...When free agency began, the Cowboys lost a number of key players.
Byron Jones left for the
Miami Dolphins as the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
Robert Quinn, who led the Cowboys in sacks in 2019 with 11.5, left for the
Chicago Bears and a deal worth $14 million a season. Receiver
Randall Cobb, who many assumed would be back to play for his former coach, Mike McCarthy, left for the
Houston Texans and a deal worth $9 million a season. Add in
the departures of tight end
Jason Witten, defensive tackle
Maliek Collins and safety
Jeff Heath to the
Las Vegas Raiders. Not long after, Pro Bowl center
Travis Frederick retired,
surprising many, though not everybody in the organization...
...They
placed the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott at a cost of $31.4 million that precluded him from negotiating with other teams. At the least, the Cowboys have their quarterback for 2020 while they try to work out a long-term deal. If the tag is the beginning of a potential divorce, so be it, but not having Prescott for 2020 would have been devastating...
...The Cowboys also signed defensive end
Aldon Smith. He has not played in a game since 2015 because of multiple suspensions and off-field issues, but he had a 19.5-sack season with new defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. The Cowboys are
awaiting his reinstatement -- along with pass-rusher
Randy Gregory -- and hope Smith can at least fill some of what Quinn did last season...
...They signed veteran defensive linemen
Gerald McCoy and
Dontari Poe. They kept linebacker
Sean Lee and cornerback
Anthony Brown. They added
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at safety. They made depth moves at cornerback with
Daryl Worley and
Maurice Canady. Though they lost Witten at tight end, they signed
Blake Jarwin to a $22 million extension and added
Blake Bell in free agency...
https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-co...he-cowboys-offseason-story-from-panic-to-hope
The team already had Gregory on contract, and added two strong CB's, a defensive tackle, and a defensive end via the draft...
A good blend and talent improved. No, two Pro Bowlers were lost...due to cap limitations with a glaring need for their QB. Quinn and Jones...and Cobb's loss left some voids.
Yet the draft solved the problem for manning the slot/outside...and I think a definite upturn with Lamb.
Over a year's time, the combination of Smith, Gregory, and Crawford will more than make up for 10 sacks lost.
The secondary has been upgraded, although there will be intense competition now...and that is a plus, actually. Contracts are no longer out of hand.