How the Dallas Cowboys were able to rebuild on the fly
By Tyler Harris
The Dallas Cowboys were able to rebuild this team while still competing over the last three seasons. Luck and dedication helped get there.
The Dallas Cowboys were able to rebuild this team while still competing over the last three seasons. The entire organization did a remarkable job during this time period and created a bright future for the franchise.
Rewind your memory banks to the 2014 NFL Draft when the Cowboys selected guard Zack Martin. That single selection helped shape this franchises identity and path going forward.
At the time many people wanted to get a quarterback to groom behind aging veteran Tony Romo. Instead the club decided to solidify the offensive line and commit to being a power football team.
In that same draft class the Cowboys also got two additional starters; defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and linebacker Anthony Hitchens.
All fans know the result of the 2015 campaign that ended in the worst win-loss ratio in over two decades. The disaster that season became resulted in the front office making a concerted effort to find a quarterback of the future to groom behind Romo.
Fate has a funny way of working out in your favor sometimes. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones had fallen in love with the idea of drafting Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch to groom behind Romo in the 2016 draft. We all know how that didn’t work out and Dallas instead got Dak Prescott.
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.
I am going to touch on fate again, because fate played the biggest role in this rebuild.
Injuries to Kellen Moore and Romo led to the rise of Prescott. He was able to seize his opportunity and never looked back. This also led the club to committing to younger players and actually giving them a real shot to compete for starting positions and roster spots.
The last injury Romo sustained led to a new era of Cowboys football. The coaching staff was ready for a youth movement, and they were able to strike gold with a rookie that made that decision much easier.
Success from the 2016 campaign gave the franchise confidence to move on from veterans that were not producing. As a result, defensive backs Morris Claiborne, Barry Church, and Brandon Carr were replaced. Now the defense is stocked with young, hungry players ready to make their mark in the NFL.
The two draft classes of 2016 and 2017 retooled the entire roster.
Ezekiel Elliott, Jaylon Smith, Maliek Collins, Charles Tapper, Dak Prescott, Anthony Brown, Taco Charlton, Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, Ryan Switzer, Xavier Woods, Marquez White, and Noah Brown.
Wow. That’s quite the list. Thirteen players that will all likely make the team and contribute on game days. Not to mention the gem they found at quarterback in Cooper Rush.
Additionally the club has developed players such as Rod Smith, Jeff Heath, and La’el Collins and the team is incredibly young after churning the roster.
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A concerted effort to find a successor for their aging quarterback, and a few lucky breaks have led the Cowboys on their current path. It looks to be the beginning of a very exciting era in Dallas. For that they can attribute their dedication to the draft process, as well as count their lucky stars.