Gold Coast is expected to put the heat on captain Steven May at season's end in an attempt to stop the bleeding at the AFL club.
The defender, suspended for Sunday's clash with Melbourne, will see out 2018 as sole captain after departing sidekick Tom Lynch was relieved of his duties on Thursday.
Lynch, fresh off knee surgery, won't return for a ninth season at the Suns after announcing his desire to move home and play for a Melbourne club and end nearly a season of speculation.
That uncertainty will remain in 2019 though, with May, David Swallow, Jack Martin, Touk Miller, Callum Ah Chee, Sam Day, Peter Wright and Rory Thompson among those off contract.
May says he's committed to the club next season but won't pledge allegiance beyond that as rival clubs move to lure the key defender.
But, in an effort to build credibility and long-term faith in the Suns, chief executive Mark Evans indicated that may not be good enough if he wants to remain captain next season.
"It's fair to say that when we get to the end of the season we've got to have some strong conversations about what we want to achieve at this club, what leadership means in regards to that and whether players are prepared to commit or hold out the option to have player movement," he said.
"That is something for us to make sure we have progressed by the time we get to the start of next year and we have named our leadership group and we are more advanced than where we are now."
Dew said any talk of long-term contracts were "one layer back" from his current day-to-day duties but that he needed investment from the entire roster to lift the 17th-placed club off the canvas.
"If we spend our energy and time looking at worst-case scenario you're barking up the wrong tree," he said.
"While we're here (at the club) we need to change the perception around who comes first.
"There's always going to be ... a good player, staff member or coach (off contract), so we're not spending our time looking at end dates."
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