I’m tired guys, tired of looking at this Cowboys team, and trying to talk myself into this team having enough talent to win. Let’s start a rebuild.
I want a new coaching staff, and I want Dallas to take calls on players we just assumed would retire as Cowboys. If some team offers enough to help rebuild this team, I would be listening.
Dallas entered Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles at 2-4. Why should we have to watch this team try to get something out of the same players another year, just because nobody wants to deal with starting over.
I’m ready to deal with it. How about you?
The Cowboys Coaching Staff Goes First
I would move on from Brian Schottenheimer and let the next head coach hire his own people. Yes, that includes Christian Parker and his vastly underperforming unit.
Nobody gets a guarantee to stay in a rebuild, especially when the new head coach walks into the doors of The Star.
In the two losses before Philadelphia, the Cowboys scored 16 points against Tampa Bay and 13 against Green Bay. Schottenheimer is an offensive-minded head coach who also calls the plays and with the high-powered unit he has, those two games should not have happened.
Being a head coach who can’t adjust and hasn’t created a unique offensive game plan is grounds for dismissal. I’ve heard enough about what he plans to improve. At some point, he actually has to improve something.
Jerry Jones and company will still get to pick the next guy. Whoever it is, I want him choosing every facet of this team. From the coaches to the players. If we trust him to rebuild the Cowboys, let him do his job.
Now let’s get down to the dirty part of trading off a bunch of players while we can.
QB Dak Prescott: I Want Two Firsts
Even talking about trading Dak Prescott is going to make people mad, but wouldn’t keeping him through another coaching change make matters worse? I’m more interested in what Dallas can get for him to jump-start my rebuild.
My asking price starts at two first-round picks and another pick.
Detroit got two firsts, a third, and Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford. Seattle received two firsts, two seconds, a fifth, and three players for Russell Wilson, with a fourth going back to Denver.
Those trades alone justify a reason to ask for such a big return.
Of course, Dak Prescott would have to approve his next home because of his no-trade clause. Russell Wilson had this clause too.
Dallas would also carry a big cap charge after moving him.
WR George Pickens: Ask for a First
A first round pick for Pickens would be my opening price, but if the best offer is a second, we can discuss that because I still got a return on my investment.
If you remember, Miami received a first, a third, and a fourth for Jaylen Waddle and a fourth. Pickens’ situation is different because he’s playing on the franchise tag. A buyer would have another contact decision coming after the season.
I don’t think that should keep Dallas from getting a first, and it sure shouldn’t keep the Cowboys from asking.
If Dak is leaving and the offense is starting over, keeping Pickens without a plan makes zero sense to me. A strong second round offer would be hard to turn down.
WR CeeDee Lamb: This One Would Hurt
This is the player I would have the hardest time trading because I’m an Oklahoma kid.
But he’s a guy who could bring back enough to help speed this rebuild up exponentially. My target would be a first and another early round pick. A first and a third would get my attention for Lamb.
Keeping him to help the next quarterback is a good argument, but I don’t know at his age if he would want to be part of a rebuild.
During a rebuild, tough decisions have to be made. We can’t just trade the players we want gone. If we want other teams to give up good picks, we have to trade valuable players.
RB Javonte Williams: Target a Third
This is a running back who rushed for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2025, then signed a three-year deal worth $24 million. A team looking would get a running back under contract for a couple of years.
A third would be enough for me to move him. A fourth is probably more likely, and I still think it would be a good deal for Williams.
I love having Williams in the backfield. This proposed rebuild means accepting that some players who help Dallas now might mean more to a contender than a team starting over.
Bland, Ferguson, and Clark Would Be Available
Unless someone is willing to pay for the player DaRon Bland was, I’d look for a late-round pick. I don’t see anyone going to pay a premium for an aging corner who is one of the worst in the league, but it would be nice to get rid of some of that contract.
Tight end Jake Ferguson would probably fall into that same category, but I would ask for a 4th or 5th and see what happens. For defensive tackle Kenny Clark, I’d also look for a 4th or 5th round pick, knowing the offer could be lower.
The downside is Dallas restructured all three of these guys in September, and the money involved would affect both the return and whether a trade to another team is worth making.
Making them available doesn’t mean the Cowboys have to accept an offer. We’re supposed to be getting something useful back in a rebuild, not just creating holes to say we made changes.
Keep Players the Next Staff Can Build Around
The Tyler’s are off limits, as well as, Cooper Beebe, and Caleb Downs. I want the next coach to have these guys, and they’re young enough to help rebuild.
Also, a young quarterback will need some big boys to protect him and those guys already in the team have gotten pretty good at that job.
The defense will need young talent to develop, so, players like Downs, Jaishawn Barham and any other young player wouldn’t go anywhere.
Keep that foundation and use the veterans to help add to it.
The timing of all this will mean a lot. Two first-round picks in a trade might not be for the same draft. So keeping these young guys and some veterans will help bring the next two years of draft picks up to speed.
I’m Ready to Live Through this Rebuild
The next quarterback is almost undoubtedly going to be worse than Dak Prescott. Some of these picks could become players we will complain about in a couple years. I know what I’m in for in this rebuild, and I’m ready to see it through.
Keeping this all together carries just as much risk as tearing it all down. We could spend another season having the exact same arguments about this team, with older players and fewer options to move them.
My choice is to change the staff, keep the young players who are worth building around, and find trade partners for the veterans.
In the second part of this two part series, I’ll get into who I want coaching this team and which players Dallas could draft with the picks from the trade scenarios.
If I’m calling for the Cowboys to clean house, I need to put some names behind it. Who replaces Schottenheimer? Who replaces Dak? And who can help the players we’re keeping?
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