There is a lot at stake for the Cowboys over the final five games of their season.

The Dallas Cowboys are in a weird spot. They are teetering between being in the playoff hunt and fighting for draft position as it’s unclear what this team has in store for us this year. Regardless of what direction they go, these last five games will reveal some important pieces that could be useful in the future. With that in mind, here are four things we could learn during these final five games of the season.

It’s time for Zack Martin to retire

Martin has had an exceptional NFL career and should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’s in his 11th year in the league and he’s played most of them at a high level. Entering 2024, he’s had nine All-Pro seasons with his lone omission being in 2020 when he missed six games. Essentially, when he’s been healthy, he’s been excellent.

That may no longer be the case as the miles have caught up with him. Martin has missed the last two games dealing with an ankle and shoulder injury. When he has been on the field this season, it hasn’t been great. And with the solid contributions from undrafted young guys like Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass, it could be time for the Cowboys to turn the page. At 34 years old, Martin is in the last year of his contract and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him hang it up after this season.

They should feel good about bringing back Rico Dowdle

The Cowboys have had issues at running back all season as they have hoped one of the many darts they’ve thrown would stick. This has included free agents Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook, and Royce Freeman. Sadly, none of these veterans have done much (Freeman didn’t even make the team), but that doesn’t mean it’s been a complete loss.

Undrafted free agent Rico Dowdle is the team’s best option right now. It’s taken a bit, but they are finally using him as a workhorse back and it’s working. Dowdle has looked good recently and if he finishes strong, he might be able to shake the “injury-prone” label that plagued him early in his career. The Cowboys should look for better options via the draft, but packaging Dowdle with a rookie would be a wise move for 2025.

Wide receiver needs to be addressed

Brandin Cooks is in the final year of his contract. The Cowboys have tried to add some young guys to their receiving group, but none of their recent draft picks have shown enough to make us feel good about them stepping into a larger role. Jalen Tolbert is the team’s best choice, but next season will be the final year of his rookie deal. Time is running out for him. Jalen Brooks hasn’t taken the year-two step we were hoping for. And while Ryan Flournoy turned heads in the preseason, he’s been almost non-existent during the regular season.

The Cowboys know they need help at wide receiver. That is why they made the deal for Jonathan Mingo before the trade deadline. While that remains a TDB, early reports aren’t promising. This should serve as a big clue that the Cowboys need better talent at wide receiver to help out CeeDee Lamb which could mean an earlier draft pick next year.

Chauncey Golston deserves a short-term extension

The edge-rushing group of the Cowboys has taken a huge hit this year. They lost Sam Williams before the season even started. It got worse when both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence got hurt in Week 4. And just when you thought an opportunity came available for promising rookie Marshawn Kneeland, he got hurt a couple of weeks later. Just like that, the Cowboys were without their top-four edge rushers.

Relying on their depth, the Cowboys have gotten some good performance out of Chauncey Golston and free agent Carl Lawson. Both will become unrestricted free agents after the season. The Cowboys will have some of these guys back next year, but with Lawrence’s future uncertain, it would be good to retain some depth. Similar to what they did with Dorance Armstrong when his rookie deal expired, we could see them offering Golston a two-year deal at a reasonable price. Like Armstrong, he’s been buried behind other guys on the depth chart, but he’s splashed around when he’s had opportunities.