The Dallas Cowboys finished the 2015 regular season in last place in the NFC East with a 4-12 record, and many are calling for changes this offseason especially in player personnel. The Cowboys were clearly one of the biggest surprises of the NFL season, as many expected big things from them following a 12-4 record in 2014.
Injuries were a major factor in Dallas' struggles this season, as the team lost starting quarterback Tony Romo not once but twice to a broken collarbone. Romo turns 36 this offseason, but the Cowboys' franchise quarterback has said that he plans to play at least four more seasons in the NFL, according to HBO's Bill Simmons.
Romo has proven himself one of the elite quarterbacks in the game and prior to this season had completed at least 15 games in the four previous seasons. If anything was proven with age this season, it came when Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck roved it was still possible to succeed in the league at 40 years old. Hasselbeck posted a record of 5-3 as the Colts' starting quarterback and had nine touchdowns to five interceptions.
The Cowboys will need Romo to continue to prove he is an elite quarterback in the NFL next season, as his window to reach the Super Bowl is growing smaller as each season passes. The Cowboys clearly have to make a decision regarding their backup quarterback position after the 2015 season, and reports have surfaced that both the Browns' Johnny Manziel and the Redskins' Robert Griffin III are interested in playing in Dallas.
The Cowboys have plenty issues to resolve this offseason, but with the fourth pick in the 2016 NFL Draft it's not impossible to believe they could select a quarterback for their future. The Green Bay Packers selected quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, but the future NFL MVP would not see the field as the Packers starter for three full seasons. While it's highly unlikely the Cowboys find the next Aaron Rodgers in the 2016 NFL Draft, they could look to prepare their future franchise quarterback while Romo tries to lead the Cowboys to the promised land in his final seasons in Dallas.
