake things up?
When it was time to negotiate Dak Prescott's contract, the Cowboys waited until the last possible moment to get the deal done despite having no leverage at all over their starting quarterback. The result? A minimum cap hit of over $50 million in 2025 that could've been better structured has they done things proactively and with time, in 2023 instead of 2024. With CeeDee Lamb, it was a similar story, as they waited around until the star wide receiver missed the entirety of training camp, which later resulted in early-season struggles for him and Dak as they failed to get on the same page on short notice.
And what for? The Cowboys likely knew they were going to keep them both anyways. Yet they showed no intention and let time hurt them.
The same thing is happening to them as they figure out who will be the next head coach of the Cowboys, McCarthy or else.
After all, should they decide to move on from their coach, six NFL teams with HC vacancies are already ahead of them as they interview several candidates and put in requests around the league. Should they decide to keep McCarthy, they've wasted about a week in which, by the way, assistant coaches are able to talk to other parties interested in them. According to reports, teams are already reaching out.
Not to mention the missed opportunities when it comes to getting started with the 2025 season prep. Even in the scouting department, it would help to know what coaching staff they're working for with the NFL Draft and free agency in the horizon.
"The hay is in the barn," said Jerry Jones leading up to Week 18 regarding the body of work of his coaching staff that would be evaluated. And still, almost a full week later, they haven't made a decision.
This is, sadly, how they do things.
Even in free agency, fans and media members joke when the second week comes around, that free agency has finally begun for the Cowboys. We've gotten so used to the team's lethargic approach to acquiring free agents that we know they won't be involved until the best players are hired away. They usually prefer to settle in for "bargain" free agents that make less impact instead of acting fast and zeroing in on top players who could improve the team.
Trying to think of the last time the Cowboys made a strong, intentional move took me back to 2018 when they traded away a first-rounder for wide receiver Amari Cooper. But even that example reminds us of more lack of intentionality from the front office. After all, they allowed WR to become a ridiculous need while preaching they didn't need a WR1 on the offense. Mind you, they almost made it a motto. They acknowledged they didn't have a No. 1 target on offense and it took them until midseason, when they had no other choice, to make a move. Even that was a reactionary move, not a proactive one.
For once, whether it was keeping McCarthy or turning the page, I would've appreciated some urgency and decisiveness from the Cowboys. Instead, it's hard to figure out when they plan to make a decision on who will be head coach in 2025. Signs point toward McCarthy being the choice so far but even that is painful for them to decide on.
5 coaches the Dallas Cowboys could realistically target, 5 fan favorites, and 2 who check both boxes
Potential head coaches for the Cowboys.
