Random thoughts about the remainder of the Cowboys season

Here are some of my random thoughts for the rest of the Dallas Cowboys 2015 season following another injury to quarterback Tony Romo.

Was your Thanksgiving ruined by watching the Dallas Cowboys play against the undefeated Carolina Panthers?

For me, it didn’t really ruin my Thanksgiving. But after spending the day with friends and family and doing my best to consume all of the delicious food, it sure wasn’t the turkey that left a bad taste in my mouth.

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Watching quarterback Tony Romo yet again lay down on the field grimacing in agony was probably the worst thing that could’ve happened to America’s Team on Thursday afternoon.

You can pretty much guarantee that their playoff hopes went down the drain, even though it was a long shot even with Romo in the lineup.

The first thing that crossed my mind after getting over the shock of Romo injuring his clavicle once again was: What are the Cowboys going to do now with the rest of the season still to play? And how will the team respond knowing they don’t have much to play for?

Here are some of my random thoughts for the rest of the 2015 season:

How will head coach Jason Garrett and the rest of the Cowboys coaching staff keep the team involved and interested for the rest of 2015 season? With their playoff hopes all but gone, it will be difficult to convince the players to go out each and every week and give their best effort.

Will quarterback Matt Cassel continue to fill in for Tony Romo or will the coaching staff give Kellen Moore a shot to prove himself at some point this season? The Cowboys need to figure out the quarterback situation especially after Tony Romo’s future may be in jeopardy after suffering another clavicle injury. I’m not saying that Matt Cassel or Kellen Moore should be considered starting quarterback material, but the backup position needs to be figured out. We have witnessed how important a backup quarterback can be when starter misses time already this season.

Is Garrett’s job security in question? The blame for this season’s disastrous downfall shouldn’t all be placed on his shoulders. But Garrett is still an inexperienced head coach and that inexperience might have cost the Cowboys a few wins this season. I wonder how much the players believe in him and buy into his coaching philosophy? We have seen far too many mental breakdowns and inopportune penalties from the team this season and that is something that Garrett should have corrected earlier, but has failed to do so.

The Cowboys organization will have a lot of tough off-season decisions to make and the rest of the 2015 season could go a long way in determining the fate of some of these players. Greg Hardy is perhaps the most notable player that will have to be heavily discussed, but players like Rolando McClain, Ronald Leary, and Brandon Carr are also at the top of the list.

If the rest of season plays out the way it did earlier when Tony Romo was hurt, the Cowboys could be looking at a top 10 draft choice in the 2016 NFL Draft or even perhaps a pick in the top five. I wonder if the Cowboys would consider drafting one of the top quarterbacks entering the draft or do they still believe Romo can come back and perform a top level? There are a lot of different ways the Cowboys could go in the draft and it will all depend on what the organization believes is their greatest need.

I wonder if cornerback Morris Claiborne could possibly be re-signed? Prior to his injury he was the best Cowboys cornerback this season and often times covered the opposing teams best receiving option. Claiborne may want to test the free agency market and see what his options are, but with Orlando Scandrick coming back from a serious injury and Carr’s poor performance and bloated salary the Cowboys are in need of help at the cornerback position.

I wonder if the Cowboys will use a high draft choice at running back after the way Darren McFadden has been able to run the ball this season? There is no doubt that McFadden has exceeded expectations, but there are always going to be questions about his injury history. And there could be a better option available in the 2016 NFL Draft. How McFadden and even Robert Turbin perform the rest of the season will go a long way in making that decision.

Finally, with the uncertainty at the quarterback position, I wonder if Jerry Jones will finally get his wish and add Johnny (Football) Manziel to the Cowboys roster after wearing out his welcome in Cleveland? Cleveland will no doubt have one of the top draft choices (if not the number one selection overall) and want to add their franchise quarterback and they could probably be willing to trade Manziel for next to nothing. Jones has been a big fan of Manziel’s since he came out of college, but was convinced that selecting offensive lineman Zack Martin was the best thing to do. Robert Griffin III could possibly be another option if the organization chooses to go that direction.

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There will be a lot of questions that will have to be answered over the remainder of the 2015 NFL season and I personally will be keeping an eye on not only the players and how they fit into the future plans of the organization, but the coaching staff as well.

Let me hear what you will be paying attention to for the remainder of the 2015 season in the comment section below.

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