MacMahon: Which starters should Cowboys replace?

[Risen Star]

By Tim MacMahon


The Cowboys have made a couple of necessary changes to the coaching staff, but that won’t be enough to turn this team into a legitimate contender.

There also needs to be a significant personnel overhaul, starting with the players that staff newcomers Bill Callahan (offensive line) and Jerome Henderson (secondary) will be coaching.

Here’s a look at the starters the Cowboys need to seriously consider replacing:

CB Terence Newman (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/4463/terence-newman): He had a good career here, but there’s no sensible reason to keep the 33-year-old Newman as he continues to decline. Opponents picked on him mercilessly in the second half of the season the last two years. He’s due to count $8 million against the salary cap, a figure the Cowboys can cut in half by cutting Newman. The problem is Orlando Scandrick (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11366/orlando-scandrick) hasn’t proven he’s capable of stepping into the starting role. The Cowboys would love Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick to fall to them in the draft, but that’s not likely to happen.

ILB Bradie James (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/4561/bradie-james): The writing was on the wall for the nine-year veteran as soon as he became a part-time player early in the final season of his contract. The Cowboys need to get Bruce Carter (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14026/bruce-carter), the second-round pick who played sparingly as a rookie after recovering from a college knee injury, ready to step into the starting lineup. The same scouts who were high on Sean Lee (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13284/sean-lee) sold Jerry Jones on Carter, an explosive athlete with the ability to be a three-down linebacker who excels in coverage.

OLB Anthony Spencer (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10470/anthony-spencer): This might depend on the money. The Cowboys can’t pay too much to keep a former first-round pick who has never had more than six sacks in a season. Can Victor Butler (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12641/victor-butler) be a starter after playing less than 25 percent of the snaps last season? Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw could be an immediate upgrade with the 14th overall pick.

C Phil Costa (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13552/phil-costa): Costa throughout his first season as a starter, ranking 30th in ProFootballFocus.com’s grades of centers. It’s too much of a gamble to go into camp with Costa, undrafted Kevin Kowalski and seventh-round pick Bill Nagy (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14096/bill-nagy) competing for the starting job. The free agency market will be flooded with quality centers, including five of ProFootballFocus.com’s top six from 2011 (Houston’s Chris Myers (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/8614/chris-myers), Minnesota’s John Sullivan (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11421/john-sullivan), Green Bay’s Scott Wells (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/5776/scott-wells), Indianapolis’ Jeff Saturday (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2055/jeff-saturday) and Atlanta’s Todd McClure (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/1990/todd-mcclure)) as well as Baltimore’s Matt Birk (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/1562/matt-birk) and San Diego’s Nick Hardwick (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/5591/nick-hardwick). Wisconsin’s Peter Konz is expected to be the top center drafted and could be a fit for the Cowboys in the second or third round.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4689483/which-starters-should-cowboys-replace

[RS12]

By Tim MacMahon


The Cowboys have made a couple of necessary changes to the coaching staff, but that won’t be enough to turn this team into a legitimate contender.

There also needs to be a significant personnel overhaul, starting with the players that staff newcomers Bill Callahan (offensive line) and Jerome Henderson (secondary) will be coaching.

Here’s a look at the starters the Cowboys need to seriously consider replacing:

CB Terence Newman (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/4463/terence-newman): He had a good career here, but there’s no sensible reason to keep the 33-year-old Newman as he continues to decline. Opponents picked on him mercilessly in the second half of the season the last two years. He’s due to count $8 million against the salary cap, a figure the Cowboys can cut in half by cutting Newman. The problem is Orlando Scandrick (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11366/orlando-scandrick) hasn’t proven he’s capable of stepping into the starting role. The Cowboys would love Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick to fall to them in the draft, but that’s not likely to happen.

ILB Bradie James (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/4561/bradie-james): The writing was on the wall for the nine-year veteran as soon as he became a part-time player early in the final season of his contract. The Cowboys need to get Bruce Carter (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14026/bruce-carter), the second-round pick who played sparingly as a rookie after recovering from a college knee injury, ready to step into the starting lineup. The same scouts who were high on Sean Lee (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13284/sean-lee) sold Jerry Jones on Carter, an explosive athlete with the ability to be a three-down linebacker who excels in coverage.

OLB Anthony Spencer (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10470/anthony-spencer): This might depend on the money. The Cowboys can’t pay too much to keep a former first-round pick who has never had more than six sacks in a season. Can Victor Butler (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12641/victor-butler) be a starter after playing less than 25 percent of the snaps last season? Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw could be an immediate upgrade with the 14th overall pick.

C Phil Costa (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13552/phil-costa): Costa throughout his first season as a starter, ranking 30th in ProFootballFocus.com’s grades of centers. It’s too much of a gamble to go into camp with Costa, undrafted Kevin Kowalski and seventh-round pick Bill Nagy (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14096/bill-nagy) competing for the starting job. The free agency market will be flooded with quality centers, including five of ProFootballFocus.com’s top six from 2011 (Houston’s Chris Myers (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/8614/chris-myers), Minnesota’s John Sullivan (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11421/john-sullivan), Green Bay’s Scott Wells (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/5776/scott-wells), Indianapolis’ Jeff Saturday (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2055/jeff-saturday) and Atlanta’s Todd McClure (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/1990/todd-mcclure)) as well as Baltimore’s Matt Birk (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/1562/matt-birk) and San Diego’s Nick Hardwick (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/5591/nick-hardwick). Wisconsin’s Peter Konz is expected to be the top center drafted and could be a fit for the Cowboys in the second or third round.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4689483/which-starters-should-cowboys-replace

Only questionable one is Spencer, and only because of the creating another hole when you already have so many holes.

[jrumann59]

No Matt Birk, If we got rid of Gurode why would we pick up an older guy with knee issues.

[rash]

Hopefully our front 3 improves or else we might see the same ole thing next year. front 3 poses no threat, ware gets chipped and double teamed, and we got ourselves no passrush.

Either we get ourselves a DE that can do something in the passrushing game or get a NT and put Rat at DE...

[rocyaice]

No Matt Birk, If we got rid of Gurode why would we pick up an older guy with knee issues.

Gurode was cut due to money. Not age.

[Dhragon]

If Konz is available in the second round for us like the article indicated he might be, I sure hope this is our pick.

DeCastro and Konz both would make me smile. Of course, we had better have gotten some CB help in FA then, lol.

[burmafrd]

No on Konz. His medical history and our luck is a bad combination.

[jblaze2004]

what about scott wells in FA?

[jblaze2004]

No on Konz. His medical history and our luck is a bad combination.

this...

[BHendri5]

I would stick with our youth movement. On OL I would replace Costa at center with a draft pick/young FA or give Kowalski the job to lose. Basically the only Job on the OLine that will be locked is Smith at LT. I would draft another good LT/RT preferrably a LT to battle with Free and whomever else we have projected as RT for the starting RTspot, with the hope that someone younger beats Free out or at least battle him to a draw with the hope of Free winning one of the OG spots.

Now in turn Free, Nagy, Arkin, Costa, Kowalski and anyone else battle for the two OG spots. While also Nagy, Costa, Draft and Kowalski battle for the center spot.

We would be keeping in line with Garretts plan to have constant competition from the bottom to the top of the roster.

Arkin has hunger, meanness, nasty attitude which is what we need more of, and hopefully all the lifting he has been doing and this offseason weight program, he'll be ready to battle in Trng camp.

Kowalski and Nagy played well at Guard and Center for Kowalski. If we draft Decastro or Konz we lock them in at center. That would be 2 spots locked down.

Smith/ Nagy/ Kowalski/ Arkin/ Free, will be a good OL, or Smith/ Free/ Dcastro/Kowalski/Draft , any combination we will have a very good to great young OL next season.

I would not resign Spencer, but if we do I would move him to ILB. Replace J-Rat as the starting NT, with a good FA or Draft and spears. J-Rat to DE/DT.
Definitely replace newman, sensy and Elam. Replace coleman

[neosapien23]

No on Konz. His medical history and our luck is a bad combination.


Could you please elaborate on Konz's medical conditions? I tried to google them and none of the sites explain what those conditions are. Is is something serious like a heart condition?

[Canadian BoyzFan]

Could you please elaborate on Konz's medical conditions? I tried to google them and none of the sites explain what those conditions are. Is is something serious like a heart condition?

I cant remember exactly but I believe it was a knee or ankle and he missed significant time due to the injury.

[dogberry]

I spotted a dislocated ankle story on ESPN.

[RS12]

Could you please elaborate on Konz's medical conditions? I tried to google them and none of the sites explain what those conditions are. Is is something serious like a heart condition?

Developed small blood clots in the lungs on flight to or from Hawaii several years ago. Apparently the doctors at UW did not think it was a problem.