A 7-9-1 finish last year might make it seem like the Dallas Cowboys are far away from truly competing in the playoffs, but they aren’t.
They had arguably the NFL’s worst defense, their best receiver had the worst season of his career while missing games because of injury, and they made a major trade to get rid of one of the best pass rushers in the league heading into the season. By all accounts, last year should’ve been a complete disaster, yet, Dallas almost went .500.
Don’t be fooled, the Cowboys aren’t far behind.
But, in order to get back to the playoffs, they’ll need to sure up a few spots, especially for a defense that allowed the most points in the NFL last year.
The Cowboys did add safety Caleb Downs, edge Malachi Lawrence and linebacker Jaishawn Barham in the draft, as well as defensive backs Jalen Thompson, P.J. Locke and Cobie Durant, and edge Rashan Gary, but added depth could help.
The NFL free agency market currently includes Joey Bosa and Cameron Jordan, both of which are realistic possibilities for the Cowboys. Both are aging players who can’t play every down, but can provide high-level play in spurts. And both players should be cheap to get.
The 30-year-old Bosa led the NFL last year with five forced fumbles while on the Buffalo Bills, while the 36-year-old Jordan recorded 10.5 sacks with the New Orleans Saints. Add either of those two to a Cowboys defensive line that includes Quinnen Williams — one of the best defensive tackles in the game — Gary, Kenny Clark, and Donovan Ezeiruaku, and that’s a drastic improvement from last year.
Linebacker is another area of concern, but veterans Bobby Wagner, Lavonte David, Bobby Okereke and Matt Milano could be cheap options to fill a void.
Offensively, the Cowboys are somewhat set. The offensive line could use some work, but Dallas still scored the seventh-most points in the league last year. Once the George Pickens situation can be sorted out, that offense should be set for another high-scoring season.
The bottom line is that Cowboys fans have no reason to completely jump ship ahead of the season. They’ve already addressed some needs, and with free agency still to go, the roster can improve.