Mike McCarthy: 'Don't Feel Bad for Me' amid Criticism of Cowboys in NFL Free Agency

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy isn't going to dwell on what has been a relatively quiet offseason for the team.

"Don't feel bad for me," he told reporters at the NFL annual meeting. "I'm in a great spot. …It's not an issue at all. You have to have the same approach every year and that's the way I've gone about it."

The coach was also asked about the team's lack of noticeable upgrades with leading rusher Tony Pollard and eight-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith among the departures.

"I understand the question based on the numbers, but let's be honest,'' McCarthy said, per the Dallas Morning News' David Moore. "It's always a year-to-year approach. The design of your roster, there's always going to be some variance.

"But I think philosophically, you have to draft and develop. If you look at my history as a head coach, it's something I'm very comfortable with and have a lot of experience in."

In a remark that will be oft-cited depending on how this year unfolds, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in January the organization would be going "all in" for 2024. By March, however, he was preaching a more economical approach to building a winner.

It was basically impossible to present any other narrative because everybody could see how little the Cowboys have done in free agency.

In defense of Jones and the front office, Dallas was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The franchise had almost no money to spend on outside signing while wanting to maintain some long-term flexibility with quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge-rusher Micah Parsons all due to hit the open market within the next few years.

That will do little to ease the external pressure on the Cowboys, though.

McCarthy is in the last year of his contract and it's hard to see how anything short of a Super Bowl appearance will be enough to save his job. Having what's perceived as a worse supporting cast won't give Prescott much leeway, either, if another disappointing playoff exit beckons.