The Dallas Cowboys must look to the future, not this season

The Dallas Cowboys season is a wrap. Now, it’s time to look ahead to the future

As a Dallas Cowboys fan, it kills me to say this. What was once a team with Super Bowl hopes is now competing for a top pick in the NFL draft. It would be better if the team doesn’t make the playoffs to avoid getting blown out in the Wild Card game.

The 2020 season is over for the Dallas Cowboys. Now, the team must look ahead and plan for next season. What are some things owner Jerry Jones and co. can do?

The first thing I would look at is grooming the young players on the roster right now. Give players like defensive linemen Neville Gallimore and Bradlee Anae more snaps. That should help them develop, which will help the team in the long run.

Those two linemen will be crucial to the defensive line with Dallas already being weak in the middle, and a long-term replacement at defensive end. Anae on the outside would either push defensive end, Tyrone Crawford, to the interior or off the team and save money.

Other defensive prospects that would benefit are linebacker Francis Bernard and defensive back Reggie Robinson II. Robinson, like Gallimore, would help fill in for the poor play in the secondary at safety or corner. Bernard would be a great option as a future number three linebacker.

They have center Tyler Biadasz starting in place of Joe Looney, but they should have the two split snaps when Looney returns. Biadasz hasn’t been great, but he hasn’t been terrible. Regardless, he is the clear long-term starter for the Cowboys.

Okay, thanks tips. What else?

Head coach Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones need to find reasons to keep defensive coordinator Mike Nolan around. So far this season, Nolan has given them every reason to find a replacement.

The Week 8 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles was a good game for the defense. They gave up under 250 total yards and accumulated four sacks while forcing four turnovers.

It could be an indicator of how the defense can play under Nolan. Then again, the Eagles offense hasn’t done anything all season.

A one year stint is not a lot of time to install a defensive scheme and a new culture. The main issue is that the players still aren’t buying into what Nolan is trying to do. If the team doesn’t buy-in, they will not succeed.

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If the Cowboys don’t at least flash how well they can play under Nolan, then he will be out the door. One year is not a lot of time, but having a historically bad performance is not acceptable. Jerry should then look to find a replacement.

Those are the main two things the Cowboys can do this season to get ready for the future seasons. Grooming the young players and figuring out what to do at the defensive coordinator spot stick out to me.

That may mean Dallas finishes with a horrible record, and that is fine. It gives them a higher draft pick, and it is something that will help them in the long run. The year 2020 hasn’t gone well, time to look forward to 2021.