Cowboys news: Mike McCarthy thinks roster growth by young players will improve the team

Why Mike McCarthy isn’t concerned about Cowboys’ lack of free agent signings: ‘We are definitely improving’ – Jordan Dajani, CBS Sports
Mike McCarthy thinks that the Cowboys will see improvement in 2024 from roster jumps by younger players.

Despite the lack of additions, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is not worried about the state of his roster. In fact, he believes the Cowboys are improving with the players they have coming back.

“I’m a big believer in the second to third year jump, you know we have some young players, we got some guys coming back off of IR that are young players that we’re excited about, so we are definitely improving. We’re just not part of the free agent market right now,” McCarthy told ESPN.

Not being a part of the free agent market is not necessarily a bad thing. Real contenders are built through the draft. McCarthy also pointed to the fact that just because the first and second waves of free agency are over, does not mean that free agency itself is over.

“Also there’s a lot left,” McCarthy said. “You’ll probably have a market right before the draft or post draft, and then you got your June 1 market and obviously we’ll have another draft class. So I have great confidence in our roster.”

Cowboys decade-long track record of under-investing in team suggests that Jones family is not in it to win it – OCC, Blogging the Boys
Unfortunately, this slow offseason has not come as a surprise for how the Cowboys like to operate.

The Cowboys rank just 25th over the four-year period from 2013-2016. And that’s despite signing Tony Romo to a then-franchise record $108 million contract extension in 2013 that made him the fifth-highest-paid player in the NFL at the time.

The Eagles rank No. 1 over the period with $613.9 million in cash spend, a cool $22 million more per season than the Cowboys.

Now you could argue – and the Cowboys certainly would – that this four-year period is just a snapshot, and a lot of things can influence the four-year number that may be just inside or just outside of this period. True.

You could also argue – and the Cowboys certainly would – that they are just $22 million off the league average spend, which is just peanuts over a four-year period. Also true.

You could also argue – and the Cowboys certainly do – that by keeping cash spend close to cap space, they are maintaining cap flexibility in future years. Also true, but only partly.

So, is 2013-2016 just an aberration?

[…]

The Cowboys, like it or not, have spent less cash on their team over the last decade than almost any other NFL team. They ranked 25th in cash spend from 2013-2016, 32nd from 2016-2019, and 30th from 2021-2023. That’s as clear a pattern as you’re going to get.

Is this a front office that is “all-in”? Is this even a front office that is interested in winning? Or, as Joey Ickes argues, is this a family office that is in it for the money more than for any fancy shmancy title?

Maybe it’s “all of the above,” or maybe just a little bit of each. But there may be another factor to consider: The Cowboys may be the fiscally most conservative team in the league.

NFL bans hip-drop tackle 14 months after Tony Pollard injury – Todd Brock, The Cowboys Wire
Former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard is one of the notable players to be injured by a hip-drop tackle.

The so-called “hip-drop” tackle will be illegal starting in 2024, according to reports coming out of the league meetings in Orlando. The controversial technique was a talking point of major emphasis all of last season after several players suffered severe injuries as a result of its use on the field.

Cowboys running back Tony Pollard was the victim of a hip-drop tackle in the January 2023 playoff loss to San Francisco, carted off with a fractured fibula and high ankle sprain.

Owners unanimously voted Monday to ban the tackle beginning in 2024. For the purposes of officiating, a hip-drop tackle is defined as one in which a player “grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms” and then “unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.”

2 weeks into FA: Are the Cowboys doing a stealth rebuild? – Richard Paolinelli, Inside The Star
The idea that the Cowboys are actually rebuilding on the fly is becoming more and more obvious.

For those keeping score at home that’s 10 players cut or lost to other teams – including four to a division rival.

They managed to retain four of their own while getting only one from another team.

A brutal beginning made worse by the Cowboys’ apparent willingness to spend any money in key areas.

They were in the running for former Colts running back Zack Moss.

But apparently, $4 million a year for two years was too pricey.

This means they were never serious players for the bruising RB1 backs they desperately need.

Remember this frugality in 2024 when Saquon Barkey (Eagles, twice), and Derrick Henry (Ravens), and in 2025 when Pollard (Titans), are carving up the Cowboys’ run defense.

So far, there’s been very little for Cowboys’ fans to get excited about – aside from signing Kendricks.

Where Does the 2024 NFL Draft’s Fastest Man, Texas’ Xavier Worthy, Ultimately Land? – Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report
Current draft buzz has the Cowboys linked to Texas running back Jonathan Brooks, but his teammate Xavier Worthy would add an entirely different element to the offense at receiver.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys passing game consists of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and…

While that sentence is played for laughs, it is concerning that the Cowboys lack a true secondary threat when quarterback Dak Prescott drops back and looks for a target.

Yes, they do still feature Brandin Cooks and tight end Jake Ferguson.

Cooks, 30, did grab eight touchdown catches last season, but his production (receptions and receiving yards) has decreased each of the last two years. He’s not going to get more explosive at this point in his career.

Ferguson, meanwhile, finished second on the team with 71 catches and 761 yard in 2023. The 25-year-old isn’t the most explosive option, though. Besides, Dallas needs another consistent threat from wide receiver, particularly after it chose to release Michael Gallup.

Granted, Gallup hasn’t been the same since he tore his ACL during the 2021 campaign, so the move wasn’t entirely unexpected. The Cowboys saved $9.5 million this year by making the move a June 1 designation.

With Gallup gone and Cooks getting older, Lamb needs a different running mate. And Worthy has caught the team’s eye.

He met with the Cowboys for a formal interview during the NFL Scouting Combine, according to Nick Harris of the team’s official site.

The potential addition of a rookie wide receiver is also important financially since the Cowboys need to sign Lamb to a contract extension. A rookie deal opposite the three-time Pro Bowler for the next three to four years will help offset expenses.

While sitting at the 24th overall pick, the Cowboys may be able to stand pat and select Worthy and give the offense more juice, even after the unit finished among the top five last