After the season is before the season. Ahead of the start of the new NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys have some important questions looming.

The 2023-24 NFL season is in the history books. With the Kansas City Chiefs, this year’s NFL champion is also not from Dallas. The Cowboys have been waiting for a Super Bowl ring since 1995. The dominant days of “America’s Team” are long gone.

Things looked extremely promising during the season. Head coach Mike McCarthy’s team won twelve of the 18 games. These included strong performances such as the dominant 40:0 victory against the New York Giants at the start of the season.

In the end, however, it was only enough for the Wild Card. At least it was enough for a third playoff appearance in a row. In the game against the Green Bay Packers, however, they suffered a bitter 48:32 defeat. Tragic man on the pitch: Quarterback Dak Prescott, who put up good numbers with 403 passing yards and three touchdowns, but also played his part in the elimination with two interceptions.

It’s games like these that repeatedly saw the 30-year-old’s chair. The former star quarterback has long since ceased to be untouchable in Dallas. His future is uncertain. After all, the veteran’s contract expires at the end of the coming season.

Dallas Cowboys between decisions and strike

Not the only important contract issue that those responsible around owner Jerry Jones have to clarify. The contracts of guard Zack Martin and star linebacker Micah Parsons are also expiring.

The situation is similar for star receiver CeeDee Lamb. The former 2020 first-round pick is currently still playing under his rookie contract.

This earns the 25-year-old an annual salary of around 3.5 million US dollars. Lamb wants more. After all, several wide receivers have extended their contracts with their teams for top salaries this off-season. Lamb also wants some planning security. His contract also expires in 2025.

A contract extension has not yet been signed. Much to the annoyance of the player, who now seems to want to force the issue. At the beginning of the week, it leaked out that Lamb had not turned up for the Cowboys’ mandatory training start. He had already sat out the voluntary start. A clear signal to the bosses.

So far, the Cowboys have kept a low profile. Just like the whole offseason

Sleeping free agency

Finally, it appeared to the outside world that the franchise slept on free agency a bit after last season. While most teams acted quickly and fixed some roster issues immediately after the start of free agency, the Cowboys took their time.

But the construction sites were definitely there. With offensive tackle Tyron Smith (New York Jets), defensive ends Dante Fowler Jr. and Dorance Armstrong Jr.( both Washington Commanders) as well as running back Tony Pollard (Tennessee Titans), receiver Michael Gallup (Las Vegas Raiders) and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (Karierende), the Cowboys have lost some pillars.

With linebacker Eric Kendricks and running back Ezekiel Elliott, two well-known players were added late. The remaining positions were addressed in the draft.

For Elliott, it is already his second intermezzo with the Cowboys. The 28-year-old already celebrated his best career years with the Cowboys from 2016 to 2022. After a hapless stint with the New England Patriots, he returned to Dallas. Can he find his old strength at his old place of work?

The foundation is laid in training

The Cowboys, like all 31 other teams, must now prepare for the new season. At least that seems to be going quite well so far – even without CeeDee Lamb.

Instead, the focus has been on quarterback Prescott. “I think Dak has his best offseason program we’ve ever had,” said coach McCarthy. He continued: “This atmosphere we’ve been practicing in with the quarterback and receivers is really optimal. I’m very impressed with the quality of the work.”

The quarterback himself is also enthusiastic: “I agree, because that’s what I put into this game. It’s what this game means to me. I talk about it every offseason. I always focus on improving in every aspect and every aspect of my game. I want to make sure I’m pushing the guys around me. “

Dallas Cowboys: These questions remain unanswered

So far the Cowboys are confident going into the season, one thing is for sure, it’s going to be an exciting one. A do-or-die season, especially for Prescott. If he fails to impress again, a contract extension could be a long way off.

What questions remain unanswered for “Americas Team”?

1. Is CeDee Lamb coming back?

Lamb is Prescott’s most important center. Last season alone, he caught 1749 of Prescott’s 4516 passing yards – nearly 40 percent. After the loss of Michael Gallup, the wide receivers behind Lamb are thin. With Brandin Cooks and Tyron Johnson, there are only two other receivers with more than three years of NFL experience in the squad. The success of Prescott and thus the Cowboys could also depend on Lamb’s return.

2. Will Ezekiel Elliott find his old strength?

If Prescott and the receivers can’t fix it, the running backs have to. If Elliott can get back to his Pro Bowl form, he can have a big impact on his team. If he doesn’t, the offense could be shaky.

3. Will the few reinforcements be enough?

The Cowboys are going through a rebuild and a much bigger one is seemingly imminent. This makes it all the more painful for the fans that the really big names have failed to materialize this offseason. Although the team invested heavily in depth towards the end of free agency and in the draft, only time will tell whether this will be enough to replace the quality that has been lost

4. Can Prescott play his way to a new contract?

The success of the Dallas Cowboys stands and falls with quarterback Dak Prescott. If he plays an outstanding season, it can go a long way for the Cowboys. He has shown time and time again that he can. What is missing, however, is consistency. If Prescott can eliminate his mistakes, he can carry the Cowboys a long way. Then his contract issue and thus an elementary question for the future of the Dallas Cowboys might also be resolved