Dallas Cowboys, it’s time to embrace chaos.
January 14, 1996. That was the last time the Cowboys played in an NFC Championship Game.
Here’s what else was going on: gas in Texas was $1.20, Blockbuster was a thing, and Taylor Swift was only six years old.
In the nearly 30 years since, they’ve gone 5–13 in the playoffs, cycled through eight head coaches, started 26 different quarterbacks, and haven’t sniffed that level of success.
Whatever they’re doing, it isn’t working. Good drafts? Fiscal responsibility? Pfffttttt. Same results every single year.
Maybe it’s time to do something different.
Enter, chaos.
How The Cowboys Can Embrace The Chaos
Stack The Secondary
The Cowboys’ secondary is beat up. Trevon Diggs is coming off another knee surgery. Third-round rookie Shavon Revel Jr. is expected to start the year on the PUP list. Daron Bland missed 10 games last year with a foot fracture. Four other corners ended the year on injured reserve.
Right now, there are two All-Pro corners just sitting there.
Jalen Ramsey is absent from Miami Dolphins minicamp while the team seeks a trade. The Green Bay Packers just released Jaire Alexander.
Go get them both.
Dallas doesn’t know who’s going to be ready by Week 1. So, go get both guys and figure it out later. Sure, Ramsey’s got a big cap number and Alexander only plays about a third of the time. So what? Stack the room. If each guy gives you 10-12 games, you’ll have enough talent to field a nasty secondary all season.
Neither player is young, but both can still play. Ramsey has the size and football IQ to transition to safety if his corner days are winding down—Charles Woodson did the same thing to extend his career. Alexander has battled injuries, but he’s ready to prove something. Want revenge against the team that released you? Come to Dallas and return the favor in January.
As fate would have it, the last time the Cowboys beat the Packers in the playoffs was the 1996 NFC Championship Game.
Resuscitate A Couple Of Distressed Tight Ends
Dallas already made one aggressive move this offseason, trading for George Pickens and finally addressing their hole at WR2. Great move. Love it. Now, double down and go get another offensive weapon.
How does Kyle Pitts sound to you? What about Michael Mayer?
Both are distressed assets. Both have legitimate playmaking upside.
Pitts, a former fourth-overall pick, is still considered one of the most athletically gifted tight ends ever drafted. He’s also been monumentally underwhelming and has single-handedly killed every fantasy team that has ever drafted him. While the Falcons aren’t actively shopping him, he could be on the move with the right offer.
A change of scenery could be exactly what he needs. And if Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams are worth anything as offensive minds, they’ll find a way to unlock the version of Pitts we thought we were getting out of Florida.
If Pitts is the sexy name, Mayer might be the better fit. Drafted early in the second round, he’s done almost nothing so far in his career. Now, with Brock Bowers looking like the next Travis Kelce, Mayer’s time in Vegas is likely up. He’s on the trade block and his future is likely elsewhere. That future could be in Dallas.
Mayer was a stud coming out of Notre Dame, and many projected him as a first-round pick. He’s got great size and strength, runs sharp routes, and excels in contested catch situations. He’s also a physical blocker who doesn’t get overpowered at the point of attack. Peer closely and you might just see Jason Witten…
Dak Prescott loves throwing to tight ends, and Mayer can be that next guy.
With Pickens stretching the field vertically and CeeDee Lamb stretching it horizontally, adding a dynamic tight end gives Dak a reliable third option right in his line of sight. A safety valve. A chain mover. A red-zone weapon.
You can never have too many weapons. Go get another one.
But What If It Backfires!?
So what!
It’s been 30 years, and you haven’t really been close. Yeah, there was the “Dez caught it” game and the “Rodgers to Cook” heartbreak—those dang Packers again. But it’s never truly felt like the Cowboys were legitimate Super Bowl threats. Maybe I’m just a cynic.
You’ve prioritized stability, fiscal restraint, and long-term building. With no results. There have been the occasional splashes—Terrell Owens comes to mind—but Dallas has largely played it safe, opting to build through the draft instead of making bold free-agent moves.
Maybe it’s time to let your freak fly.
Stack the secondary. Why not? Add another weapon. You can never have too many. Shake up the depth chart. Create chaos and competition. Make the kind of moves that have other teams wondering if you’ve completely lost your mind.
Will it work? Who knows. But it definitely won’t be boring. And besides, we’ve seen this work in the not-so-distant past. The L.A. Rams won a Super Bowl by trading away years’ worth of picks for Matthew Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, and Von Miller. They also signed Odell Beckham Jr. along the way. Eff them picks!
Would Dallas enjoy a similar result? Probably not. And if it blows up, so be it. You draft near the top of the 2026 class and hit on another first-rounder that you’ll eventually drag through second-contract negotiations.
The Cowboys need to embrace chaos.
Main Photo: [Chris Jones] – USA Today Sports
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