The tough reality about the 3-4 Dallas Cowboys is that they're just not a good football team. They have some high-profile players headlined by the likes of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons, but they're a flawed roster that isn't built to be a Super Bowl contender.

The worst part of it all is arguably the fact that Jerry Jones warned fans about it when he told the media in the offseason the team would have to do "more with less."

That's why a specific quote from Stephen Jones on 105.3 The Fan caught many people's attention on Monday, when he attempted to explain why he hadn't had any thoughts about the Cowboys not having a good enough roster. 

“This team is made up of a lot of the same players that won 12 games the last three seasons," Jones said on live radio on Monday. "Right now we’re just going through adversity. We’ve had more than our share of injuries it feels like this year, especially on the defensive side of the ball."

Although there's some truth to the notion that the Cowboys are "made up of a lot of the same players," that statement simply falls incredibly short of describing the situation the team is in by design. This offseason, the Cowboys allowed several key players to walk in free agency and refused to replace them with any other outside additions. 

The plan has blown up in their faces as the NFL world realizes the team isn't great. As long as the front office doesn't accept that fact, it's hard to expect any changes. With that in mind, I thought it was the perfect time for this exercise. 

Here's a list of key players that were an important part of those seasons and are no longer on the team and how their departures have impacted the team in 2024.

Tyron Smith

This one is the most obvious one. The Cowboys have gone through tremendous issues in pass protection and those can be traced back to the decision to not pay Smith. 

Instead, the Cowboys have had to entrust Tyler Guyton with the job at left tackle and that has also meant helping him out through scheme, which is particularly hard when the tackle on the other side, Terence Steele, also needs to be helped out.  

Although Smith hasn’t been great in New York, he’s certainly been better than Guyton, which isn’t a knock on the first-round rookie but rather the reality of asking to a low-floor, high-ceiling prospect to step into the show since Day 1. 

This is no small issue as it has hindered the Cowboys’ passing game. While Jones can say a lot of the team is the same, it’s difficult to understate how much a downgrade at tackle can affect a team. 

Stephon Gilmore

The Cowboys neglected the need for depth at cornerback even one year after being the ultimate witness to how important it was: Last year, the team was able to capitalize on the addition of Gilmore upon losing Trevon Diggs for the 2023 season. Having Gilmore on the roster avoided a worst case scenario and the team got away with such a brutal hit because of their top-notch depth at the position. 

One year later, the Cowboys’ fourth cornerback was fifth-round rookie Caelen Carson, who was forced to start Week 1. Now, with Carson also being banged up, the Cowboys have been forced to play replacement level CB Amani Amani Oruwariye.

Not re-signing Gilmore or adding any sort of experienced depth is currently costing the Cowboys and fans shouldn't overlook the fact that they didn't add a free agent even after Carson's injury with the season ongoing.

Johnathan Hankins

This is also a big one. I'm not talking about Hankins' size as a nose tackle but Mazi Smith has been bad… even if the Cowboys intended for the former first-round pick to play better, Hankins had proven to be a solid NT and could've been good insurance policy. Reports indicate Hankins preferred the Seattle Seahawks over Dallas, who offered him a deal, but the truth is they could've offered more as Hankins barely occupies any cap space for his new team (under $2M). 

Instead, the Cowboys are stuck with one of the league's worst nose tackles, hindering the run defense of the team.

Other noteworthy names

• Tony Pollard: I'm not trying to argue that the Cowboys should've signed Pollard to a big deal, but it's another player out of the picture that you'd love to have as Dallas can't run the ball at all in 2024.
• DE Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler Jr: The biggest problem at DE has been injuries, to be fair. That being said… wouldn't it be nice to have at least one of these for depth? The Cowboys can't pressure anyone as of now.  

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott explains underwhelming ending to comeback bid vs 49ers

Not great.