Dallas Cowboys fans always enter the NFL regular season with high expectations, but this year some are pumping the brakes.

The lack of moves from the team in the offseason and their biggest move being the addition of an aging Ezekiel Elliott have some fans wondering just how far the team can go.

Well, a USA TODAY NFL analyst has things looking grim with an 8-9 record projection.

Nate Davis cites the “lame duck campaigns” coming for Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and head coach Mike McCarthy, who are all entering the final years of their deals.

“But his coach (Mike McCarthy), quarterback (Dak Prescott) and, arguably, best player (CeeDee Lamb) are currently scheduled to enter a lame-duck campaign on the heels of an offseason when the Cowboys were depleted by free agency, apparently unwilling to further cripple their cap in the near term.,” he writes.

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“To survive, they’ll likely need new (and former) coordinator Mike Zimmer to sustain what’s been an opportunistic defense and McCarthy to prove this offense is more than an aerial show while enduring a brutal four-game stretch following a Week 7 bye that includes three opponents that were 2023 playoff teams. Feels like too much to ask, especially given what could be lingering off-field distractions.”

That hurts.

If the Cowboys miss the postseason or fail to make a deep run, it’s entirely possible that Prescott and McCarthy will bolt at the end of the year.

That would mean a complete rebuild in the future for the Cowboys, especially with CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons’ deals still urgently in need of attention.

And at 8-9, that would certainly be a possibility.

Let’s buckle up and hope for the best.

Dallas will kick off its 2024 campaign on Sunday, September 8, on the road against the Cleveland Browns. Tom Brady will be making his broadcasting debut for the game on FOX.

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