Dallas Cowboys: What to expect from the bye week makeover

After a few shake ups to the coaching staff and roster, what are the realistic expectations for the remainder of 2018 for the Dallas Cowboys?

If you thought the Dallas Cowboys would just take the week off since they didn’t play, boy were you wrong…

Less than 48 hours after another pathetic offensive performance on the road, the Cowboys made a big move. That whole “number one receiver by committee” approach died a quick death as Dallas acquired former Raiders receiver Amari Cooper.

The cost of doing business? A first round pick next year. It was inevitably more than anyone else was going to pay but you know the Joneses. Never afraid to bid against themselves or put themselves over a barrel, the move was made.

Whether or not Cooper can be that true number one guy this team so covets remains to be seen. His resume looked very promising in his first two seasons. The last two? Not so much. Which Cooper will Dallas get? The guy with 2,200+ yards and 11 TD’s from 2015-16 or the guy doesn’t have 1,000 yards total since?

We’ll address that in just a moment as there was another big move, albeit slightly more under the radar. On Monday, the team informed offensive line coach Paul Alexander that he can add the word former to that title, showing him the door just seven games in his Cowboys’ career. And while everyone was hating on ol’ “Red Ball” for being at the World Series in Los Angeles, apparently he was pulling a fast one.

Exit Paul Alexander. Enter Marc Columbo and (really) Hudson Houck on his third tour of duty with the Dallas Cowboys. Houck, who lives in Los Angeles, will act as a consultant to Columbo who gets his first promotion as the new offensive line coach.

Will these moves fix the ills that have plagued this offensive line? Maybe… maybe not. In my opinion, there is still plenty of talent along the line, with or without center Travis Frederick. Reverting back to the old philosophies cannot hurt. Time will tell if it works out or not.

So, with Amari Cooper bringing more talent to the perimeter and the offensive line going back to basics, what is a reasonable expectation for the remainder of the 2018 season? Unfortunately, hope remains a dimly lit candle.

While it’s true the Dallas Cowboys have faced some very good defenses, it’s also true that big changes mid-year usually don’t produce immediate results. At the core, this team is still led by head coach Jason Garrett. The offense is still coordinated by Scott Linehan and Dak Prescott is still the quarterback.

Will Cooper take heat off the other receivers? Probably. I, for one, never thought the receivers were the problem to being with, however. Jerry Rice had Joe Montana and Steve Young. Michael Irvin had Troy Aikman. Marvin Harrison had Peyton Manning. Cooper can be the second coming of any one of those guys, but if his quarterback is scared to throw deep, into slight coverage or just plain inaccurately, it’s all for naught.

If the Cowboys continue to run against eight and nine man fronts, Paul Alexander, Marc Columbo, Hudson Houck will matter not. If you insist on beating your head against a wall, the wall is going to win most all of those encounters.

The Dallas Cowboys have some very winnable games in their future. Home contests against Tennessee, Washington and Tampa Bay should all be wins. If you want to count the road game at New York as a win as well, that gets Dallas to seven wins. Unfortunately, a minimum of nine and likely ten will be necessary to play into 2019.

Two games against Philadelphia, along with road games at Atlanta and New Orleans all appear daunting given how this team has performed thus far. In all reality, this team has grasped at straws far too late and will likely finish how it used to when Garrett first took over. Buckle up for 8-8 and hope and pray more changes are on the way.

It may not be what you want to hear, but it’s what you should realistically expect.