Dallas Cowboys: The Greg Hardy Distraction And The Promising Season That Wasn’t

The 2015 season for the Dallas Cowboys was, to put it mildly, a disappointment. It ended with 34-23 defeat at the hands of the Washington Redskins. A 4-12 finish for the Cowboys is not the way anybody imaged.

Injuries to key players doomed the Cowboys early. Ineffectiveness hurt the Cowboys as the season progressed. A year with so much promise, ended in misery for “America’s Team.” The year when the Dallas Cowboys were supposed to contend for a Super Bowl became the year that wasn’t. Now there will be an offseason filled with draft speculation, but the Cowboys must first focus on what went wrong.

Losing wide receiver Dez Bryant was a bigger subtraction than expected. The star pass-catcher had a year he would like to forget.

It first began when he got injured during Cowboys’ training camp. Then came a skirmish that he was involved in with members of the St. Louis Rams during a dual practice. When Dez Bryant broke a bone in his foot, it was icing on the cake. It also threw everything out of whack for him and his Cowboys’ teammates.

According to Jason Garrett, Dez Bryant will have surgery on his ankle and foot and be placed on IR. pic.twitter.com/cbBhJiBM8M

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 30, 2015

Dez Bryant being out of the lineup put the remaining receivers higher in the pecking order. On some teams that is a good thing, but on the Cowboys, it became a problem. Nothing against Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley, but they are not in the same class as Dez Bryant. Bryant is an All-Pro level wide receiver. It is hard to replace what he brings to the table. Unfortunately for him, and the Cowboys lack of quality play from the quarterback spot became the sore spot.

Tony Romo could not stay healthy.

Romo was supposed to break through this season but his was robbed early when he broke his clavicle for the second time, courtesy of ESPN, in the season. No Tony Romo, no chance for the Dallas Cowboys, who were not equipped with an above-average backup quarterback.

Dallas Cowboys will pick 4th overall in April's draft. It will be their highest pick since picking DT Russell Maryland 1st overall in 1991.

— Brandon George (@DMN_George) January 4, 2016

Brandon Weeden tried and failed. Matt Cassel tried, but he could not move the football down the field. Kellen Moore was far removed from his glory days at Boise State. The Dallas Cowboys were in a no-win situation. Acquiring a backup quarterback with enough upside to step in as the future starter will be on the Cowboys’ radar this offseason.

With the number of backup quarterbacks who took starter’s snaps this season, the Cowboys can get lucky and find a serviceable player to call the signals in the event that Tony Romo cannot play. They will have to begin to ponder the future anyhow as Romo will turn 36 before the beginning of next season’s training camp. There are some rumblings about the Cowboys having interest in the Cleveland Brown’s Johnny Manziel. Getting Manziel, or a quarterback with similar abilities, would be a great find by Dallas.

Off-the-field distractions were plentiful this season, as well. The story centered around defensive end Greg Hardy just a bit too much.

The narrative was less about his play, but more about the additional details that went public in his assault case. Prior to today’s game, ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote about the possibility of Greg Hardy having played his last game for the Dallas Cowboys. Hardy expressed his desire to return after the loss to the Redskins.

“I would love to stay here,” Greg Hardy told reporters, including the SportsDay Dallas News.

“I’d be kinda sad because I look good in blue and white, let’s be honest. It’s been awesome. I got to play with fricken Tony Romo, I got to play with Dez Bryant, I got to play with Jason Witten, I got to play with fricken Sean Lee.

“I got to play with monsters in this game, legends in this game. The fricken head coach, Jerry Jones, the Jones family, legendary people in this game. People who know a lot.”

What to do with Greg Hardy is on the Dallas Cowboys’ to-do list. He was a distraction at times with his comments about Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bundchen. Not to mention his tirade on the sidelines that caught the attention of league observers. Greg Hardy was the poster board summing up the Dallas Cowboys’ season. Surprisingly enough, he deserves to come back. He will be motivated to improve on his six sacks and one forced fumble.

The season for the Dallas Cowboys became the season that wasn’t. It is painful for any Cowboys’ fan to relive, but with some better health and a motivated Greg Hardy, things could get better next season.

[Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Sports]