Blogging The Boys
There is more than enough evidence to show that the Cowboys front office has to be willing to spend a little bit more.
The Dallas Cowboys aren’t going to win the Super Bowl this season. At least that’s the sentiment of the oddsmakers, as ESPN has them ranked 19th at 50-to-1 odds this season. The perception of this football team is pretty low. We get it. They had struggles last year, they have a new coaching staff this year, and Jerry Jones is running the team, which many would consider a kiss of death.
The Cowboys have their work cut out for them, but are things really this bad? Why are they so far behind the other good teams in the league?
We discussed the great advantage the Philadelphia Eagles have given themselves by how Howie Roseman operates and how it’s a stark contrast to the Cowboys. The Eagles aggressively use void years to spend money now and push out costs into later years. Philly is on an island with how they use this:
The Cowboys are ranked in the middle of the pack at 16th with $44 million, which is mostly comprised of the void years of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
Such a method is very satisfying for most Eagles’ fans, as having a stacked roster has produced favorable results for them. Cowboys’ fans, on the other hand, are left scratching their heads, wondering why their front office doesn’t take more action in bolstering the roster.
The front office isn’t cheap. They do spend money. They aren’t pocketing any surplus funds leftover from not using all their cap space. They just manage it differently and aren’t as accepting of the idea of allocating a large amount of their future resources to address their needs right now. But should they be?
If the Cowboys are being fiscally responsible and adhering to the intended spirit of the salary cap, but other teams are not, should Dallas consider changing their stripes? If enough teams start pushing more money into the future to acquire more talent, then the Cowboys will be left with a clear disadvantage if they stay the course. What type of disadvantage are we talking about?
Below is a breakdown of high-priced players for the Cowboys, as well as teams with the top five odds to win the Super Bowl. Based on the money players are making, the Cowboys don’t have as much talent as these other teams.
The chart above shows the number of players who make at least $20 million annually (green), more than $10 million but less than $20 million (blue), and at least $5 million but less than $10 million (purple). Some things jump out at you. The Eagles and Lions have a lot of players making at least $20 million. The Cowboys, in contrast, only have three (Prescott, Lamb, and...
