Off-Season Progress Report: Cowboys Begin 2016

RJ Ochoa

A week ago the Dallas Cowboys were preparing for the season finale against the NFC East Division Champion Washington Redskins. Today? They’re chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool… welcome to the off-season.

There has already been a few tectonic shifts in the NFC East this off-season as some of our division rivals made some big moves.

Cowboys Blog - Off-Season Progress Report: Cowboys Begin 2016

You know already know how the Philadelphia Eagles waved the white flag and fired Chip Kelly. Well this week the New York Giants sang a similar tune when they said goodbye to their two-time Super Bowl winning Head Coach, Tom Coughlin.

Jason Garrett is now the longest tenured Head Coach in the NFC East, but one of his men may be on his way out. It was announced on Wednesday that secondary coach Jerome Henderson is expected to interview with the Cleveland Browns regarding their vacancy at Head Coach. Seriously. You do you, Cleveland.

There are other vacancies in the NFL besides those Head Coach gigs. The Detroit Lions have an opening at their General Manager position – which Will McClay declined to interview for. This is a big deal for all of Cowboys Nation as McClay has been the architect behind what the Cowboys have been doing for the past few seasons. He wants to get things right here in Dallas and it’s great to know how committed he is to us.

In terms of player news… the Dallas Cowboys cleaned out their lockers on Monday. A few of them took to Twitter to express some thoughts regarding the 2015 season.

https://twitter.com/Bease11/status/684024539928379392

The writing seems to be on the wall regarding Jeremy Mincey that he may not be back in the blue and silver come September.

Speaking of the guys that might not be back next year, Over The Cap is a great resource for all of those with questions regarding free agency.

Cowboys Blog - Off-Season Progress Report: Cowboys Begin 2016 1
Upcoming Dallas Cowboys Free Agents

Our own Bobby Belt spoke with Jason Fitzgerald, founder of Over The Cap, regarding what the Cowboys could be doing this year in free agency on Cowboys Cast. It’s a great listen that’ll help prepare you for the exciting days of March.

There are obviously free agents coming off of stints with other teams that the Cowboys will be looking to put a Star on this year.

My fellow Inside The Star Staff Writer Nick Cocchiaro wrote up a potential free agency plan that details who the Cowboys could target. If you’ve read any of my work before then you know how much I love “plans” and Nick’s gets my official thumbs up!

Speaking of Inside The Star, the Dallas Cowboys are coming Inside The Star! Staff Writer Sean Martin tells you here all about how the Cowboys new home of all football operations, The Star, is opening in 2016. You’re already Inside The Star… the Cowboys are joining you in 2016!

Regular X-Thrower-Upper (what?) Dez Bryant successfully had surgery on his foot and ankle on Wednesday morning. It became more and more obvious as the season went on that Dez simply wasn’t right, and this surgery will go a long way in correcting that. He’s already feeling better, too.

The 2015 season is over largely due to the ineptitude of the Dallas Cowboys Offense and the backup quarterbacks that were given the keys to it. It’s no secret that this position is a high priority for Dallas this off-season and that they’ll be looking for key ways to address it.

If the Cowboys choose to draft a quarterback there are plenty to choose from. Senior Analyst Ryan Ratty has film reviews on Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Connor Cook, and many others if you want to catch yourself up on the potential future franchise quarterback.

Of course Tony Romo will be the man at the helm of the Dallas Cowboys in 2016. Our own Jess Haynie wrote up a great piece here detailing how Carson Palmer’s resurgence into NFL stardom gives Cowboys Nation and Romo hope for the future. It’s one of those articles that’s going to get you completely jacked for next year. Give it a read and thank me later.

Make sure and stay tuned to us here at Inside The Star as we’ll be having this weekly progress report all throughout the off-season. It’s a great way to catch up on what you might have missed or chat with your favorite RJ.

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What are you excited about during this Off-Season? What moves do you want to see the Dallas Cowboys make? Let me know! Comment below, Email me at Roel.Ochoa.Jr@Gmail.com, or Tweet to me at @rjochoa!