4 more Dallas Cowboys not named Mike McCarthy who won't be back

The Dallas Cowboys fell well shirt of expectations this season, as they entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed and NFC East champions after a late run. Yet, in the NFC Wild Card round the Cowboys lost to the Green Bay Packers in rather embarrassing fashion. Sure, Dak Prescott padded his stats late in the game against backups, but by no means does that excuse the Cowboys performance.

Despite the defeat, Jerry Jones decided to bring back Mike McCarthy for the final year of his contract rather than hire one of the available head coaching candidates like Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel or even Jim Harbaugh. McCarthy had exit meetings with the players last week, and then spoke with Jones about his future.

"They're amazing men because the thing is – and it always blows me away – is just how strong they are," McCarthy said. "With just the disappointment and your emotion and the ability to express and I think part of that too is everyday is different. Every time I do it, it's a grind. It's so productive, but there's a lot of strength and confirmation that comes from those conversations and I applaud our men for that."

McCarthy also praised Jerry Jones for his leadership, suggesting he's an 'amazing' boss. While that's surely good to hear from Jones perspective, Dallas hasn't won a Super Bowl since I was in diapers. Something has to change, and that starts with the players and coaching staff.

FanSided's Cody Williams discussed several Cowboys players who likely won't return in the aftermath of Dallas' defeat last week. Those players, Jourdan Lewis, Neville Gallimore, Dante Fowler, Jayron Kearse and Tony Pollard, will not be on this list.

4. Don't expect Rico Dowdle back on the Cowboys next season

The Cowboys running game wasn't a strong suit this season. Much of that can be attributed to the offensive line and Pollard. File Dowdle's inclusion on this list as extreme makeover, Cowboys backfield edition.

Dowdle was injured towards the end of the season, and in his absence Deuce Vaughn saw increased carries. With Vaughn entering his second season in 2024, Dallas should roll the dice on the Kansas State product as the backup running back at least. Vaughn proved to be explosive when given the opportunity, something Dowdle cannot claim to be.

Vaughn's season came to an end just prior to the playoffs, as he was placed on injured reserve. However, he showed enough in his rookie year to earn a larger role in 2024. That means Dowdle could be on the outs.