Dallas Cowboys: 2018 will reveal a lot about America’s Team

2018 is a huge year for the Dallas Cowboys. At the conclusion of the season, we will have all the answers we need about the team’s future.

The Dallas Cowboys are entering the 2018 season as one of the youngest teams in the NFL. But despite their youth, next season will serve as a critical year for the team. The first question 2018 must answer, is if Dak Prescott is indeed the future of the quarterback position.

There are three possible outcomes that can come from Dak’s play this upcoming season. In best to worst; him definitively showing he is a franchise quarterback, him definitively showing he is not a franchise quarterback, or worst, deliver a wishy-washy season that isn’t bad enough to look elsewhere nor good enough to pay.

I believe Dak has shown he is a franchise quarterback. I feel as though most of what ailed the offense in the second part of the season was out of his control, and eventually weighed him down. But, just like you can’t count him out after last years performance, you can’t definitively count him in either. If he can deliver the performance that’s needed from him, the Cowboys will be confident in his ability to be the franchise quarterback for at least another contract.

If his play doesn’t improve from the latter half of 2017, or even worsens, the team should have a pretty good indication that they should pursue another option; via the draft, free agency, or inside promotion. Worst of all, if his play only slightly improves from last years second half or he has another inconsistent season, the team will be in the beginning stages of quarterback purgatory.

A purgatory situation would seemingly play out in one of two ways. The way of former Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, with Prescott playing on a string of franchise tags and prove it deals with the team on ice every year about the quarterback situation. Or as Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco‘s situation went, an oversized and handcuffing deal.

For the sake of this article, let’s assume Dak proves he is the guy and negotiations begin for his deal in 2019, who else will the team pay?

With the way the current salary cap is set up, front offices have to identify what positions and players are most valuable to the team and what groups can be churned every three or four offseasons. With the Cowboys deciding to pay Dak, and already having a ton of money invested in the offensive line (assuming right tackle Zack Martin is signed), there aren’t too many more guys getting large contracts.

Barring disappointing seasons on or off the field, running back Ezekiel Elliott and defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence will be next in line to get contracts after Prescott. So what will 2018 tell us about the other guys on the payday bubble?

2018 is a big year for guys like defensive lineman David Irving, newly moved cornerback Byron Jones, and veteran receiver Cole Beasley. Rotational guys like linebacker Damien Wilson and backup running back Rod Smith also bring up questions.

And even with the Cowboys’ projected $72 million in cap room, the team has already decided that they want the money to go to the offensive line. 2018 should show the team which other players need to be paid like pillars of the team and which can be replaced.

The Cowboys have done a lot of reloading the past few years. It seemed as though after the cliff dive of the receiving corps last year, the team can now know their unknowns. By that I mean, the team had no idea the wide receiver play would tail off the way it did. Whether it was due to predictable scheming or a loss of Elliott, it happened.

But that was an unknown, unknown.

This year’s team is full of known unknowns. By this I mean all the positions with a question mark, the team is aware of. Yes, another unlikely position collapse could occur, but with the young and talented guys the team has collected, it seems highly unlikely.

The biggest questions on the team are at wide receiver, tight end, interior defensive line, and safety. The other position groups have been seemingly solidified with young promising talent or All-Pro performers.

2019 gives the question marks the time they need to answer themselves. If most of these answers are already on the roster, then the team can head into next offseason with very few needs and enough cap room to sign the guys they want plus one marquee free agent (Earl Thomas). If not, the team has a clear picture of a few key needs and can go about addressing them in the offseason.

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I believe the team will be a competitive one with a good chance to finish the season with a playoff berth. I also believe there is too much youth and too many questions for the team to be a legit Super Bowl contender in 2018. But if more goes right than wrong, the team will be in position to embark on a multi-year playoff run and subsequent Super Bowl contender.

2018 will tell us a lot about the future of this team.