When Jerry Jones secured QB Dak Prescott on a four-year $240 million deal, he had hoped it would push the team in the Super Bowl direction. That is what he at least implied when talking about this massive contract. But a 3-6 record so far means their season hopes are hanging by a thread. This has led to speculation over HC Mike McCarthy’s future, but Jones has dismissed the idea of a mid-season change. So what’s next?

The Cowboys’ latest outing saw them score just two field goals on the offense as they were run over by the Philadelphia Eagles 34-6 in Week 10. With Prescott facing a season-ending surgery to repair a hamstring injury, things aren’t looking great for America’s Team. Keeping in mind how their season is panning out and the latest blowout loss, Jones has been urged to go for an overhaul.

Apart from Prescott’s big money deal, Jones also shelved out a $136 million, four-year deal for receiver CeeDee Lamb. This combined financial output of $376 million had the fanbase hoping for bigger things, but not to be. But Michelle Smallmon, the host of Unsportsmanlike Radio, has painted this Cowboys crisis as an opportunity.

“I hate to see anyone get injured, but this might have been a good thing for the Dallas Cowboys. And here’s why: They weren’t going to be good with or without Dak. This was a football team that was already spiraling even when Dak Prescott was healthy,” Smallmon said. She added that Prescott should be given the time needed to recover from the impending surgery and not play for the rest of the season and “then you assess what you have with this football team.”

She went on to explain, “Because Dak is going to be there. They locked him up for a long time. But you need to figure out what other pieces you are gonna take as you embark on this rebuild. They might not wanna admit it’s a rebuild, but the Dallas Cowboys are in a bad place and they are gonna figure out something different. They are likely gonna move on from their head coach and they need to figure out who is gonna be left standing with them that they embark on this next chapter of their football team with.”

Accepting that the season’s a wash and that they’ll have to prep for the next one isn’t easy. But with the performances they’ve been having, there’s no other realistic choice.

Both backup QBs they’ve got (Cooper Rush and Trey Lance) have minimal experience too. Lance played his first game since 2022 yesterday, and both he and Rush failed to impress. The Cowboys only had 45 yards from Rush and 21 from Lance in their blowout loss to the Eagles. That paints a picture of a team’s overreliance on Prescott. Overall they registered 146 yards, their worst offensive performance at home since moving to the AT&T Stadium, 15 years ago. Things aren’t looking up on the defensive side of the ball as well.

Their defense is ranked 26th in terms of yards allowed per game, and the 348 yards they allowed the Eagles is actually lower than their average of 364.8. Of course, injuries have a part to play in that Micah Parsons had been out of the game for a while. But still, their overall rushing defense in particular has left much wanting.

So it is clear that something needs to be done. Maybe the way to go is to look at the HC position as Smallmon suggested and then see what they have got from there. But this is something Jones is not entertaining, at least not at the moment.

When asked about McCarthy’s status, Jones said, “Mike is a heck of a coach, a great coach in my mind, He has and should have the opportunity to do better than we’re playing right now. I haven’t had good experience changing coaches in the middle of the season.” Their issues don’t only lie in personnel though.

Following the Eagles defeat, Lamb brought up the issue of the sunlight interfering with play at the AT&T Stadium after he missed a throw from backup quarterback Cooper Rush. Lamb pointed to his eyes, indicating problems with the sun directly in his line of vision. Speaking after the game he said, “I couldn’t see the ball. Couldn’t see the ball at all. The sun.” When asked whether the stadium needs curtains to help with the problem he answered, “Yes. 1000%”

But Jones dismissed these concerns and said, “By the way, we know where the sun is going to be when we flip the coin, so we do know where the damn sun is going to be in our own stadium. Let’s just tear the damn stadium down and build another one. Are you kidding me?” So changing things at Dallas isn’t going to come easy. This leaves us with player changes at the franchise. So how can Jones go about the rebuild?

How exactly do the Cowboys rebuild?

There is one upside to all the losses the Cowboys have been stacking up. Yep, a higher draft pick in 2025, and they’ll really need it. As things stand right now, they’re projected to get the 11th pick, though obviously, that could fluctuate by the end of the season. In the 1st and 2nd positions would sit the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Jets, who’ve had absolutely terrible seasons.

Prescott’s locked in for another 4 years, ditto Lamb. They’re not shaking them anytime soon. However, a backup quarterback is still a must, given how Rush and Lance have performed. Why not look at home, to Dallas native Shedeur Sanders, now playing for the Colorado Buffaloes? He’s had nearly 13,000 yards across 45 games, at a completion rate near 70%. Add to that 134 touchdowns (passing+rushing combined) and his figures are nothing to scoff at.

And then they’ll be needing a running back, options galore for that. If nobody beats them to the punch, there might be merit in picking a running back like Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty’s been the best runner in college football this year, though, so there’s a chance someone else will snap him up. In that case, they might get value out of a running back like Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins, an agile player on the field with a killer sprint.

They will also need to offload some players to make room. They can move on pending free agents like All-Pro guard Zack Martin, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, and wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Jones could also do away with offensive tackle Terence Steele, safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson, among others. Still, they won’t be among the leaders in cap space, thanks to the bulky contracts of Prescott and Lamb.

At the moment the Cowboys are projected to have $122.6 million in cap space for the 2026 season. That is before the rollover cap and signing from this upcoming offseason. So it is interesting to see how much Jones is willing to invest and address the pain areas. One thing is for sure, Jones needs to change something and despite his reluctance right now, he may be forced into a decision come the next off season.