Cowboys losing Ground? For the Record . reinforces how 2016 was a missed opportunity ***MERGED***

[DFWJC]

It's not about putting all your hopes into FA. It's about trying to sure up an area or too so it takes less pressure off your team in the draft.

Right now, this team likely needs to find immediate impact players in this draft at CB, SS, DE and possibly OL now. That's a lot to ask from a draft, even when a team drafts well.

I totally buy into the idea that you can't go into the offseason and just spend like a drunken sailor in FA, trying to buy a stud at every position. But we seem to have gone in the opposite direction where we won't spend money on anyone that isn't a cheap bargain.

And forgetting big name FAs, there were mid-level moves that could have been made. Peppers was one. He signed for 1 year, $3.5MM. Tony Jefferson got a fairly large deal but definitely something we could have swung for a SS that is young and improving.

Can you honestly say that right now we are as good if not better than last year's team? If the answer is, "well we still haven't had the draft" than that's a pretty good indication that you realize this is a worse team at present.

I asked what you would have done already, just a few days into the offseason....or you're 4th paragraph. Norhing more.

I made no claims about us being better or worse after a week.

Don't know about Jefferson, but Peppers has made his fortune and just wanted to go home to Carolina. Not really sure what he has left in the tank, but it'd have been harder to get him.

 

[Cowboy4ever]

There was not a lot of options at the positions we needed other than our own. We let a few good ones go, now we have to replace them. If we can sign Carr, we should be ok in the CB spot.. safety, we will just have to see. DE, nothing was really out there to go get.

 

[CWR]

For the record Im not a sky is falling kind of guy and even if we dont sign another free agent I still expect 10 wins. But I was hoping to have improvements added, not to simply lose major contributors and rely on our rookies heavily. Say what you want about the guys we lost but:

Leary was very valuable

Church was the qb of the secondary. They have done pretty well considering our pass rush.

Mo although a china doll, was growing as a player. Hes never been accused of being the smartest guy so maybe the learning curve was a tad steeper for him.

Carr was solid in dealing with bigger possession receivers and was always available.

Wilcox was much better in his new role and was an enforcer out there.

They all had thier warts and Im aware but please feel free to reiterate why they sucked. But also realize I dont need selling and I didn't want everyone back. I simply acknowledge they had thier strengths and odds are without making a couple of key additions we will notice our losses. That said its not insurmountable to make these additions, right now though I feel a little exposed.

 

[coult44]

Yes, there will be no quick fix with this defense. Will probably take 2 to 3 years to get this D to a championship level.

How long did it take Atlanta? What about Denver? NE? Nope these teams were bad one year and good the next? At least defensively speaking.

 

[Bleu Star]

Our two biggest needs heading into the offseason was the fact we still needed a better pass rush and that we needed to upgrade the secondary.

Thus far, we've done nothing to upgrade the pass rush. And we've signed one CB who is probably not as good as Carr or Claiborne. And what's left on the market isn't likely to improve our needs. So it's all about the draft.

Some will write this off as a woe is me post but it's a real discussion point. The goal in the offseason is to get better and right now, we have not. We seem to be throwing all our hopes at improving at our draft.

That's a risky proposition IMO.

Woe is me.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Some will write this off as a woe is me post but it's a real discussion point.

Bottom line, the Cowboys haven't lost anyone that couldn't be replaced. Those that has left got overpaid and the Cowboys were smart to let them walk.

 

[waldoputty]

as Alexander pointed out, all first round picks and had great structure from a coach who wanted to win. Big difference, but if you look at the scope of his work and his work in dallas, he does more with less.

he does more with less.
but he can do even more with more.

 

[egn22]

all of the guys we lost got paid more than what i would've wanted to pay. Chaz Green is the guy now at RT and we will draft one. Frazier and Heath replace Wilcox and Church and we will draft a SS. We lost Crawford but gained Paea and Demontrae Moore. Nolan Carrol replaces an often injured Claiborne and it will most likely be Scandrick, Anthony Brown, Carrol and Carr.

I don't think we're at the point of panicking just yet. I think we will be fine. We still don't know what happens with Romo, don't know what we do with remaining cap space, don't know what kind of draft we will have, DO know that our WR's are all returning and that spot is set, DO know that our RB spot is set, as is QB.

 

[Trouty]

Our D is still bad. Arguably worse than last season, as at one point our secondary, at least, graded out as 4th best in the league (according to PFF, if you guys remember the thread). Whether it was smart or not to let a few of our starters leave for greener pastures, we haven't replaced them adequately (with, maybe, the exception being Paea, we shall see).

Syd is right, there is no way around it. A lot of holes on this D. A lot.

 

[Idgit]

Nobody should have expected a dramatically improved defense at this point in the offseason. Though, it's a bit surprising that we seem to be content with losing two Safeties and two starting CBs in the same offseason.

The issue with the secondary, though, was obvious going into *last* offseason, and we neglected it. That was when we could have done something, and at that point, we had more than enough draft capital to do it.

That said, I don't buy that it takes 2-3 years to build a defense. Especially not when we play a defense that's fairly simplistic to begin with. We've demonstrated that we can be mediocre just signing available veteran talent. To get better than that, we need to improve via the draft and finally add a few genuine playmakers. There's no excuse for being worse this coming year than we were last year. Not with the whole draft and so much of free agency still in front of us.

 

[THEHEREAFTER]

My question is why are we going for a FULL comprehensive week 1 assessment in early March? There have been countless years everyone predicted the bottom of the division for us including 2014 and last year, that reshaped as the SEASON BEGAN. Why folks go for definitive assessments this early is just part of today's sports culture I suppose although history suggests this can be foolish.

 

[tyke1doe]

Yes, there will be no quick fix with this defense. Will probably take 2 to 3 years to get this D to a championship level.

And Jaylon Smith's nerve to completely fire.
Sneaking out now. ------------------------------->

 

[Blackspider214]

How anyone can argue we have not lost ground to at least the Eagles and Giants is delusional.

Funny, I heard this same minutia last year. All that money the Giants threw at their defense and they didn't win their division.

Did the Giants miraculously fix their offensive line? WR was not a huge need for them.

 

[Pants]

Personally I like the moves Dallas has made in FA because they are filling gaps but it will fall to the draft to get the difference makers.

While I agree with your entire post and especially this, my only concern is that guys that are leaving, for the most played A LOT of snaps: both safeties, who knows about the CB's right now, Leary, no Romo (I know, I know, but he was a TERRIFIC safety valve especially compared to the trash that was behind him for years before DAK)....there are A LOT of snaps to replace....the "big" signing so far is TWill and he was our 4th, sometimes 5th receiver....not nervous just yet, but would like some of the holes filled in a little better to make the draft a BPA draft and not bDpa....

 

[NorthwestDallas40]

Just to recap this offseason:

1. Jerry runs his mouth off and says he'll "do right" by Romo... there is NO trade market for Romo. We will release him for nothing.
2. We lose LG who started most of year
3. We lose our starting RT, and have signed no one to replace yet
4. We lose first and second string SS, and have signed no one yet
5. We are poised to lost both starting CBs, and have signed only Nolan Carroll
6. Our star RB likely will be suspended for unauthorized touching caught on video (no need for a cooperative witness)
7. Report that Jaylon Smith's nerve has not regenerated and he'll have to play with a brace
8. We are picking at 28, not at 4, so the draft is not a panacea

Do we really need to question whether we have taken a step back?

 

[Alexander]

Its almost like weve gotten cocky after last years draft lol.

This franchise has always got overconfident after "successful" seasons in the last decade plus.

 

[pacy]

Just to recap this offseason:

1. Jerry runs his mouth off and says he'll "do right" by Romo... there is NO trade market for Romo. We will release him for nothing.
2. We lose LG who started most of year
3. We lose our starting RT, and have signed no one to replace yet
4. We lose first and second string SS, and have signed no one yet
5. We are poised to lost both starting CBs, and have signed only Nolan Carroll
6. Our star RB likely will be suspended for unauthorized touching caught on video (no need for a cooperative witness)
7. Report that Jaylon Smith's nerve has not regenerated and he'll have to play with a brace
8. We are picking at 28, not at 4, so the draft is not a panacea

Do we really need to question whether we have taken a step back?

Man, this is depressing.

 

[ChooChoo73]

Bottom line, the Cowboys haven't lost anyone that couldn't be replaced. Those that has left got overpaid and the Cowboys were smart to let them walk.

So one of their strategies is not to retain their own? What do you think their strategy is this off-season to improve the team? do you see one and if so, do you agree with the strategy?

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

Yes, there will be no quick fix with this defense. Will probably take 2 to 3 years to get this D to a championship level.

2 to 3 years is a long long time in today's NFL

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Until I see how the rest of free agency goes, how the draft goes and how the injured respond to offseason physical rehab I can not share in the "Jim Jones Koolaid" that so many seem to want to drink today.