FRISCO – The Dallas Cowboys entered 2024 with the highest of hopes. Owner Jerry Jones promised to be “All in!” on free-agent signings.
They locked up stars Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb with long-term contracts.
They were coming off three consecutive 12-win seasons. And then …
An early-season disaster has leveled off into merely a disappointment, but nonetheless the Cowboys are one of the biggest flops of the NFL season.
Even with three wins in their last four games, they are 6-8 and with only a Hail Mary hope of making the playoffs as the NFC’s third Wild Card. Prescott is long gone with a hamstring injury.
Defensive stars DeMarcus Lawrence, Trevon Diggs and DeMarvion Overshown have been lost for the majority of the season. Believe it or not, it could be worse.
The Cowboys have what they believe is their franchise quarterback. They have an elite receiver. They are pledging to secure star defender Micah Parsons. It remains to be seen if they’ll need to hire a new head coach. But there are 11 teams in decidedly worse shape than the Cowboys, in the present and immediate future. Yes, in this failed 2024 that’s what we’re reduced to.
1. New York Jets – Owner Woody Johnson shoved all his chips to the center of the table by signing 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers and mortgaging the future for Super Bowl-or-bust veterans such as Tyron Smith and Davante Adams. Now they’re 4-10 and are not sure about Rodgers’ future.
They also fired their head coach and general manager. Oh, and a report this week claims Johnson made trade decisions based on players’ Madden video game ratings.
2. New York Giants – They might be an even bigger dumpster fire than the Jets. Last offseason, general manager Joe Schoen allowed running back Saquon Barkley (who leads the NFL in rushing) and safety Xavier McKinney (who leads the NFL in interceptions) to leave in free agency with zero compensation.
They then butchered the handling of former first-round draft pick Daniel Jones, benching the quarterback and then making him play scout-team safety before releasing him for, again, nothing in return.
Rookie receiver Malik Nabers has thrown shade at his own team as “soft.”
3. Cleveland Browns – They sold their financial soul – and future draft capital – to acquire quarterback Deshaun Watson.
In return they are salary cap handicapped for the next two years and the injury-riddled, underperforming Watson has played in only 19 of a possible 48 games, going 9-10.
4. Las Vegas Raiders – 2-12 record with no quarterback and first-year coach Antonio Pierce already on unstable footing. Perhaps counting on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders to be their savior.
A complete mess.
5. Chicago Bears – With No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams and a slew of new offensive weapons, they were a sexy pick to make the playoffs but they’ve lost their last eight to fall to 4-10.
Williams is not even a Rookie of the Year candidate, head coach Matt Eberflus was fired for unfathomably bad clock management in a Thanksgiving loss, and they blew a game on a Hail Mary in which cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was out of position because he was distracted while taunting opposing fans. Related: Cowboys Issue Warning About Dangerous Cheerleaders Scam
6. Tennessee Titans – 3-13 team hanging its hat on a quarterback in Will Levis who has turned the ball over 17 times this season.
Grossly overpaid for former Cowboys’ running back Tony Pollard, who has the same number of 100-yard games (3) and only 100 more rushing yards than Rico Dowdle.
7. Carolina Panthers – They are desperately trying to resurrect the career of previously benched quarterback Bryce Young, but are 3-11 this season, 5-26 over the last two years and have only one winning season since 2016.
8. New England Patriots – They may have found their franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, but rookie head coach Jared Mayo looks overmatched and a glaring lack of skill-position talent has them chained to the AFC East basement for the second consecutive season and foreseeable future.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars – Supposed franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence has drastically regressed this season and is only 22-38 as a starter in four years.
Head coach Doug Pederson trying to find his Philadelphia Eagles magic, but …
10. New Orleans Saints – Seems crazy to say the Cowboys are in better shape than a team that pummeled them, 44-19, in Week 2, but they fired their head coach in midseason and are counting on Derek Carr to be better long-term than Prescott.
11. San Francisco 49ers – They have coach Kyle Shanahan and most of their offensive stars in place, but just 10 months ago they were one play from winning the Super Bowl.
Now they’ve got the same record as the Cowboys at 6-8 after an even bigger fall from grace.
