The 10 biggest what-ifs in Dallas Cowboys history
• What if Randy Moss went to the Cowboys
• What if Tony Romo was healthy in 2016?
• What if the refs knew what a catch was?
By Randy Gurzi
The Dallas Cowboys are one of the more storied franchises in NFL history. They currently have five Lombardi Trophies, but it's been a long time since they came close to getting another.
Here, we look back over their existence and ask 10 "what-if" questions which might have led to even more success for them if a few bounces went their way.
10. What if they took T.J. Watt over Taco Charlton
Some teams can't get out of their own way and that was the case for the Cowboys during much of Jason Garrett's tenure as head coach. Dallas did have some success with Garrett but they were also stubborn in ways that hurt them. One was how they viewed draft prospects.
Garrett, and especially defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, were handcuffed by measurements. They wanted their defensive ends to be 6-foot-5 and 270-pounds. If they weren't close to this, they would often look in a different direction, even if it meant taking a player with far less talent.
That was exactly what they did in 2017 when they decided they had to have a traditional defensive end. With both Taco Charlton from Michigan and T.J. Watt from Wisconsin on the board at No. 28, Dallas took Charlton.
Dallas has had a high batting average in the 1st round, but Taco Charlton is a learning experience for them. They drafted him over TJ Watt because of "fit."
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 18, 2019
They should have drafted the (obviously) better football player. https://t.co/ga5oc6WzWG
We can say hindsight is 20/20 but the only people who thought this move was good sat in the Dallas war room. They even defended it, saying Watt was an outside linebacker not a defensive end.
Watt has gone on to become one of the best pass rushers in the NFL while Charlton was released after just two seasons in Dallas.
They have since recovered with Micah Parsons serving as their best pass rusher — from the linebacker spot. But just imagine how tough this defense would look with Watt, Parsons, and DeMarcus Lawrence.