The hype of free agency has come and gone and now it’s time to look at what teams have gained and lost since March 16th and where they stand as they prepare for the upcoming draft. Let’s discuss the weird Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys
Key acquisitions: DE Dante Fowler, WR James Washington, RB Ryan Nall
Re-signed: TE Dalton Schultz (Franchise), WR Michael Gallup, LB Leighton Vander Esch, S Jayron Kearse, S Malik Hooker, DT Carlos Watkins, DE Dorance Armstrong, P Bryan Anger, TE Jeremy Sprinkle, LS Jacob McQuaide, WR Noah Brown
Departures: WR Amari Cooper (Browns), DE Randy Gregory (Broncos), OT La’el Collins (Bengals), G Connor Williams (Dolphins), LB Keanu Neal (Buccaneers), TE Blake Jarwin, K Greg Zuerlein (Jets), WR Cedrick Wilson (Dolphins)
Remaining free agents: S Damontae Kazee
Analysis: I just can’t figure out the Dallas Cowboys. Yes they are the butt of the joke of being “America’s Team” while failing to go far in the playoffs and all that, and they have a good team, but they let a lot of key players go while re-signing other key guys. I don’t know if it’s a money thing or an internal structure for guys they wanted to retain versus guys they wanted to get rid of, because it’s a weird dynamic.
Their first move of the offseason was franchise tagging tight end Dalton Schultz. The former fourth-round pick has turned into the starter the last two seasons, and the hope is to get him extended long term. He took over for Blake Jarwin temporarily, but it’s now permanent with his release. They also gave a huge contract extension to wide receiver Michael Gallup despite a torn ACL at the end of last season. In exchange for these moves, the Cowboys traded star receiver Amari Cooper to the Browns for a couple late-round picks. It’s a weird tradeoff, with Gallup coming off injury and only getting Cooper for a late-round pick, guess they preferred that scenario. They also brought in former Steelers receiver James Washington, who slides in as the new WR2 with Gallup potentially missing time, then will move to WR3, a role he’s had his entire career. They also let Cedrick Wilson, who had an under-the-radar good season last year, sign with the Dolphins, so more depth was lost there.
Also on offense, the Cowboys released right tackle La’el Collins just two years in to a five-year extension he signed in 2019. He signed a multi-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. They also let left guard Connor Williams go and sign with the Dolphins. They’ve got a couple young guys in Connor McGovern, Terence Steele and Josh Ball who could replace, but again, an interesting business decision.
There were also a lot of changes on defense. The big storyline from Dallas early in free agency was Randy Gregory. After reports of him agreeing to a five-year extension, he backed out of the deal due to some language in the contract, and then signed the same deal with the Broncos. Apparently it was there was something in the fine print that said he forfeits guaranteed money from fines or suspensions, or something like that. To replace Gregory, they brought in former No. 3 overall pick of the Jaguars Dante Fowler, who was released by the Falcons and has spent time with the Rams.
More moves on defense include the re-signing of Jayron Kearse, who had a career-year as a full-time starter his first year in Dallas, and Malik Hooker, who was the third safety his first year after four years as a Colts first-round pick. They also re-signed former first-round linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, who was thought to be on his way out after a couple down seasons after a stellar rookie year. He’s only on a one-year deal, so he gets a chance to show he can be the star linebacker he once showed. He’ll get playing time back after Keanu Neal signed with the Buccaneers.
Conclusion: The theme of the Dallas Cowboys is weird. They’ve made some interesting choices on deciding who to keep and who to let go. Again there must be a standard they are trying to follow, and they’re working to keep guys who follow it and part with those who don’t. Either way, this Cowboys roster is very good, but they need work in certain areas, specifically offensive line, which has dealt with a lot of injuries the last few seasons, and building up that depth. Solve that in the draft and you’re good to go and compete in a wide open NFC.
Football Nerds 