The Cowboys, claiming to be 'all in' prior to Dak Prescott's injury, are in a rare spot: Irrelevance

Irrelevant.

It’s a descriptor rarely associated with the Dallas Cowboys. But after reports surfaced Saturday that quarterback Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury will likely end his season, rather than merely interrupt it, that’s where we are – "America’s Team" is little more than Carolina Panthers West.

It’s quite the outcome for owner Jerry Jones, whose repeated claims that he was “all in” on the 2024 campaign couldn’t have come up emptier. After three consecutive 12-win regular seasons – two netting NFC East crowns – his club basically sat out free agency this year, produced an uninspiring draft, belatedly took care of weighty (and unavoidable) contractual business with Prescott and All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb … and wound up with a 3-5 record good for 13th place in the NFC.

And that was before it became apparent how seriously Prescott was hurt in Week 9’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

That begs the question: Aside from those wild tours routinely conducted at the Cowboys' Frisco, Texas, training facility, what is there to look forward to for this team and its legion of supporters?

Well, it’s only been a few days since Jones’ club made a widely panned deal with Carolina for wideout Jonathan Mingo, a second-rounder in 2023 who’d been so underwhelming in Charlotte (55 catches, 0 TDs in 24 NFL games) for the rebuilding Panthers … that the Cowboys forked over a fourth-rounder for him. Now, he’ll get to play in nine games ... in an offensive system that may not survive into 2025 ... and while likely gaining zero on-field familiarity with Prescott. So …

All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons has missed more than a month with an injured ankle but is apparently set to return. Yet it’s almost worth wondering why – for Parsons and the team. The defensive linchpin is the next Dallas player in line for a megadeal, likely next offseason, and it hardly seems worth exposing him to further injury at this point – admirable as it is for Parsons to suit up again in what’s now a lost season. So …

If you think there’s intrigue in seeing backup quarterbacks Cooper Rush and Trey Lance play … welp. Rush, who will be 31 later this month, helped save the 2022 season by going 4-1 when Prescott was out with an injured thumb. However his success largely occurred against subpar competition and with an endgame of turning the operation back over to the team’s biggest star. That apparently won’t happen this time. As for Lance? There was certainly curiosity – and skepticism – when Dallas surrendered a Round 4 pick last year to the San Francisco 49ers for the No. 3 overall selection of the 2021 draft. Sure, maybe with the right opportunity and coaching, Lance, 24, could leverage his estimable tools into a prominent place in the league. Yet he hasn’t even unseated Rush for the QB2 role. Also, both backups are free agents after this season and – in light of the four-year, $240 million extension Prescott signed right before the 2024 opener – this really isn’t a place to develop a young passer. It probably makes sense to re-sign Rush, but whatever success Lance might have mopping up in the coming weeks would likely have negligible benefits given it's not viable to trade or retain him. So …

Maybe fans can focus on what might be a proper send-off for pending free agents like perennial All-Pro guard Zack Martin, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and/or WR2 Brandin Cooks. Then again …

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Maybe – and especially with Prescott out – the Cowboys could actually focus on their running back room given the consistent flashes Rico Dowdle has shown in contrast to has-been stars like Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook. Dowdle’s fantasy owners would certainly appreciate the gesture, and so might his new quarterback. Wait? He’s also unsigned beyond this season. Ah, well ...

Perhaps local Cowboys backers can rejoice given they might not have so many prime-time games disrupting the routine of their personal lives. Sure, no sports franchise typically rakes in TV ratings like Dallas. But is the NFL really keeping three exclusive window broadcast slots at AT&T Stadium – Week 11 against the Houston Texans, Week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals and Week 16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – on the docket? Especially since this year affords the league the option to flex out of Monday nighters (Texans, Bucs) for juicier matchups? So …

There’s always the spoiler role – and the Cowboys have yet to play the archrival Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday's opponent) or Washington Commanders, who seem likely to battle for the division title this year. But engineering upsets will only bring the most temporary satisfaction – and likely simultaneous grumbling about undercutting positioning for the 2025 draft … which might not have a bumper crop of potential superstars. And, sadly for its fans, Dallas doesn't seem quite bad enough to position itself for, say, Colorado's Travis Hunter next spring. So …

But if Cowboys Nation truly needs a reason to watch, there will be one subplot worth monitoring.

Jones must decide whether to retain head coach Mike McCarthy, whose contract will expire once the season is over after he failed to reel in extension ahead of this cascading turmoil. McCarthy has crafted a 45-30 regular-season mark in four-plus years in North Texas. Yet he also owns an infamous 1-3 shiner in postseason, which included a catastrophic 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers at home in the wild-card round in January. McCarthy hasn't gotten a team that’s nearly 30 years removed from its last NFC title game and Super Bowl back to those thresholds. It was something of a surprise he survived the beatdown from the Pack, and now he's being evaluated even as his roster has been deteriorating for the better part of a year. And with several hotshot coordinators likely available to Jones in two months ...

Maybe it’s worth eyeing how that situation unfolds. Otherwise? Cowboys fans everywhere can certainly be forgiven for being “all out” until further notice.

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Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dallas Cowboys now irrelevant after Dak Prescott season ending injury