Interesting idea: draft and free agency?

Alexander

What's it going to be then, eh?
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Oh no, no, no and no.

Do I really need to whip out the Stephen Jones speech on how free agency is bad?

Do I?

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Mods, please close this thread.
 

Risen Star

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We draft so well that it makes free agency moot. Other teams aren't run so well so they're forced to do it.
 

Creeper

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The Cowboys free agency strategy was not something they figured out intellectually. It was the result of poor cap management. They spent themselves into cap jail and couldn't sign free agents or keep their own players. The Free Agency avoidance strategy was just an excuse for their bad cap management. If you believe trading a 1st round draft pick for an established player works, then what's the difference in trading away cap space for an established player? Of course there is always the consideration of price and getting value, but ruling it out altogether is just silly talk. The Cowboys traded for Amari Cooper knowing he would become a free agent after 2019. Surely they must have considered paying to keep him.
 

xwalker

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Wish the Cowboys would get on board.


The Cowboys talent acquisition process in the past few years has been very good and the best since Jimmy was the Head Coach.

The approach in recent years has been to have good-enough players at each position and then use the draft to get the elite talent and low cost depth.

The Cowboys use free agency to fill in the gaps and avoid having to reach for need in the draft.

The 2018 draft was thin at the top in regards to elite WRs but had good WR depth into the mid rounds.

The Cowboys signed Hurns who had been a good-enough starter to go with returning starters Beasley and TWill. That allowed them to NOT force a 1st at WR.

They nibbled at signing an expensive free agent WR but didn't do something stupid an over bid for a free agent like they did back when the gave Brandon Carr a 50M contract despite him being a good but non Super Star type player.

They waited an ended up with Cooper who is way better than Sammy Watkins and is the perfect fit for Dak.

Even without Cooper the WR plan had a chance for success because 3rd round WR Gallup did become a legit NFL starter but TWill flaked out and Hurns didn't play as well as he had in the past.

The basic concept is give yourself (team) a chance for success without tying to force the issue at positions. It's the way the Patriots approach every year. The Patriots don't trade two 1st round picks for players, especially ones that require an immediate mega-contract and don't give out a lot of mega-contracts to outside free agents. The Patriots did trade a 1st for a player with years of team control remaining on his contract very similar to the Cowboys and Cooper.

If people are going to complain about the Cowboys Front Office it should be in regards to how they've handled the coaching staff, not how they handled the roster in recent years.
 
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