Alright, I've had 24 hours to digest the loss, so here are my priorities for the offseason:
1. Sign Dez Bryant to a long-term contract
It's clear that Dez is an elite playmaker in this league, and WRs like him are tough to find. He's stayed out of trouble off the field the past couple years while averaging 90+ receptions for 1300+ yards and nearly 14 TDs over the last 3 seasons, and he still hasn't peaked IMO. Guys like him don't come along very often, so locking him up should be priority #1.
2. Draft an impact DL with our first round pick (and another in round 2 or 3)
Anyone watching this year's team knows that DL is by far our biggest weakness. There have been way too many instances where QBs have been able to just sit back in the pocket without any pressure while waiting for a receiver to get open.
At DE, I think Lawrence can develop into a solid pass rusher and Mincey came on towards the end of the year, but we still need at least 1 more top-tier DE. I'd be looking at Dante Fowler in the first round. In the second round I like Alvin Dupree from Kentucky.
At DT, I'm pretty excited about Tyrone Crawford's future (and we should lock him up with an extension sooner rather than later), but everyone else in our rotation is a JAG. Melton disappeared down the strech before getting hurt and isn't worth bringing back. In the first / second round I like Eddie Goldman, Danny Shelton, Michael Bennett and Malcolm Brown. Not a big fan of Mario Edwards Jr., seems like he really underachieved at FSU and his motor / work ethic are questionable.
3. Part ways with DeMarco Murray and Brandon Carr
Murray is going to be far too expensive to be worth keeping IMO. He's 27 (most NFL RBs are spent by age 30 if not earlier), just had 400+ carries this year including the playoffs, has an injury history, and fumbled way too often this year. With our OL, we can plug in an average RB and get decent production. Given our salary cap situation and the number of free agents we have, the best long term solution is probably to go cheap at RB. Give Randle a shot at the job, maybe draft a guy in the 4th round or sign a cheap free agent. I do have to admit that the thought of Adrian Peterson with a chip on his shoulder running behind this OL is intriguing, but I'm not sure if he'd be worth it at age 30 with over 2000 career carries (he'd certainly have to either get a release from Minnesota and sign a new contract, or restructure his current contract).
Carr did play better down the stretch and in the playoffs, but he's still way overpaid for what he brings to the table. If he's willing to take a substantial pay cut he might be worth bringing back, otherwise he can hit the road. I wouldn't be opposed to drafting a CB as long as it's not in the first round (and probably not the second either). Haven't had a lot of time to look at CB prospects, but Ifo Ekpre-Olomu will be interesting. He should drop in the draft due to his ACL tear, but if he's able to recover, he has the skills and athleticism to be a top corner.
4. Resign Rolando McClain to a reasonable deal
Something like 3 years, $10 million seems worthwhile for both parties. I wouldn't want to commit to anything long-term (at least not guaranteed) given his past issues. If we can bring back McClain, I'd let Carter go and try to sign Durant to a reasonable short-term deal. A starting LB corps of Lee, McClain and Durant with Hitchens as a sub that can play all 3 spots if needed would be solid. I'd draft another guy to develop and for depth in the mid-to-late rounds.
5. Upgrade the safety position
It feels like it's been forever since we've had a true ballhawk at safety. The problem is that Church and Wilcox are basically the same player: solid in run support but very limited in pass coverage. Wilcox in particular looked really bad yesterday and unless he develops a ton in the offseason, I'd rather see him as a special teams player and backup next year. I doubt we have the cap space to do so, but I'd love to sign Devin McCourty (though the Patriots probably will go all out to resign him). He's superb at playing the ball in the air and has enough versatility to play CB if needed. Unfortunately since that's probably a pipe dream, we'll need to look to the draft. Don't really have a handle on the safety prospects yet.
Other things:
Get rid of Weeden and sign a decent backup. Bringing Matt Moore back would be nice.
Extend Doug Free. I was actually in favor of moving on from Free and giving Parnell a shot, but in the two playoff games he was really poor and I don't want him to ruin our excellent OL. Parnell is also a free agent so I'd probably just let him walk and look for another swing tackle.
Of our restricted FAs, I'd definitely bring back Beasley and Moore. Dunbar can come back for cheap, and I'd let Jones go and look elsewhere at punter. If Jones comes back, I would definitely bring in some competition for the job.
Harris can come back if he's cheap, otherwise I'd just as soon look for another return man. He really regressed this year.
At FB, Clutts is a FA and he's another JAG. I'd like to bring in a pet cat in Michael Burton from Rutgers as a UDFA. If you haven't heard of him, watch some video of Rutgers running all over North Carolina in their bowl game.
As far as coaching staff goes, I'm guessing Callahan and Marinelli are gone. I'd keep Linehan and move him to OC, not sure of the best choice to replace Callahan as OL coach. On the defensive side, Raheem Morris would be a solid hire with Tampa 2 experience. Dennis Allen would also be a great hire. I would hate to see us just hand the job to Eberflus.