When the season began back on Sept. 13 in Los Angeles, the Cowboys had 14 players on the roster who had made it to at least one Pro Bowl.
Now, five of them are either on injured reserve, expected to miss a few more weeks due to injury, or have been released or traded.
And of the remaining nine, few of them seem to be in line for a return trip to the Pro Bowl.
That's the reality of a team that is 3-8 here in early December. While the NFC East is still obtainable, mainly because of the struggles of the rest of the division, it won't be easy for the Cowboys to extend their own streak of seven consecutive years of at least five Pro Bowlers.
In fact, the Cowboys have had at least two make the Pro Bowl since 2000 – when only Larry Allen made it.
And could this be the first year since 1989 that the Cowboys are shut out of the Pro Bowl with no selections?
The best chance for the Cowboys would likely be guard Zack Martin, who has made the Pro Bowl each of his six pro seasons. But he's missed one game already with a concussion and could miss 2-3 more here this month with a calf injury.
Linebacker Jaylon Smith, who made the Pro Bowl last year as an alternate, is among the NFL leaders in tackles. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has made it twice and is playing much better of late, but his slow start to the season will make it difficult to get in.
Amari Cooper is fourth in the NFC in catches with 71 and Ezekiel Elliott ranks fourth in the NFC in rushing yards with 707.
Perhaps, specialists such as Greg Zuerlein or special teams ace C.J. Goodwin could get the nod this year.
But again, the Cowboys' record will certainly play against them in terms of the voting.
Like just everything during this unique season, the Pro Bowl process has changed as well.
Most importantly, there won't be an actual game this year as the NFL decided to skip the game because of the pandemic.
With that, there will be no need for alternates or other players opting out of the game for other reasons.
So the 44 spots for the NFC and AFC squads will be final when it's announced later this month.
Roster selections are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group's vote counts one-third toward determining the 88 All-Star players. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on Friday, December 18.
