The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most popular NFL teams in history and yet they are a team whose past glories seem to be far behind them. In the past, Texas fans could always look forward to a promising new season, given the Cowboys huge vat of resources thanks to the rich team owner Jerry Jones.

However, the latest news and indications of the lockout-affected season indicate major changes to come. The rumor is that a resolution of the NFL lockout (which is looking likely at this point, which is a good thing) is going to bring a salary cap of $120 million per team. If this is true, the Cowboys are already $18 million dollars over the limit. That means some major cuts, and some new limitations when it comes to signing free agents.

One of the biggest names amongst Cowboy free agents is Doug Free. Sources are suggesting that Free could command a large salary once the new season begins, and yet it may be more than the Cowboys can now afford–by law. How will the new cap affect players like DeMarcus Ware, who is currently making $6.7 million in base salary or Tony Romo who is making $9 million? Roy Williams is another much talked about name, as he didn’t have a great season in 2010-2011 and yet has a protruding $10 million salary that merits attention.

The Dallas Cowboys had a horrid season overall in 2010-2011, starting the season with 1-7 and ending the season at a disappointing 6-10. Immediately after the dreadful 1-7 record went into the books, the team announced that coach Wade Phillips was dropped and replaced by interim coach Jason Garrett. Cowboy fans had to watch as Super Bowl XLV took place in Arlington in the Cowboys Stadium, which no Cowboy anywhere in sight. It’s certainly reached a critical point, and this year money is an issue.

There is also talk of the Cowboys training camp being delayed for another couple of weeks, as there are still various legal issues that must be resolved. So thus far, we have a weak team recovering from a poor season, with financial limitations, with many big “ifs” and a late start. How do you think the NFL’s most expensive team will perform this year? Are you hoping for a miracle or is there still some legitimate hope left in Dallas?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 19th, 2011 at 6:06 pm and is filed under NFL. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.