Cowboys priorities are elsewhere than the NFL combine this year

What do you think the Cowboys priorities are?

Right now, everyone is focused intently on the NFL combine. Teams have flocked to Indianapolis for the most important thing going on in the league. Well, not exactly. While so many are riveted by draft prospects running around in shirts and shorts and trying to impress both physically and in face to face meetings, not everyone sees it as a mandatory event to attend.. As Mike Poland notedted, neither Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy or new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer have made the trip.

Does this make sense? Well, yes. Talent acquisition is not their purview with the Cowboys. Some coaches of other teams are much more deeply involved in the draft process. But in Dallas, that is the rather closely guarded domain of Jerry Jones and his son Stephen, with the hard work of scouting and evaluation assigned to Will McClay and his staff. In this organization, the coaches provide their requirements for their schemes to the personnel department, but don’t have a strong voice. This has become much more strongly delineated since the Taco Charlton pick, when it is believed that Ron Marinelli pushed for his selection over T.J. Watt, a draft day that will forever live in infamy. Until last year, the new approach has been a formula for success. However, things did not seem to go nearly as well in 2023. Whether that was a return to bad habits, a case of delayed development for the players, or just an uncharacteristic bad day at the office for McClay and company remains to be seen. The absence of McCarthy and Zimmer, who are likely much more focused on making a case to remain with the Cowboys in 2025 through their primary responsibilities, is actually a good sign for things going better this year.

Besides, the combine is a bit overrated. In order of importance, the things that are done go like this:

• Physicals (see: Damone Clark)
• Meeting with the prospects, either formally or not, to get a feel for their character and intelligence
• Measurements (some colleges have been known to fudge on those a wee bit)
• Testing like three cone and 40-yard times
• Drills

With the possible exception of meetings, those are not the domain of the coaching staff. If there are some players for whom a face-to-face is going to be make or break, that is one of the things the 30 official visits before the draft are for.

Right now, there is something else that is more important for the team. That is getting some of their own players re-signed, restructured, or extended. One of the first priorities is coming to terms with Tyron Smith to bring him back, as Chris Halling covered. His long extension has finally run out. When healthy, he is still a top level left tackle. Last year, he was mostly available, and management looks ready to bet he will be again. If they cannot come to an agreement, there is going to be a very big hole to address. While getting Smith back does not eliminate the possibility of taking a tackle in the first round, it certainly frees the team up to look elsewhere. Otherwise, that would be the top need.

There are going to be other contracts to attend to, and none are more crucial than that of quarterback Dak Prescott. Its importance was covered this week by Chris, based on remarks by Stephen Jones. If they get an extension done, is going to be huge, and likely record-setting. That is the nature of franchise QB contracts, and it will probably remain a record only until the next one.

We discussed this idea on the latest episode of Ryled Up on the Blogging The Boys podcast network. Make sure to subscribe to our network so you do not miss any of our shows! Apple devices can subscribe here and Spotify users can subscribe here.

Stephen Jones had a lot to say this week, including how the preference for Tyler Smith is to keep him at left guard, where he has excelled. He was in attendance at Lucas Oil Field for the combine, reflecting his central role in constructing the roster and negotiating contracts. Something else he said, though, put a damper on the much ballyhooed idea of the team being “all-in” this year as his father Jerry rather notoriously said earlier this year. RJ Ochoa dug into some other remarks he made, He came away with the conclusion that 2024 is going to really be more of the same for the Cowboys. Specifically, Stephen put forth the idea that Jerry is all-in, or at least as he defines it, every year. That is a bit disappointing in and of itself, but it gets worse. Stephen seemed to continue to exude the belief that the approach already in effect is quite satisfactory. If they continue to do things the same way, well, you know how the saying goes about expecting a different, better outcome.

That gets to the heart of the problem for Dallas. There is so much evidence they need to do something very different to not see another season end in disappointment. They have made major changes to the coaching staff over the past four years. It clearly hasn’t been enough. While we can hope that the return of Zimmer, and McCarthy’s second year back as the play-caller might help, a hope is all it is. The real change needs to come at the top, and that just is not going to happen. The reports last week that the Cowboys are still by far the most valuable sports franchise in the world creates a situation that was referred to in the military as “fat, dumb, and happy.” There is no impetus to change, and absolutely no reason to want to sell the team that is the core of the Jones business empire. Further, being the owner and face of the flagship of the NFL is the role that gives Jerry life, and Stephen seems both eager and destined to follow in his footsteps one day. And while he is not nearly as colorful in his comments, he is nearly as convoluted in his remarks. This is one case where the apple has not landed any appreciable distance from the tree.

It does not paint a very promising picture for the future of the team, either short or long term. With the apparent desire to stay the course, we have to hope that the staff does their job to the best of their ability, and that it is enough. In that aspect, we can wish McClay nothing but success at the combine. It may not be the biggest thing going on for the team, but it is still important after all.