3 offseason moves Cowboys can make to fix awful defense

2. Cut ties with struggling players

Sometimes you have to admit defeat. Paying positions ahead of Prescott now has Dallas in a bind. Instead of just trusting things will turn around, they should just bite the salary cap to improve the production.

The two biggest issues are DeMarcus Lawrence and Jaylon Smith entering the offseason. Since signing his five-year, $105 million deal, Lawrence has combined the past two years for 9.5 total sacks entering Week 15.

Meanwhile, Smith was the breakout story of the 2016 NFL Draft after his rapid comeback from a freak injury. He’s been a tackling machine with 123 stops in 2020, but for every hit he has, there’s nearly double as many missed tackles that the stat line won’t show.

https://twitter.com/Frankie_Jay_/status/1338206567779479557

One of these two need to be gone. Sure, it’ll cost the team tens of millions, but production talks and neither has enough to earn that overall price. Plus, with Leighton Vander Esch actually looking like a better option to pay, they’ll have to free space to pay several names in the future.

Whichever player struggles more down he stretch should be looking for a new team in 2021. If both struggle, just cut ties and call it a day.