Why the Cowboys shouldn’t attempt to match the Eagles roster-building method

The Philadelphia Eagles are Tremendous Bowl champions. Congrats to them. They did some nice issues, blah, blah, blah. We’re positive their mothers are proud.

For the Dallas Cowboys, it creates alternatives for jealousy. Not simply watching a divisional rival hoist the Lombardi trophy, but additionally enduring one other season the place they failed to maneuver the needle. It may be quite irritating. Typically the frustration will be so insufferable that it messes together with your judgment.

Recency bias is so highly effective that some have recommended the Eagles are actually the mannequin franchise. Danger-taking and aggressive spending are the way in which to go and Jerry Jones needs to be extra like Jeffrey Lurie, even going so far as saying the Cowboys proprietor ought to promote some shares of the Cowboys to generate some money he may then use to amass free brokers.

It’s a loopy proclamation for a handful of causes. For starters, the Cowboys have cash. With out even having any perception into Jerry Jones’ funding portfolio, we all know they’ve the cash. There isn’t a scarcity of money move, and the Cowboys spend cash. When you take a look at the final 5 years, the Cowboys have spent $1.25 billion in money, $65 million greater than the league common. Twice in that span, the Cowboys have completed within the prime three for the yr in money spending. Make no mistake about it, Jerry Jones spends cash on this crew.

To assume a savvy enterprise proprietor would unload components of one of the crucial worthwhile organizations in sports activities to get money he doesn’t want doesn’t make plenty of sense. It’s much more inconceivable when one expects the Joneses to get wild and loopy with their spending to purchase issues now, solely to push the cap prices into future years. We all know that’s not how they function, however within the spirit of the copycat narrative, is that how they need to function?

We’ve already talked rather a lot about how the Eagles have pushed an unlimited amount of cash onto the books of future years within the type of utilizing void years. To see an instance of what we’re speaking about, take a look at every crew’s most costly void-year wage cap money owed (information courtesy of spotrac.com)

Multi-year wage cap desk from spotrac

That is what is supposed when stating the Eagles are mortgaging their future. Most know they’re doing it, however as you may see, that is fairly extreme. Groups are continually borrowing from the long run and the Cowboys aren’t any exception as they’ll add extra to their future money owed as they restructure extra offers. The actual distinction between the 2 groups is that the Eagles are already dedicated to paying these gamers and so they’re utilizing these pre-determined void years to unlock more cash to buy different property proper now. That’s the Eagles means.

Ought to the Cowboys observe go well with? Why not. The Eagles are confirmed winners and any crew who actually values successful is working on this method, right?

Not so quick.

During the last 4 seasons, eight groups have a successful share of 60% or larger (together with playoffs). Listed below are these groups:

TEAM
WINNING PERCENTAGE

Kansas Metropolis Chiefs
78%

Philadelphia Eagles
70%

Buffalo Payments
70%

Baltimore Ravens
62%

Dallas Cowboys
61%

San Francisco 49ers
61%

Cincinnati Bengals
61%

Minnesota Vikings
60%

The Cowboys are fifth on this record, so we should always entertain the notion that they have to be doing a little issues proper even when enhancements are wanted. What are these different groups doing? If we checked out how a lot of the cap is already allotted in future years for these eight groups, it appears as follows:

This exhibits us one factor we already know – the Eagles are already spending tomorrow’s cash. They’ve already dedicated almost 60% (2028), 40% (2029), and 35% (2030) of future seasons cap price range. That’s rather a lot.

It additionally exhibits a few issues we would not have realized. The Cowboys are utilizing extra future cap sources than the league common each season for the subsequent 5 years. That doesn’t match the narrative that the Cowboys aren’t spending cash to win. They’re spending and so they’re utilizing future sources to assist win now.

Lastly, we additionally see that the Cowboys fall according to how these different groups are distributing their cash. It’s the Eagles who’re the tour. They’re clearly dancing to the beat of their very own drum. The Cowboys’ spending appears similar to that of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, who many would say is the true crew others ought to attempt to copy. Not solely that however borrowing from future cap sources doesn’t robotically equal success.

TEAM
TOTAL MONEY ALLOCATED
SPENDING RANK

Philadelphia Eagles
$1.1 billion
1st

Jacksonville Jaguars
$980 million
2nd

Cleveland Browns
$957 million
third

San Francisco 49ers
$950 million
4th

Buffalo Payments
$840 million
seventh

Kansas Metropolis Chiefs
$814 million
eighth

Dallas Cowboys
$810 million
ninth

Minnesota Vikings
$704 million
eleventh

Baltimore Ravens
$676 million
thirteenth

League Common
$666 million
N/A

Cincinnati Bengals
$562 million
twentieth

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns are second and third in whole cash allotted by way of 2030, however they’ve been two of the weaker groups in recent times. So, ought to we robotically leap on board with the Eagles’ roster-building methods due to their current success? Possibly different contributing components play a giant half in successful. And would we be having this identical response if the Los Angeles Rams accomplished the comeback within the snow of their divisional playoff recreation towards the Eagles?

The Eagles deserve plenty of credit score, however I guarantee in the event that they did not win, their roster-building method would have been closely criticized. And in each their Tremendous Bowl seasons, that is been tremendous near taking place. Individuals choose the method solely on the end result. pic.twitter.com/QOMqkwInix

— Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) February 13, 2025

The Cowboys ought to make some adjustments in how they spend their cash, significantly dabbling a smidge extra in free company, however they don’t have to make drastic adjustments in how they’re working. Many different groups are working equally and have had nice success so blowing up their method isn’t the easiest way to repair their issues.