Cowboys admit they were lying to fans about 'all-in' without saying a word

The decision means Smith will explore the market and likely draw a lot of interest considering he'll be the top tackle in the market and Super Bowl contending teams like the Kansas City Chiefs will certainly be ringing him up. 

But back to the Cowboys' so-called all-in season... Yeah, this team doesn't even know who will be Dak Prescott's blindside protector in 2024 following this decision. When Jones explained what he meant by going all-in, he specifically mentioned paying the team's players.

For some inexplainable reason other than being cheap, that doesn't include the offensive tackle that earned Second-Team All-Pro honors last season and that graded as the top pass protecting tackle in the NFL, per PFF. Other of his accolades from last year include: 

• 4th in run block win rate per ESPN
• 3rd best pass blocking efficiency per PFF
• 4th highest rate for being "left on an island" (no OL help) per Arjun Menon
• 4th highest overall grade per PFF among tackles

But no, as the Cowboys claim they're entering an "all-or-nothing" season, they prefer to do with... who at left tackle, exactly?

The Cowboys have compared Tyler Smith to Larry Allen after they saw him play at left guard in 2023, where he was truly elite. Is he the play at tackle? Or is the team picking a raw tackle at 24th overall and rolling the dice with him to protect Prescott's blindside?

The reality is the Cowboys were never going to go all-in because it's not who they have been since Stephen Jones took over as the de-facto general manager. But for them to not even be willing to pay their future Hall of Famer one year after he bet on himself with a reworked deal and delivered on it is extremely disappointing. 

The Cowboys will play the 2024 season without a clear plan on what they want to do. It's not a rebuild because they're too talented for it and kept a coaching staff that's mostly on one-year deals throughout the board. However, they're playing hardball in contract negotiations and not even a Prescott extension is "promised," per the Dallas Morning News.  

If their mindset is to tear it all down and start over from scratch, at least they should do it proactively. Trade Dak (despite a no-trade clause, they could get him to waive it). Pick a quarterback in the first round. But with the Cowboys, it's always a half-assed approach. No all-in. No rebuild. No clear direction. 

It's going to be a long offseason. It's already been a long offseason and free agency has yet to start.