Cowboy thoughts/opinions about day 1 fa

[Cowboyny]

We just didn't know if the Cowboys would change the way they handle fa period. I think adding two players on day 1, 1 fa and 1 trade is a start in the right direction:

Gary-he is our new starting LE or 3-4 OLB. Why trade for him if he was going to be cut? He was going to cost more and you they would have to contend with other teams to sign him. Considering a player like Mafe who is coming off of a 2 sack season, got a 20 million per season deal. Hell, Jalen Phillips and his 5 sacks got him a 30 million. Also, with any trade you don't take on any bonus money, which makes his contract no cost to get out of, but easy to manipulate the cap charge. Heard they can possibly make his cap charge this season only 4 million.

Ansley our new passing game coordinator was with Green Bay and knows everything about the player, even CP was on the staff when Gary was drafted. Point is, they know what they are getting. Is he an elite pass rusher? No, but is a good scheme fit for what CP wants. There is a good podcast out there with footstheking having a discussion what type of edge they will be looking for in this scheme, it pretty much describes a player like Gary.

Thompson-in my opinion, he was the best safety on the market. Then actually got him at a good price. He has experience at both safety positions as well as snaps at the nickel. He played for our new DB coach in Arizona, so another player then know fully well what they are getting. He is a massive upgrade over Wilson in coverage. He was the far better safety then the other two linked to the Cowboys in Blankenship and PJ Locke.

Linebacker-seeing Dean get 12 million a season, glad the Cowboys didn't land him. That is awfully a lot for a player that struggles with availability. Quay Walker got even more and his play has been up and down, Lloyd scares me to death, doing nothing until a contract season.

I am pretty sure the Cowboys have a plan to add a veteran linebacker if it is fa or the trade market. Hell, there was a rumor that the 49ers might make Fred Warner available. Good news is that the incoming LB draft class is loaded, could be 4 1st rd linebackers.

Other Needs to address:

-Veteran corner
-that 4i DE
-Nickel
-more pass rush
-maybe another safety

 

[CWR]

Nice write up, I enjoy the logic and noticeable absence of hyperbole.

It was a solid first day, BUT there is more work to be done.

 

[UncleBabyBilly]

I'd give it a C.

Better than the last few years, but that was a floor low bar.

Good safety signing.

I'm not a huge fan of burning a draft pick on a guy that was going to be released and had 0 sacks the entire second half of the season, but pass rush was a huge need.

I guess we crapped out at LBer as well.

Resigning Williams seems like a last chance bet on his athletic upside.

 

[darthseinfeld]

We just didn't know if the Cowboys would change the way they handle fa period. I think adding two players on day 1, 1 fa and 1 trade is a start in the right direction:

Gary-he is our new starting LE or 3-4 OLB. Why trade for him if he was going to be cut? He was going to cost more and you they would have to contend with other teams to sign him. Considering a player like Mafe who is coming off of a 2 sack season, got a 20 million per season deal. Hell, Jalen Phillips and his 5 sacks got him a 30 million. Also, with any trade you don't take on any bonus money, which makes his contract no cost to get out of, but easy to manipulate the cap charge. Heard they can possibly make his cap charge this season only 4 million.

Ansley our new passing game coordinator was with Green Bay and knows everything about the player, even CP was on the staff when Gary was drafted. Point is, they know what they are getting. Is he an elite pass rusher? No, but is a good scheme fit for what CP wants. There is a good podcast out there with footstheking having a discussion what type of edge they will be looking for in this scheme, it pretty much describes a player like Gary.

Thompson-in my opinion, he was the best safety on the market. Then actually got him at a good price. He has experience at both safety positions as well as snaps at the nickel. He played for our new DB coach in Arizona, so another player then know fully well what they are getting. He is a massive upgrade over Wilson in coverage. He was the far better safety then the other two linked to the Cowboys in Blankenship and PJ Locke.

Linebacker-seeing Dean get 12 million a season, glad the Cowboys didn't land him. That is awfully a lot for a player that struggles with availability. Quay Walker got even more and his play has been up and down, Lloyd scares me to death, doing nothing until a contract season.

I am pretty sure the Cowboys have a plan to add a veteran linebacker if it is fa or the trade market. Hell, there was a rumor that the 49ers might make Fred Warner available. Good news is that the incoming LB draft class is loaded, could be 4 1st rd linebackers.

Other Needs to address:

-Veteran corner
-that 4i DE
-Nickel
-more pass rush
-maybe another safety

Wouldn't be surprised to see Okereke today, and Chubb down the line. Adding a CB would be smart too. They supposedly were interested in Taylor, but $20m per??

 

[jazzcat22]

I'd give it a C.

Better than the last few years, but that was a floor low bar.

Good safety signing.

I'm not a huge fan of burning a draft pick on a guy that was going to be released and had 0 sacks the entire second half of the season, but pass rush was a huge need.

I guess we crapped out at LBer as well.

Resigning Williams seems like a last chance bet on his athletic upside.

There is no proof he was going to be released. And if so, it was explained why they made the trade.
4th round picks are hit or missed. Getting a proven player now for 2 years is worth it at this point. Maybe there were circumstances as to why he did not get any sacks the last half of the season.

Look at Micah here when he disappeared. So the analogy is her would have in GB if he did not get hurt. And oh, will probably miss the start of the 20026 season.

Anyway, you seen the OP as to where players in his range, and what contracts they got. That is WHY you give up the 4th round pick.

LB, it was day 1. Come on.

 

[Havic]

B-

We missed out on a quality lb which was a big need imo. Had we got that, I would have upped it to a b+

3 quality defensive guys would have been ideal heading into the draft

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

I’m glad you liked it.

Because nothing else of significance is coming.

 

[CowboyDAK]

There is no proof he was going to be released. And if so, it was explained why they made the trade.
4th round picks are hit or missed. Getting a proven player now for 2 years is worth it at this point. Maybe there were circumstances as to why he did not get any sacks the last half of the season.

Look at Micah here when he disappeared. So the analogy is her would have in GB if he did not get hurt. And oh, will probably miss the start of the 20026 season.

Anyway, you seen the OP as to where players in his range, and what contracts they got. That is WHY you give up the 4th round pick.

LB, it was day 1. Come on.

Everyone thinks our 4th round picks are going to be HoFs.

Fehoko, Jabril Cox, Tapper, Armstrong just to name a few...

 

[kramskoi]

We just didn't know if the Cowboys would change the way they handle fa period. I think adding two players on day 1, 1 fa and 1 trade is a start in the right direction:

Gary-he is our new starting LE or 3-4 OLB. Why trade for him if he was going to be cut? He was going to cost more and you they would have to contend with other teams to sign him. Considering a player like Mafe who is coming off of a 2 sack season, got a 20 million per season deal. Hell, Jalen Phillips and his 5 sacks got him a 30 million. Also, with any trade you don't take on any bonus money, which makes his contract no cost to get out of, but easy to manipulate the cap charge. Heard they can possibly make his cap charge this season only 4 million.

Ansley our new passing game coordinator was with Green Bay and knows everything about the player, even CP was on the staff when Gary was drafted. Point is, they know what they are getting. Is he an elite pass rusher? No, but is a good scheme fit for what CP wants. There is a good podcast out there with footstheking having a discussion what type of edge they will be looking for in this scheme, it pretty much describes a player like Gary.

Thompson-in my opinion, he was the best safety on the market. Then actually got him at a good price. He has experience at both safety positions as well as snaps at the nickel. He played for our new DB coach in Arizona, so another player then know fully well what they are getting. He is a massive upgrade over Wilson in coverage. He was the far better safety then the other two linked to the Cowboys in Blankenship and PJ Locke.

Linebacker-seeing Dean get 12 million a season, glad the Cowboys didn't land him. That is awfully a lot for a player that struggles with availability. Quay Walker got even more and his play has been up and down, Lloyd scares me to death, doing nothing until a contract season.

I am pretty sure the Cowboys have a plan to add a veteran linebacker if it is fa or the trade market. Hell, there was a rumor that the 49ers might make Fred Warner available. Good news is that the incoming LB draft class is loaded, could be 4 1st rd linebackers.

Other Needs to address:

-Veteran corner
-that 4i DE
-Nickel
-more pass rush
-maybe another safety

Boye only played about 50% of the snaps iirc. Crazy money for him and Oweh. CJ Allen or Anthony Hill Jr. wouldn't make me mad on draft day. I don't think Styles is an option anymore.

 

[kramskoi]

There is no proof he was going to be released. And if so, it was explained why they made the trade.
4th round picks are hit or missed. Getting a proven player now for 2 years is worth it at this point. Maybe there were circumstances as to why he did not get any sacks the last half of the season.

Look at Micah here when he disappeared. So the analogy is her would have in GB if he did not get hurt. And oh, will probably miss the start of the 20026 season.

Anyway, you seen the OP as to where players in his range, and what contracts they got. That is WHY you give up the 4th round pick.

LB, it was day 1. Come on.

Well looking at the film...he really should've had 9.5 sacks. He pressures really well and is formidable against the run. So he's versatile and FAST for a guy who is 6'5" 277. He will mostly win with power but will often use speed to set it up. He can run through OTs. Good hand-fighting skills. Some limited repertoire of counters but still good at the point of attack. He can line up left or right but he'll be more effective from the left.

 

[conner01]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Okereke today, and Chubb down the line. Adding a CB would be smart too. They supposedly were interested in Taylor, but $20m per??

I’d love to add a guy at every need position. Then go into draft in a situation you don’t have to reach to fill a position. I’ve b no ever thought first rnd of draft was the smartest place to fill a need. It’s the place to get the best player at a range of positions. If safety is the best player, CB, then you can take them. Mazi and taco were beef picks, not talent picks

 

[Acceptablename]

Thanks for your write up enjoyed as usual. We got Gary at equivalent money to much lesser rushers. It cost us what would be a fifth rounder this year therefore a fourth rounder next year. Cry me a river

 

[jujoboys]

I’m not worried about the 4th round pick in 2027. I like the addition of Gary and Thompson. The Gary trade made sense after seeing the contracts that edge rushers were getting. We basically gave up a 4th round pick to ensure we got a guy we wanted at the price we wanted. GB cuts him and he hits free agency his price may have gotten too high. Also, we are not sure he was getting cut by GB, there could have been other teams reaching out to trade for him. The only issue I have is that we didn’t grab a LBer. I knew CB was going to be hard to get because there just weren’t that many available.

 

[conner01]

B-

We missed out on a quality lb which was a big need imo. Had we got that, I would have upped it to a b+

3 quality defensive guys would have been ideal heading into the draft

I’m glad we missed out on Dean and I really wanted him. But the deal he got with his injury history is extremely risky move. Prior injuries don’t mean future injuries but LB it many times does because it’s such a high contact position

 

[blueblood70]

We just didn't know if the Cowboys would change the way they handle fa period. I think adding two players on day 1, 1 fa and 1 trade is a start in the right direction:

Gary-he is our new starting LE or 3-4 OLB. Why trade for him if he was going to be cut? He was going to cost more and you they would have to contend with other teams to sign him. Considering a player like Mafe who is coming off of a 2 sack season, got a 20 million per season deal. Hell, Jalen Phillips and his 5 sacks got him a 30 million. Also, with any trade you don't take on any bonus money, which makes his contract no cost to get out of, but easy to manipulate the cap charge. Heard they can possibly make his cap charge this season only 4 million.

Ansley our new passing game coordinator was with Green Bay and knows everything about the player, even CP was on the staff when Gary was drafted. Point is, they know what they are getting. Is he an elite pass rusher? No, but is a good scheme fit for what CP wants. There is a good podcast out there with footstheking having a discussion what type of edge they will be looking for in this scheme, it pretty much describes a player like Gary.

Thompson-in my opinion, he was the best safety on the market. Then actually got him at a good price. He has experience at both safety positions as well as snaps at the nickel. He played for our new DB coach in Arizona, so another player then know fully well what they are getting. He is a massive upgrade over Wilson in coverage. He was the far better safety then the other two linked to the Cowboys in Blankenship and PJ Locke.

Linebacker-seeing Dean get 12 million a season, glad the Cowboys didn't land him. That is awfully a lot for a player that struggles with availability. Quay Walker got even more and his play has been up and down, Lloyd scares me to death, doing nothing until a contract season.

I am pretty sure the Cowboys have a plan to add a veteran linebacker if it is fa or the trade market. Hell, there was a rumor that the 49ers might make Fred Warner available. Good news is that the incoming LB draft class is loaded, could be 4 1st rd linebackers.

Other Needs to address:

-Veteran corner
-that 4i DE
-Nickel
-more pass rush
-maybe another safety

That is the very best response to yesterday I've heard so far a lot of common sense some real facts keeping emotion out of it there's still work to do There's still a lot of guys out there so let's hope over the next 48 hours the Cowboys Fans can see A few players that are going to help this team in 2026 be better Then twenty twenty five..

 

[conner01]

We just didn't know if the Cowboys would change the way they handle fa period. I think adding two players on day 1, 1 fa and 1 trade is a start in the right direction:

Gary-he is our new starting LE or 3-4 OLB. Why trade for him if he was going to be cut? He was going to cost more and you they would have to contend with other teams to sign him. Considering a player like Mafe who is coming off of a 2 sack season, got a 20 million per season deal. Hell, Jalen Phillips and his 5 sacks got him a 30 million. Also, with any trade you don't take on any bonus money, which makes his contract no cost to get out of, but easy to manipulate the cap charge. Heard they can possibly make his cap charge this season only 4 million.

Ansley our new passing game coordinator was with Green Bay and knows everything about the player, even CP was on the staff when Gary was drafted. Point is, they know what they are getting. Is he an elite pass rusher? No, but is a good scheme fit for what CP wants. There is a good podcast out there with footstheking having a discussion what type of edge they will be looking for in this scheme, it pretty much describes a player like Gary.

Thompson-in my opinion, he was the best safety on the market. Then actually got him at a good price. He has experience at both safety positions as well as snaps at the nickel. He played for our new DB coach in Arizona, so another player then know fully well what they are getting. He is a massive upgrade over Wilson in coverage. He was the far better safety then the other two linked to the Cowboys in Blankenship and PJ Locke.

Linebacker-seeing Dean get 12 million a season, glad the Cowboys didn't land him. That is awfully a lot for a player that struggles with availability. Quay Walker got even more and his play has been up and down, Lloyd scares me to death, doing nothing until a contract season.

I am pretty sure the Cowboys have a plan to add a veteran linebacker if it is fa or the trade market. Hell, there was a rumor that the 49ers might make Fred Warner available. Good news is that the incoming LB draft class is loaded, could be 4 1st rd linebackers.

Other Needs to address:

-Veteran corner
-that 4i DE
-Nickel
-more pass rush
-maybe another safety

I thought overal pretty good day. We didn’t reach and over pay. I loved Dean but I wouldn’t have signed him to that deal. Gary is a solid signing for a guy who’s actually shown more than guys who ended up costing more money

 

[John813]

Everyone thinks our 4th round picks are going to be HoFs.

Fehoko, Jabril Cox, Tapper, Armstrong just to name a few...

Yea, that Prescott we drafted in the 4th didn't turn out to be much either.

 

[75boyz]

Gary-same as Clowney last year. Hopefully that is.

Thompson- Hopefully an improvement over Wilson.

Williams-should have let go.

Steele-should have let go.

 

[DasTex]

They almost have to do something today at LB

Chenal, Wagner, Elliss - one of those need to be signed hopefully today

Then I'd look at DE and CB - Hendrickson is out of range, but someone like Chaisson fits Jerry's former 1st rounder mold. Chubb is also still available and would fit the OLB

 

[Cowboyny]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Okereke today, and Chubb down the line. Adding a CB would be smart too. They supposedly were interested in Taylor, but $20m per??

Taylor is good, but 20 million is crazy overpay