Analyst explains why Cowboys, 49ers are among NFL’s biggest offseason ‘losers’

Although the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys are both playoff teams with good odds of making it back to the postseason again in 2024, that doesn’t make them exempt from criticism.

In his offseason winners and losers column for The Athletic, Mike Jones listed both as two teams that didn’t make the grade with their respective offseason moves.

Failing to upgrade the offensive line in addition to parting ways with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks were among the things Jones didn’t like about what San Francisco did after the season ended.

“After a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the 49ers had a relatively quiet offseason,” Jones wrote. “They gave Christian McCaffrey an extension and drafted Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who might not be ready for prime time until 2025. … Can first-year defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen reignite a defense that lost Armstead and Javon Kinlaw and added Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos and Jordan Elliott?”

The 49ers shored up a few defensive positions like Jones mentioned, and they added linebacker De’Vondre Campbell as insurance while Dre Greenlaw recovers from a torn Achilles suffered in the Super Bowl. However, they didn’t add any big-name players to gear up for another run at a championship.

Their Super Bowl window is firmly open, and the front office clearly thinks they already have the pieces necessary to win.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, had one of the quietest offseasons in the NFL after owner Jerry Jones promised the team would be major players in free agency.

Linebacker Eric Kendricks and running back Ezekiel Elliott were the only players signed in free agency not on the roster last year. Aside from Elliott, Dallas ignored to upgrade at arguably its biggest position of need: running back.

“Jerry Jones took a frugal approach to the offseason,” Jones said. “… Meanwhile, the Cowboys lost Tyron Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Tony Pollard and Dorance Armstrong, and failed to draft a running back. It’s hard to see Dallas defending the NFC East after Philadelphia’s active offseason.”

It’s hard to look at the 2024 Cowboys roster and believe it’s better than last year’s, but the team seems content to ride things out with quarterback Dak Prescott playing in a contract year.