“All in”

To be fair, anyone who’s not a Cowboys fan finds those words absolutely hilarious.

Jerry Jones set the wrong expectation for this team when he uttered those words. This offseason has been brutal for the Cowboys with a steady stream of free agents leaving. Dak, CeeDee, and Micah all need new contracts. And the worst of it is, if the Jones family relents and signs all three, there’s going to be another exodus next year. Coach Mike McCarthy was upset about not getting a new contract, but deep down, I think he’s ready to walk away from this dumpster fire too.

Now, the good news is, Dak, CeeDee, and Micah are still under contract for this year. So even if new deals aren’t finalized by the start of the season, they should play. The defense, which was a strength last year still looks good. And regardless of his contract status, Mike McCarthy is a good coach and he’ll have this team ready each week.

Dallas might have the worst running back situation in the NFL. But that’s ok, they lost pieces on the Offensive Line and won’t be able to block anyway. Dak had his best year as a pro last year, but I don’t expect that trend to continue. Without a balanced attack, he is going to struggle. And he’s a turnover machine when he’s under pressure.

Last year, Dallas was 3-4 against playoff teams and 9-1 against everyone else. This year, I don’t think Dallas is going to be able to beat up on the easier teams. Every game is going to be a challenge for them, and that will wear them out by December.

In a best case scenario, the young pieces on the offensive line step up and play decent football. Ezekiel Elliott returns to form and is able to chew up yards, giving this offense the balance it needs and the defense the rest it needs. More likely though, is that the offense struggles. The defense is going to be on the field more and by the end of the season a unit that looked elite a year ago will seem average.

If you ever find yourself in a card game with Jerry Jones and he goes “All In” – call his bluff.

2024 Prediction: 9-8 2nd NFC East/Playoffs Wildcard Round