(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
With Dallas bringing in over 30 new players since the end of last season, are the Cowboys retooling or are they officially rebuilding? Whichever it is, I just hope it leads to success. – John Walker/Lago Vista, TX
Nick: No way this is a "rebuild" in my opinion. I don't think you can have a $60 million quarterback, a $34 million wide receiver and who knows, maybe a $40 million pass-rusher (at some point) and call this a rebuild. That doesn't seem like a smart approach to me to try and rebuild a team with those pieces in place.
Retooling? I like that term a lot better. And yes, there is definitely a year of change. New head coach. New coaching staff. And like you said, about 30 new players on this 91-man roster. That's quite an overhaul in a lot of spaces. But there are a lot of key players in place to build around.
And another thing, if the Cowboys were trying to really rebuild, I don't think they would be doing so many trades and adding a lot of players (for them) in free agency. It was a lot of moves for this team, and I just don't think they have the rebuild mentality by doing all of that.
Kurt: Sure, the Cowboys brought in a whole wave of new players, but you can count on a third of the roster turning over just about every season. The difference this time around, though, is that Dallas was more aggressive in free agency and, of course, there was the big splash with the trade for George Pickens.
However, with the core players the Cowboys had returning, I don't think a rebuild was ever in the cards anyway. You don't start over when you've got one of the NFL's best wide receivers, arguably the top defenseman, a two-time Pro Bowler at left guard, 2023 Pro Bowlers at cornerback and tight end, a top-10 quarterback when healthy and maybe the league's best kicking game.
Instead, the Cowboys have retooled in a big way for 2025, starting with the hiring of a new head coach and his staff and followed by those offseason moves, which included adding some much-needed depth. Throw in an impressive draft, and this would appear to be far from any kind of rebuild.
Now, will it all lead to success? Like you, I certainly hope so. But if they can come together quickly on the field under Brian Schottenheimer, and perhaps most importantly stay healthy, the Cowboys should have retooled enough to again reach the playoffs.
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