Cowboys a top 6 team in wins and cap space

Nightman

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You're hired. Now sign Tank and Prescot/ Zeke who both want extensions. And don't forget Cooper. Then Byron Jones, Gregory, Collins 1 and Collins 2 in 2020 and on and on. Yes sure, let the players who we know walk and sign aging FA's. Show me the money for 2020 and beyond. Some forethought is required to run a business. Not saying there aren't some less expensive options in FA that will help
Easy

that is what the cap space is there for

not to hoard it

DLaw 5/90m
Dak 6/120m.... goes in effect 2020
Zeke not until 2021
Cooper 5/80m
BJones not until 2020
Gregory not until 2020....maybe re-sign
LCollins.....see ya
MCollins........4/20m in 2020

EThomas 3/27m with incentives
DT.....vet and/or Draft2
WR...... Beasley or TAustin for cheap
 
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Hawkeye19

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you can see it through whatever glasses you choose, its not an illusion if you realize the rest of the teams in the top 5 is going to be going through the same things so its what it actually is, we are young, we've been winning, now have money to keep our players, plus add afew , and if you add good drafting the past 5 years we are in great shape..

that is unless you are like a majority on this forum and see it through negative hate glasses and keep looking back 25 years instead of forward. well live in that pessimistic mind frame , too each their own but this current team and organization has a solid future as of now..

are there issues sure but other teams have issues as well..

I agree....if we draft well and get 1-2 starters, and 3-4 contributing players each draft (including UDFA)-- we can at least remain competitive in the regular season. It is the playoffs that concern me as we just don't seem to have the horsepower to elevate our game under the big lights. Coaching, preparation, focus, and execution all have to go to the next level against teams that are just as talented as you are. THAT is where we continue to fall short year after year
 

CPanther95

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Do a little digging for me CP. List the top 5 teams in terms of $ spent on FA in the past 3 years. Then post their records and playoff success

There are definitely plenty of teams that fail trying to rapidly fill holes in FA. There are always a decent percentage of teams that are active and only one can win the Super Bowl.

The more important question, and easier to research, is when is the last time a team not built by Belichick won the Super Bowl without major FA signings on their roster... 2012, 2011, possibly 2010??? Didn't check it out, but we know the Eagles were - and the Broncos had a ridiculous spending spree in FA in 2014 before winning it with the 2015 squad. Pretty sure the Seahawks were, but can only recall them grabbing Bennett.
 

Nightman

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There are definitely plenty of teams that fail trying to rapidly fill holes in FA. There are always a decent percentage of teams that are active and only one can win the Super Bowl.

The more important question, and easier to research, is when is the last time a team not built by Belichick won the Super Bowl without major FA signings on their roster... 2012, 2011, possibly 2010??? Didn't check it out, but we know the Eagles were - and the Broncos had a ridiculous spending spree in FA in 2014 before winning it with the 2015 squad. Pretty sure the Seahawks were, but can only recall them grabbing Bennett.
SEA signed MLynch, Matt Flynn, Percy Harvin, Sydney Rice, Zach Wilson, MBennett, Cliff Avril, CClemons

Even Pats signed DBs Gilmore, Talib and Revis plus WRs like Welker, Amendola, Burkhead, LBlount-RB and DL like Sheard, Long, Claiborne
 

Hawkeye0202

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Which is the case for any team with a good young QB still on their rookie deal.

Look, Dallas is doing EXACTLY what the fanbase was screaming for from 1997 or so through the Wade Phillips era: Stop signing aging veterans to big deals in an attempt to win now and instead build almost exclusively through the draft which is a more sustainable model.

Now, we’ve flipped 180 degrees and are screaming for Jerry to sign multiple 30ish year old free agents and sacrifice our future in a desperate attempt to win now.

Fans are fickle (and generally, sorry, stupid/ignorant) and simply opine for a different strategy any time the results on the field aren’t to their liking. There is no logic behind this way of thinking, it’s just blind emotion.

Not saying either strategy is inherently right or wrong, only that a fan bases perceptions and desires are generally meaningless because they are akin to the tantrums of a toddler not getting their way.

Louder!!!
 

MWH1967

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Sad part to this whole thing is because this is a young team Dallas has the space. After this off season Dallas will have about the same team but key players are getting paid this time. so, the space is "Smoke and mirrors". Its not really there.

Maybe if you go short on Dak and Tag D-Law again you will have some play money. Just get over the hump already!!!
 

Nightman

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Sad part to this whole thing is because this is a young team Dallas has the space. After this off season Dallas will have about the same team but key players are getting paid this time. so, the space is "Smoke and mirrors". Its not really there.

Maybe if you go short on Dak and Tag D-Law again you will have some play money. Just get over the hump already!!!
It is anything but Smoke and Mirrors..... they have over 120m next year with over 28 players under contract and that doesn't include the 10 Draft picks over the next 2 years
 

Hawkeye0202

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Here is the bottom line, yes you can draft well BUT you still need to fill some spots thru FA because you can't get everything in the draft and us waiting till 2 months into FA is not going to get it done.

+1 ....but not just FA but at least 2-3 QUALITY/ mid-level FAs instead relying on bottom feeders.
 

Miller

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Does that graphic add up to anything? Seriously wondering.
 

Idgit

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How dare you Idgit, I’m ENTITLED to my annual *****ing, moaning, wailing, kvetching, and handwringing.

:laugh:

It’s how we mark the transition to the offseason. I know. :)
 

Hawkeye0202

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It paid off for recent Super Bowl winners in the Eagles and Broncos. They both spent heavily on adding free agents and it paid off in a championship. And the Rams loaded up for their run that came up one game short this year.

It can work, if you're willing to deal with the pains afterwards, as the Eagles are now.

That just it, we don't have to MAJOR FREE AGENTS to make this thing work. Every year the free market has a nice crop of quality players you can sign with affordable mid-level contracts. For some reason, Stephen seems stuck on the idea of only adding bottom feeder types. What's even worst is adding them to replace elite starters such as Dez or Witten. No way in hell you can take that approach and NOT EXPECT some drop off from the position. I'm saying they had to be replaced with the best free agents but the gap between a mid-tier ( former starter IMO ) vs bottom feeders ( never consistently started ) can be huge on the field.

This the gap we need to fill IMO. We have the youngest ( or 2nd ) team in NFL. That means, for the most part, we are relying on a ton of draft picks and bottom feeding free agents to get us to the big dance. TE and LG are probably two good examples. Two positions where a couple of years ago we had players ( Leary and Witten) playing near ALL PRO level. Instead of bridging the gap with mid-level free agents we could have signed with short prove it type contracts, we plugged in rookies.
 

Kaiser

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It is anything but Smoke and Mirrors..... they have over 120m next year with over 28 players under contract and that doesn't include the 10 Draft picks over the next 2 years

Some Dallas fans have a serious case of Battered Wife Syndrome with salary cap issues. Even when things are good, they insist it must be bad.
 

Stash

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Does that graphic add up to anything? Seriously wondering.

Yeah, it helps homers to think the Cowboys are winning something, even if it's not anything tangible on the field. And the clown who wasted his time to dig up the information is one of the biggest homers on the planet.
 

Stash

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The available cap space for 2020 is obscene.

$120 million, with few big contracts:

https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/dallas-cowboys/

Even if you handed out $20 million deals to every big free agent on your to-do list, there would still be money left over.

And Tyrone Crawford and Terrance Williams contracts will either be much lowered or off the books entirely, adding an additional $12 million of cap space to that. This team is in an advantageous position with all of their young talent. They need to use that advantage while they can.
 

Aerolithe_Lion

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Isn't this just because you have more high-profile free agents over the next 2 years than anybody?
 
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