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We admit to posting a click-bait headline, so we’ll go ahead and finish it for you right now. Of all the teams eliminated from the NFL playoffs, the Cowboys are ranked by ESPN as least likely to undergo a major overhaul.
Currently there are 24 teams who are already planning for the 2018 season, and on the list compiled by Mike Sando at ESPN, the Cowboys rank 24th on the Overhaul Rankings.
24. Dallas Cowboys
Indicators: third-youngest starters
Owner Jerry Jones expected the Cowboys to contend in 2017. From his perspective, Ezekiel Elliott’s six-game suspension ruined everything. With Elliott back and with a relatively young roster, the Cowboys appear likely to make another run with largely the same group.
Sando ranked teams on a variety of “change” factors including items like new head coach, or new GM, or an old roster, etc. For instance, the top-ranked team getting ready for a major overhaul would be the Cardinals. Here is the list of all the factors they are facing.
Indicators: new head coach; new QB; NFL’s oldest starters; league-high 10 unsigned veterans with at least eight starts and seven more with one to seven starts
It’s kind of surprising the Cowboys aren’t ranked a little higher on the list considering their enormous turnover in the assistant coaching ranks. And we still are waiting for a definite conclusion on Rod Marinelli, Matt Eberflus and to a lesser extent Will McClay.
Then there is the big Dez Bryant discussion that may or may not happen. Todd Archer wrote an entire article about it today, and it was certainly fueled by Stephen Jones’ comments on the radio last week.
“That’s one, obviously, that we’ll be looking at,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas two days after the season ended when asked about Bryant’s future.
Considering Dez is under contract in 2018, that is a curious statement indeed.
On the other hand, Dallas did retain their head coach, their offensive coordinator, maybe the defensive coordinator and their free agent situation isn’t too bad. They can keep DeMarcus Lawrence and David Irving if they want, so Anthony Hitchens is the real big choice in that area. They do have a young and stable roster and it does appear that Jerry Jones thinks the team, as presently configured with a few changes/additions, can compete next year.
What say you BTB? Should the Cowboys be looking to make more changes, or should they not overreact to a disappointing 2017 season?