The Dallas Cowboys are coming off another disappointing season, finishing 7-10 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Jerry Jones has been “Super Bowl or Bust” since he bought the team in 1989, but the last 29 years have had a different slogan. Now, another NFL analyst thinks it’s the right time to tank and “Blow the whole thing up.”
Is It the ‘Perfect Time to Destroy This Roster’ for the Dallas Cowboys?
Dallas struggled on both sides of the ball in 2024, coming in at No. 22 in PFSN’s Offense+ metric and No. 25 in the Defense+ metric. The bright spots offensively were WR CeeDee Lamb and RB Rico Dowdle. Lamb was the leading receiver for the team, catching 101 balls for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns. The next closest receiver was Jalen Tolbert, with 610 yards.
The Cowboys’ running game was awful most of the season, but Dowdle managed 1,079 yards and two rushing scores. The Cowboys’ rushing attack was so bad that legendary running back Emmitt Smith doesn’t want them to draft a ball carrier this year.
The defense was even worse, albeit hampered by injuries most of the season. Dallas had at least one weak link at cornerback most of the season, with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland playing just one game together all year (Week 14).
As a result, Dallas fell from eighth in EPA per dropback in 2023 to 16th in 2024. Coupled with the second-worst run defense by EPA per rush, that explains the Cowboys’ descent into the bottom 10 defenses. Micah Parsons continued to be a stud, but losing Dan Quinn could haunt this unit for a while.
So, where does Dallas go from here? Co-owner Stephen Jones recently said the team would be “selectively aggressive” in free agency, but that doesn’t fit with his father’s traditional “win now” mentality. Hall-of-Fame quarterback Troy Aikman has been vocal about his team’s 29 years of futility, and Deion Sanders withdrew his name from the head coaching search.
Things have been pretty bad for the Cowboys already, and ESPN’s Evan Cohen thinks they need to get worse before they get better.
"It is actually the perfect time to destroy this roster, to break the whole thing up. There's never been a better time for the Dallas Cowboys to do this." @EvCoRadio on the Dallas Cowboys being "selectively aggressive." https://t.co/pXR7u9Iff4 pic.twitter.com/lGibdhYpU1
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) February 25, 2025
The “Unsportsmanlike Radio” host recently said, “Selectively aggressive means you’re gonna run it back with tinkers. With a worse coach and maybe a worse roster. In a division that is unbelievable right now, top-heavy-wise, but unbelievable. What are we doing here? Just destroy the whole thing.” The team promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer after Mike McCarthy’s contract was allowed to expire.
Cohen continued, “Say to Dak Prescott, ‘We’re gonna give you nothing. Are you interested in accepting a trade somewhere? Cause maybe we can get something back for you.’ Say to Micah Parsons…’You are a franchise changing defender, we’re going to be selectively aggressive, which means we’ll give you some money but not some help.’
“CeeDee Lamb ‘Selectively aggressive. You’re allowed to do every runway you want cause you’re a very good-looking guy that can go out there and model all you want. We’re also not gonna provide you an opposite receiver of significance ’cause we’re gonna be selectively aggressive.” It’s a bold statement by Cohen, but it could be the hard truth for the once proud franchise.
He continued, “What are we doing here? It is actually the perfect time to destroy this roster, to break the whole thing up. There’s never been a better time for the Dallas Cowboys to do this. We are entering into next season, which is a quarterback-heavy draft. They don’t need a quarterback at all. Dak Prescott’s great, but it’s a quarterback-heavy draft.”
“They’re in the division with Philadelphia and Washington. They are not going to be better than either of those teams. And the Giants are talking about “win-now” moves for a team that can’t win now. There’s never been a better time for the Dallas Cowboys to be terrible than this season.”
Cohen could be right that this isn’t the year to invest in a rookie quarterback. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, but they don’t feel like can’t-miss players. If next year’s class is excellent, the right move could be to tank and secure the best possible draft pick.