Troy Aikman on Cowboys season: They ‘more than likely know they’re not going anywhere’

Previous NFL quarterback Troy Aikman is familiar with bad Dallas Cowboys teams. In his first season as Cowboys starter, the Cowboys posted an 0-11 record in his 1989 starts.

In doing so, he clearly understands what this season’s 3-6 Cowboys team is going through.

“That’s the hard part. I’ve been on teams that have kind of been out of it at this point in the season, and it’s not very fun,” Aikman said on ESPN’s Monday Night Football Kick-off broadcast.

Aikman and the Cowboys entered the 1989 season with low expectations. It’s a stark contrast to this 2024 team, which figured to be a playoff contender.

The Cowboys, who played the Houston Texans on Monday night, are in third place in the NFC East and are a long shot to make the playoffs. They need to continue a long streak over the final eight games of the season and do so behind backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who has replaced Dak Prescott. Prescott was injured against Atlanta on November 3rd and will not return this season.

“A team that came in with high expectations, relied on a lot of young players,” Aikman said of this season’s team. “That’s where this really started to unravel. They weren’t active in free agency. They lost a number of key players. They lost some offensive linemen and replaced them with two rookies. It hasn’t gone as well as hoped. They have had to rely on some other young players that they thought would develop and become a bigger part of the solution. So some of the questions coming into the year are still question marks.

“They haven’t been able to run the football. Now they’re without their franchise quarterback.”

Aikman said that while the players are “optimistic” about beating Houston on Monday, the players and management “more than likely know they’re not going anywhere.”