Cowboys have a bright future; Excitement for 2016

Despite the horrible season, Dallas Cowboys fans as well as the organization still have a bright future ahead.

Unless your favorite team happens to be from Pittsburgh or the Boston area, it’s bound to happen to you at some point in time.

Every team in the National Football League in the last fifteen years, save the Steelers and Patriots, has had at least one seasons in which they have won six games or less.

Unfortunately, for those of you in Cowboys Nation, this was your year to spin the wheel and get the crap end of the stick. The good news is that there is more than just a silver lining in your future for all this misery that you have had to endure in 2015.

So, as we are just days away from throwing away the calendar and opening a new chapter in our lives, let’s take a look at all the positive things that 2016 may have in store for those who wear the Star on their helmets.

An early chance to serve notice

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The final game of this season just happens to occur in the first week of the new year. On top of that, the age-old rival and newly crowned division champion Washington Redskins come to town.

The Cowboys will be without quarterback Tony Romo and cornerback Orlando Scandrick, much like they have all year. Safety Barry Church and defensive tackle David Irving will also be out due to injuries sustained last week. Receiver Dez Bryant will also probably miss the game due to injuries.

With all those key players out, how big of a confidence boost would it be to beat the division champs? Washington may be ripe for the picking as they cannot improve their seeding. A win in this game could prove to be an early opportunity to build some confidence heading into the season.

A top ten pick in next year’s draft

No matter what happens Sunday at AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys will have a top ten pick in the draft. If they win, the pick could be as low as eighth. If they lose to Washington, Dallas could be anywhere in the top three. Regardless, it’s highly likely that a very talented player will be added to this roster.

Perusing the major draft forecasts, most everyone has at least five big time defensive talents going in the top ten.

You want defensive line help? Options include Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa or Mississippi defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche. In the market for a play maker at the linebacker spot? Enter Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith. Maybe defensive back is more your thing. Cornerbacks Jaylen Ramsey from Florida State or Vernon Hargreaves from Florida are out there.

Regardless, this defense could be on the verge of getting younger and more talented.

The return of the dynamic duo

This past season, the Cowboys played one game… ONE that saw Romo and Bryant play the entire sixty minutes. Dallas won that game and won another in which they both played. At worst, that means that 40% of their wins will have featured both players.

I’m certainly no genius or anything, but I’m pretty sure that missing one of the most dynamic quarterback/wide receiver combinations for what amounted to the entire year coincided with one of the worst offensive seasons in franchise history.

Both Bryant and Romo should be completely healthy for the start of Organized Team Activities in March. Healthy is great. Hungry is better. I guarantee both of these competitors will be chomping at the bit to get back out there and continue to grow their phenomenal chemistry.

With an improved defense and a greatly augmented offense, only health will be able to derail this team again next year.

A softer schedule

While it’s difficult to project how every team will turn out in 2016, if we use this season as an accurate barometer, the Cowboys are about to have a much easier road to the playoffs next season.

This year, the Cowboys played the Carolina Panthers (14-1), New England Patriots (12-3), New York Jets (10-5) and Seattle Seahawks (9-6). All four of those teams are playoff bound (as long as the Jets win on Sunday). Two of them will likely have a first round bye and the Cowboys lost to all four by a combined score of 95-48.

Next year, the Cowboys will still have a few tough games on their docket but they will also get to play the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens. Those five teams are currently 24-51. Overall the Cowboys opponents in 2016 will have a record that is 17 games worse than this year.

We can all admit this season was beyond difficult to get through. It’s always darkest before the dawn however. There is certainly reason to remain optimistic about this team. Maybe a simple change of the calendar will be just the start of better days ahead.

Next: Six Cowboys players whose stock is falling after Bills loss

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