The Dallas Cowboys are entering one of the most pivotal seasons in recent franchise history considering everything that’s on the line in 2024.
Owner Jerry Jones has made it clear the Cowboys are going “all-in” for 2024 and decided to retain Mike McCarthy for one more season to see if he can get the talented roster past the first round in the playoffs and possibly reach the Super Bowl expectations Jones expects.
After a fantastic regular season where Dallas won the NFC East with a (12-5) record which gave them home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, the Cowboys were dominated by a young, surging Green Bay Packers team.
Suddenly one of the league’s top defenses couldn’t stop the run and allowed first-year starting QB Jordan Love to look like Patrick Mahomes, while Dak Prescott and the offense sputtered which was rare for 2023.
Because of his track record, Dallas Cowboys fans are accustomed to blaming Dak Prescott, who hasn’t been able to get the hump in the postseason since taking over as the team’s franchise QB.
There was even a portion of the fan base who wanted the team to move on from Prescott and attempt to plug in Trey Lance, the former first-round selection who the 49ers traded a fortune to move up and select.
Ultimately Lance never worked out in San Francisco but they got lucky hitting on Brock Purdy. Last season he was the third-string QB for the Dallas Cowboys.
Prescott was in the discussion for NFL MVP this season and closed out arguably the best regular season of his career. The Cowboys entered the wildcard round matchup as two-score favorites over the Green. Bay Packers, who have a first-year starting QB and the youngest roster in the NFL.
Prescott closed out the 2023 regular season ranked in the top five in several major categories for NFL QB. He came into Sunday’s playoff matchup against the Green Bay Packers with 4,516 yards (3rd), 36 touchdowns (1st), 9 interceptions and a QB rating of 72.5 (2nd).
Still, the Dallas Cowboys brass has made the decision to let Prescott play out the final year of his current contract instead of extending him earlier in the offseason which would have freed up money to add new talent around him. Instead, Dallas made minimal moves in free agency and have sat back while other teams reached extensions with their star players.
CeeDee Lamb is on the cusp of being paid as one of the top receivers in the NFL, but now after the Trevor Lawrence contract, there’s no need for Prescott to rush a new deal with the Cowboys. Regardless of how he plays in 2024, there will be a line of teams willing to make him the highest paid QB in the NFL after this season.
If Dallas doesn’t make a significant playoff run, this team could look very very different in 2025.
Dallas Cowboys Expected To Move On From Demarcus Lawrence After 2024
Regardless of how the season goes, Blogging the Boys’ Matthew Holleran believes Cowboys defensive star Demarcus Lawrence is playing his final season in Dallas.
“Lawrence has been a great Cowboy during his 10-year tenure in Dallas, but his 11th season this fall will likely be his last,” writes Holleran. “The Cowboys spent their second-round selection in this year’s draft on Western Michigan edge Marshawn Kneeland. The 22-year-old’s best trait is his excellence in stopping the run, and he profiles very similarly to Lawrence, albeit much less polished.”
While the addition of Kneeland is reason to believe Lawrence may be entering his final year as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Holleran points out the team’s need to pay Micah Parsons as another reason Lawrence will be gone after 2024.
“With Lawrence set to hit free agency after this season, Dallas will almost certainly slide Kneeland in at his spot, saving them considerable money at the position,” writes Holleran. “These savings could open up cap space to give fellow edge rusher Micah Parsons a long-term extension next spring.”
