Biggest Challenges Facing Dallas Cowboys in 2017 Offseason
Going from 4-12 to 13-3 in one offseason is an incredible feat for the Dallas Cowboys. But, over the past decade, what has actually been a bigger challenge for the team is maintaining success.
The Cowboys haven't had consecutive seasons in which they've reached the playoffs since 2006-2007; they have a tendency to see-saw after one successful or down year.
For the Cowboys to reach the playoffs again in 2017, the team will have many obstacles they will need to clear. Including the lack of cap space, potential losses at key positions and lack of overall depth, the team has quite a few challenges entering this offseason. How they deal with each problem will be critical to retooling this team for the upcoming year.
Here are some of their biggest challenges entering the 2017 offseason.
Moving Tony Romo
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The biggest decision the Cowboys will make this offseason involves Tony Romo and how they handle his massive contract. Inevitably, a divorce will need to happen, but the process of getting there will be tricky.
Romo has value. When healthy, he's easily one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the entire NFL.
Even in his brief appearance in Week 17 against the Eagles, there was no rust from the 36-year-old quarterback. His arm looked as alive as ever and manufactured a long touchdown drive on his only live snaps of the season. The sample size was small, but he didn't look like a quarterback who has lost the ability to play. The only question mark is his health.
The back injury he suffered in the preseason that caused him to miss most of 2016 was unrelated to his previous back surgeries. It's not expected to limit him going forward and his collarbone surgery in 2016 should prevent any further injuries there.
Provided nothing major pops up, it's conceivable to think Romo has two to three years of high-level football left in him. He's one of the smartest quarterbacks pre-snap in the NFL, and his lightning-quick release makes up for any lack of arm talent that he may have.
The Cowboys' biggest issue is what to do with him. There will likely be many suitors clamoring after his talents, but they may play a game of chicken with the team, knowing that Dallas won't carry him and his massive cap number into the 2017 season.
There will be teams who offer Dallas some sort of compensation for Romo, but loyalty will play a factor here. Ideally, the Cowboys would like to send Romo out of the conference and to a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
The most likely thing to happen for Romo and the Cowboys is an outright release, which would save the Cowboys about $5 million in cap space in 2017, while a post-June 1 cut saves them $14 million, according to Over The Cap.
Another option for Romo is retirement. 105.3 The Fan's Mike Fisher reported Romo has three TV offers should he end his playing career. If the veteran can't find a suitable team after a release, it's possible that he ends up calling games on TV in 2017.
Any way you slice it, Romo's career in Dallas is likely over, and he will be playing elsewhere next season. How he gets there will be the biggest offseason story in the NFL.
Lack of Cap Space and Bad Contracts
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According to Over The Cap, the Cowboys have the least amount of cap space in the entire NFL going into the 2017 offseason—in fact, they are more than $12 million over the cap.
One of the reasons the Cowboys have such little cap room is because of some poorly designed contracts. Tony Romo's deal is one of the biggest reasons the team will struggle with cap space in 2017, but he's not the only one.
In 2015, the Cowboys signed defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford to a five-year, $45 million extension with $17.4 million of it guaranteed. At the time, the Cowboys thought they were getting a deal on the former Boise State defensive lineman.
Crawford was now the full-time three technique, and the team assumed he was going to break out under defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. But since signing his extension, the 27-year-old has only produced 9.5 sacks, many of which came outside as a left end.
For 2017, Crawford will be the seventh-most expensive defensive tackle in the NFL, but he's clearly not close to that type of player.
He's not going to start 2017 at the position he was paid to play, and there is a chance he won't even start anywhere on the defensive line next season. As of now, he's the second-highest paid defensive player behind Sean Lee, but the team is desperately trying to upgrade his roster spot.
The third-highest paid player on the Cowboys' defense is 30-year-old Orlando Scandrick. Numerous injuries have slowed him down in the past few years, including a torn ACL in 2015 during training camp. But even when he returned to the team in 2016, he was forced into the slot as starters Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr played outside.
Scandrick's deal isn't outlandish, as he is the 34th-highest paid cornerback in the league, but he just isn't playing to that level. In the final installment of the NFL1000, he graded out as the 77th-best player at his position.
For a team that is this tight up against the cap, they need their stars on defense to play to the level of their contracts.
Lack of Pass Rush
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For the second time in three years, the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round of the playoffs because of one massive hole on the team's roster; a lack of a pass rush.
From a game-to-game basis, there is not a single pass-rusher on the team that terrifies an offensive coordinator or line coach.
After the 2014 season, the Cowboys thought they addressed their lack of pass rush by adding Greg Hardy in free agency and Randy Gregory via the draft. But, as everyone knows, neither of those solutions worked and neither made a difference in the team's dreadful 2015 season.
This year's loss has inspired Jerry Jones to search for a "war daddy" on defense, he told 103.3 ESPN FM's J-Dub City (h/t the Star-Telegram).
The team has made it known it will look to add not only depth across its defensive line but a single player who can dominate games.
However, with the Cowboys drafting at the end of every round and pushed up against the cap, it's going to be hard to envision them adding that player, at least right away. It's likely the team will draft one pass-rusher, but to expect that player to be a force in his first year is unrealistic at best.
Instead, the team will likely roll out the same cast of characters in 2017, hoping for different results. It's going to be hard for them to find that additional rusher in free agency, but they are going to turn over every stone to find him.
If they want to get past Aaron Rodgers and the Packers or Matt Ryan and the Falcons, they need someone who can get to the quarterback. It's been their Achilles' heel since DeMarcus Ware left in March 2014.
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Receiver Depth
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The Cowboys currently have one outside receiver on their roster who has played in an NFL game; Dez Bryant.
Both Terrance Williams and Brice Butler are scheduled to become free agents in March, and with the receiver market expanding every year, it's unlikely that both will come back and fairly likely that neither will return to the team in 2017.
The second receiver opposite of Bryant doesn't receive a ton of action in Dallas' offense, but it is an important cog in the team's offense.
Williams was a vital cog in their rushing attack, both outside and in line. He also brought stability to the receiving unit. He's never missed a game in his four-year career and started 52 career games. With Bryant having missed significant time in the past two years, the team needs a stable group of receivers to support him.
Williams isn't an X receiver, but that is Butler's best position. When Bryant went down in 2015 with a fractured fifth metatarsal, the team made the move to trade for Butler to become their part-time No. 1 receiver. Butler was again tasked with that job in 2016 after Bryant went down with a fractured knee.
He's not a weekly starter at the position, but he can fill in for a few weeks and do a modest job at replacing Bryant's production. With teams desperate to add talent via free agency, expect both players to get offers from teams looking for starting receivers.
If both players do leave, the Cowboys will have to search into the deeper portions of free agency to find a starting Z receiver. While it's not the most important piece of the offense, the team can't afford to ignore this position in the offseason.
It's vital that they find a suitable replacement for Williams who can play outside on Day 1 of training camp. The names will be limited, as will the resources to find the next man, but it's going to be a major challenge for the team heading in to free agency.
Cornerback Depth
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Like receiver, two of the Cowboys' top three (or maybe just their top two) cornerbacks will enter free agency.
Former sixth overall pick Morris Claiborne and former free agent Brandon Carr are both expected to hit free agency in March. That leaves only Orlando Scandrick and Anthony Brown on the roster at cornerback. Both men play their best football out of the slot, so it would make sense that the team would try to bring at least one of the two back.
But with cap space being such an issue, there's a chance both players will leave, forcing the Cowboys to enter the draft with a massive need in their secondary. While this draft class is loaded with defensive backs, it's never ideal to enter those three days with gaping holes.
To make matters worse, Scandrick isn't a player who can be relied on to play 16 games any longer. This is a player who has missed major time in the past few seasons and clearly has lost a step since signing his extension.
The team needs to infuse talent into its secondary, but with the price of defensive backs skyrocketing in free agency, the Cowboys will have to draft to fill the need.
How to Handle Jaylon Smith
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One of the biggest question marks of the entire Cowboys roster is linebacker Jaylon Smith.
By now, everyone knows his story: talented college linebacker who would have been a top-10 pick had it not been for a devastating knee injury that caused major nerve damage in his knee and foot.
Despite the concerns, the Cowboys felt optimistic about the chance that he could recover and redshirted him for the entire 2016 season.
But the problem for the Cowboys entering 2017 is how to handle the middle linebacker position. If Smith makes a full recovery, linebacker becomes a team strength. Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson become backups with Smith and Sean Lee are the starters. Of the three levels on defense, the middle would be one of the better units in the league.
However, it's more likely that Smith won't be ready to take over the job right away or at all. There are reasons to be optimistic, but he still requires the use of a brace to help with his foot-drop issue.
Until the brace is removed, Smith likely won't be able to play in an NFL game. And if he's not ready to play, it means the Cowboys need to cover themselves by signing or drafting a true middle linebacker. Neither Wilson nor Hitchens fit particularly well in the middle and there's no reason to expect that Rolando McClain will play another down for the team.
Will the team sign a stop-gap player in free agency to keep the spot warm until Smith is ready? Or is the team fully ready to commit to Smith, without seeing him participate in a practice?
You'll likely know right away what the team thinks of his potential to return by their actions in free agency. If they visit with multiple linebackers or sign one, that should be a clear sign they don't anticipate Smith being ready anytime soon.
But if they don't sign or draft a player high, you can be pretty sure the team is counting on Smith to be ready for the first day of training camp.
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