Because the Cowboys have yet to extend Dak Prescott, have allowed several old faces to leave and have not been very active in free agency, is it possible we're quietly seeing the start of a major rebuild to get the salary cap in a more manageable place? – Craig Wilson/New Orleans, LA
Nick Harris:
Whether it's intentional or not, there is a mini roster overhaul that we're seeing in Dallas. I wouldn't call it a rebuild necessarily since that would imply that the core of the team (Prescott, Parsons, Lamb, etc.) would not be factored into the future, but I would call it a reshuffle. The cap situations for the next two years have already forced some tough decisions and those will only continue. If the team fails to make the playoffs next year or worse, a rebuild may be more in the cards then.
Patrik: I think that's entirely possible, to a degree. I can't remember the last time I've seen this in Dallas — such a poor combination of lack of action on both outside free agents and lack of re-signing those inside of the building, and then you combine that with an official retirement and, whew, this has not been pretty. Their cap crunch, however, is something that can be alleviated, if they so choose. Even without extending Dak Prescott, they can pull triggers on some restructures that would free up more tens of millions of dollars to make space for adding and retaining talent, but the only moves that have been made in that arena have been some reworkings on Prescott's deal and that of Zack Martin. The hope is that things pick up for the Cowboys soon, e.g., re-signing Stephon Gilmore (?), so that they aren't solely dependent upon having the best draft ever while still hoping to compete for a championship in 2024.
