Prior to the trade deadline on Halloween, Cowboys’ owner and faux general manager, Jerry Jones, declared he was fine standing pat.
“I’m not seeing anything right at this moment,” Jones said just hours before the deadline on 105.3 The Fan. “I see us right now having a good hand.”
So here’s the question, Cowboys Nation: How are we feeling now that Dallas is 5-3 and has lost to the Eagles and 49ers?
The answer is: not good. Because “standing pat” does not win Super Bowls in today’s NFL.
While other teams made moves to improve their roster going into the second half of the season, the Cowboys did nothing.
That decision could just come back to haunt them in January.
GOOD PRE-SEASON SIGNINGS
Jones’ touted the pre-season acquisitions of Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks. He should be proud of those moves.
They were great signings, which is why Dallas has a shot to make the playoffs.
But since then, Trevon Diggs has been lost for the year to injury. Michael Gallup is still a shadow of his former self.
The offensive line has some serious health issues. The running game is nearly nonexistent.
The Cowboys’ tight end room is a mess. Jake Ferguson is starting to show up, but that is it.
Peyton Hendershot is injured. Sean McKeon is a non-factor.
Luke Schoonmaker is this close to being labeled a bust along with fellow Michigan rookie, defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
The trade deadline was when the Cowboys’ front office needed to make a move or two to shore up what should be a Super Bowl run this year.
Any general manager in any sport improves his team in this situation whenever he can. But not the Cowboys’ general manager.
Dallas doesn’t have a general manager and hasn’t since early 1989, when Tex Schramm left the team.
MOVES WERE NEEDED
The Cowboys’ offensive line is not blowing open holes for Tony Pollard or Rico Dowdle to run through on a consistent basis.
A move could have been made for an experienced lineman to shore up the line.
But the Cowboys stood pat.
Terence Steele is clearly not 100% right, coming off an injury. Yet the Cowboys signed him to a 5-year, $82.5 million contract.
OVERPAYING FOR DAMAGED GOODS
Overpaying players coming off of injuries without seeing how they’ve recovered is a recurring issue in Dallas.
And here is where Michael Gallup enters the chat.
This was Gallup’s highlight from Sunday:
The Cowboys decided, with Gallup recovering from a serious leg injury, to jettison a key player they had traded for and retain Gallup with a 5-year, $57.5 million contract.
In the 22 games that Gallup has played post-injury, he has 61 receptions out of 112 targets.
He has 667 yards and four touchdowns, none in 2023.
The player Dallas traded away in order to retain the free agent Gallup because they couldn’t afford to keep both. Amari Cooper? Do you wonder what he’s up to these days?
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