"This is a clown move": Cowboys' belated $5,000,000 cap space decision with Dak Prescott's contract gets trashed by Craig Carton

Dallas Cowboys stars Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb all have presented problems for the team this offseason. All three players are in line for massive raises in the next 12 months, meaning that Jerry Jones needed a miracle to pull off an explosive offseason.

However, the team did make somewhat of an attempt to widen their margin by doing some financial gymnastics to get around the salary cap. It was too little, too late in the mind of NFL analyst Craig Carton, who blasted the move on Monday. Here's how he put it:

“Opening up $4 million bucks in the salary cap after 98.9% of the available players have signed is stupid. It’s like saying after I’ve eaten five Big Macs, I’ll give you the sixth one for a dollar."

He went on to explain that this year's weak showing in free agency wasn't the first. While the greatest rival of the Philadelphia Eagles has taken swings in the past, Carton argued that none have panned out in more than a decade. He also expanded his criticism, arguing that Jones hadn't pulled off a trade of any real note that made a massive impact on the team.

In the end, he summed up the Dak Prescott salary cartwheel, where a $5 million roster bonus was turned into a signing bonus, as a clown move:

“This is a train wreck if you’re the Dallas Cowboys. ... If I’m a Cowboys fan, I am beyond frustrated because this is a clown move."

NFL cap space by team: Where do Cowboys rank after Week 1 of free agency?

Jerry Jones at Dallas Cowboys v Los Angeles Chargers

A lot of hubbub has been made about the state of the Dallas Cowboys' financial picture this offseason. However, just how tough of a position is the team currently in? According to numbers provided by Spotrac, the team ranks near the bottom of the league in cash available to spend, despite the $30 million windfall via the increase in the salary cap earlier this year.

The Cowboys rank dead last in the NFC East and second to last in the NFC. Only the Atlanta Falcons have fewer funds on hand following the addition of Kirk Cousins. Overall, the Cowboys rank 29th in salary cap space.

This, of course, doesn't take into account the upcoming expenses of paying Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons.

• 1) Washington Commanders - $63.4 million
• 2) New England Patriots - $58.58 million
• 3) Tennessee Titans - $55.17 million
• 4) Philadelphia Eagles - $31.76 million
• 5) Chicago Bears - $31.76 million
• 6) Detroit Lions - $30.97 million
• 7) Arizona Cardinals - $30.54 million
• 8) Cincinnati Bengals - $29.63 million
• 9) Las Vegas Raiders - $29.58 million
• 10) Los Angeles Chargers - $29.14 million
• 11) Green Bay Packers - $25.09 million
• 12) Los Angeles Rams - $23.69 million
• 13) Indianapolis Colts - $23.17 million
• 14) New York Jets - $22.13 million
• 15) Denver Broncos - $21.20 million
• 16) Seattle Seahawks - $19.29 million
• 17) Carolina Panthers - $19.17 million
• 18) Houston Texans - $19.08 million
• 19) Minnesota Vikings - $17.83 million
• 20) San Francisco 49ers - $17.45 million
• 21) New Orleans Saints - $16.69 million
• 22) Kansas City Chiefs - $15.80 million
• 23) Jacksonville Jaguars - $15.04 million
• 24) Baltimore Ravens - $14.35 million
• 25) Pittsburgh Steelers - $12.01 million
• 26) New York Giants - $11.86 million
• 27) Buffalo Bills - $11.15 million
• 28) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - $9.97 million
• 29) Dallas Cowboys - $8.06 million
• 30) Cleveland Browns - $6.89 million
• 31) Miami Dolphins - $5.30 million
• 32) Atlanta Falcons - $4.35 million