Running back Ezekiel Elliott. Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

A pessimist's guide to the 2024 Dallas Cowboys

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated May 29, 2024 1:16 PM ET

When it comes to disappointment, Dallas fans should be “all-in” given the team’s uninspired offseason. Here’s why they should be worried about next season.

Running backs

In a free-agent market with running backs like Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Aaron Jones, D'Andre Swift, Joe Mixon and Austin Ekeler, the best Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could do was Ezekiel Elliott, a player he deemed unworthy of a 2023 roster spot.

Elliott spent last year with the Patriots while posting career lows in yards (642) yards per carry (3.5) and touchdowns (three). Meanwhile, backup running back Rico Dowdle had a career-high two scores last year while sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn had 40 yards and no scores as a rookie.

Ezekiel Elliott officially signed his one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys. pic.twitter.com/RdqoWo2JWI
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 30, 2024

Thanks to 1,005 yards from Tony Pollard, Dallas had the14th-most rushing yards in the NFL last season. But now that he’s a Titan, the team faces the Herculean task of filling his shoes with a soon-to-be 29-year-old running back with very little left in the tank.

Salary cap

Even if the team wanted players like Barkley, Henry or Ekeler, signing them would be almost impossible given the state of their salary cap. Dallas felt comfortable giving Elliott a $2M contract because it has just $1.9M in cap space for 2024.

The Cowboys are scheduled to have $61M in cap space next year but that number doesn’t include pending free agents like Dak Prescott or CeeDee Lamb, and contract negotiations for both have already proved to be difficult.

Nico Collins

Dallas won’t face Houston until Week 11, but the Texans wide receiver just became a thorn in the team’s side. By signing a three-year, $72.5M contract extension ($52M guaranteed) on Tuesday, the cost of re-signing Lamb just went up.

Collins was the NFL’s eighth-leading receiver with 1,297 yards last season. Calvin Ridley finished 25th with 1,016 yards and received a four-year, $92M deal with the Titans. Gabe Davis and Darnell Mooney, the NFL’s 49th and 108th-leading receivers each signed three-year, $39M contracts.

Lamb will make $17.9M next season and his 1,749 yards in 2023 were second only to Miami’s Tyreek Hill. The longer the Cowboys wait, the more they’ll pay.

Bruce Ewing

Bruce Ewing is 183 pounds of twisted steel and Happy Meals. His work has appeared on Yardbarker, 5th Down Fantasy, Inside the Iggles and MSN. Give a Philly fan a break and follow him on Twitter/X at @fantasybruce.

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