2008 Free Agency

[Biggems]

Let's say that JJ decides to let Flo walk off into the open market.....and let's say he isn't completely comfortable with what we have as replacements so far, nor is he comfortable with sending a rookie draft pick out there to protect Romo......what are the viable options in FA....

1. Max Starks - Pittsburgh
2. Sean Locklear - Seattle
3. Maurice Williams - Jacksonville

IMO, these are the best 3 options out there. I firmly believe that Jerry will see this and throw a new contract at Flo......cause quite honestly, Starks is the only other OT that I would feel comfortable with.


I am not completely happy with our LB depth, but there are no MLB worth a damn in the FA market. However, at OLB we have.....

1. Lance Briggs - Chicago (way too pricy and a drama queen)
2. Terrell Suggs - Baltimore (will be pricy, and has had injury issues)
3. Nick Griesen - Baltimore (who should come cheap, but has experience in the Ravens D)

I am also not completely pleased with our secondary, but that mostly has to do with injuries. However, Nate Jones needs to go. It will be interesting to see if Ball or Brown can take his spot. Also, if Brown continues his solid ST play, Keith Davis may be wearing a different uniform next season. Here are a few DBs who I hope JJ considers adding to the team.....

1. CB - Asante Samuel - NE (will probably command Nate Clemente money)
2. CB - Randall Gay - NE (cheaper and more apt to play a reserve roll, than Samuel)
3. CB - Nnamdi Asomugha - Oakland (will be pricy, and I see Oakland keeping him)
4. CB - Marcus Trufant - Seattle (will be pricy, and I am not sure how good he has been since he was injured a few years ago, his name fell off the map)
5. S - Eugene Wilson - NE (will be pricy)
6. S - Bob Sanders - Indy (pricy and injury prone)

I honestly feel our best option would be to at least resign Reeves and Hamlin, get Newman a new deal, and possibly sign Gay. By signing Gay it gives us 4 deep at CB with Newman, Henry, Reeves, and Gay. Then we could bring Ball up to be our 5th CB. Our Safeties would be Hamlin, Roy, Watkins, and Brown.

 

[Bizwah]

There are plenty of good players to be had in FA.

I feel that the best ones will be ours.

Here's a list of players on our own team that we need to resign.

Flozell Adams: I wouldn't mess with the line continuity.
Chris Canty: He's playing huge right now. Coming into his own.
Ken Hamlin: Playing excellent football. He's solidifying our secondary.
Marion Barber: Our sparkplug. Will command a big salary.

We also will need to begin thinking about extending Newman and TO.

Money will be tight. But that's the price of having a talented team.

 

[dallasfan]

I actually love our LB depth. We have a great trio with Ware, Ellis and Spencer on the outside. And Justin Rodgers showed some promise with NE. In the Middle I think we lack a superstar, but Bradie James, Akin Ayodele, Kevin Burnett and Bobby Carpenter are all good players. I doubt we'll be big time players in free agency. Possibly Michael Turner, maybe a WR. Anything else I doubt it.

 

[burmafrd]

If we are able to lock up all our RFA's and most of our UFAs, we willnot have much left to go after anyone else. Which is fine with me.

 

[burmafrd]

Trufant has really dropped in value. Last year it was blamed on Hamlin. Who are they blaming this year?

 

[DawnOfANewD]

RB: Michael Turner ("lightning" to Barber's "Thunder")

WR: Bernard Berrian or Bryant Johnson - two still-young deep-threats who'd be nice eventual successors to Glenn

 

[HTownCowboysFan]

This is why you draft well dude. FA sucks - especially now. Teams keep their own and sign them to contracts (usually) that don't screw 'em salary cap wise -- unless you are the Crapskins or the Houston Toxins (How's that Ahman Green working out for y'all? hehehehe).

I couldn't care less who we sign in FA for the most part in this day and age -- that's what screwed us in the first place 10 years ago combined with BAD drafting.

 

[dallasfaniac]

I would take Travelle Wharton before I would take Sean Locklear. Locklear went to jail for choking his girlfriend the night they had beat the Commanders in the playoffs. They lost the next game. Plus Locklear plays RT.

Wharton plays LT, is young and would probably come cheap. He leads his team in sacks allowed which sounds like a turnoff, but he just returned from a torn ACL and a fair number of his sacks were because the middle of the line allows pressure, forcing the QB into sacks. Plus, lets be real, David Carr and Vinny Testeverde aren't well known for avoiding sacks.

He allowed I think 1 sack in college while starting LT and in 2004 as a rookie helped the Panthers allow one of the fewest sack totals since their inception.

I view him as a band-aid. Serviceable if we allow Adams to leave and just in case the 2nd year players struggle.

 

[HTownCowboysFan]

Here's another thing that's been my Cowboys fan pet peeve...

The "Let's sign this 'NAME' FA NOW!" BS. Uh, there's reason that whomever is available; probably 'cause he sucks. Now there are exceptions to the rule, but rarely.

This disease was rampant during the Campo years, and (probably) rightfully so. And hell, it eased into the Parcellian years with the signing of such badasses as "Dat Dude."

Again, ask Little Danny and whomever runs the Houston Toxins (which may be giving the Cardinals and Lions a run at their money being the shatiest-run franchise in the NFL) how free FA has worked out for 'em....

 

[DawnOfANewD]

Here's another thing that's been my Cowboys fan pet peeve...

The "Let's sign this 'NAME' FA NOW!" BS. Uh, there's reason that whomever is available; probably 'cause he sucks. Now there are exceptions to the rule, but rarely.

So us being pretty active in free-agency the past few years, ie. Davis, Colombo, Hamlin, Henry, Ferguson, Kosier, Ayodele, and Hurd, is a sign we've gone nuts? Ummm, ok if you say so....

 

[AbeBeta]

Take Suggs off that list - there is no way the Ravens let him hit the open market.

 

[HTownCowboysFan]

So us being pretty active in free-agency the past few years, ie. Davis, Colombo, Hamlin, Henry, Ferguson, Kosier, Ayodele, and Hurd, is a sign we've gone nuts? Ummm, ok if you say so....

I'm talking about over-paying for has-beens. (Some) Cowboys fans have "LET'S SIGN THAT GUY THAT WAS BADARSE 3 YEARS AGO SYNDROME" so bad that they can't stand it.

Davis played for AZ -- 'nuff said. Columbo, Hamlin, Kosier, Ayodele, and Hurd (Hurd? HURD?!...Please!) cost nothing.

I'm not saying you don't use FA, I'm saying you don't use it to bring in past their prime players, who are/were a "name." and think that that's badarse.

BS.

You don't build a team via FA. Period.

 

[conner01]

if you are gonna sign a f.a. ot then you would be better off signing your own. flo is better than anyone out there.sometimes you just have to go with the young guys. it will be flo or one of our own at ot next year
i think people are gonna be very disapointed if they expect us to sign much in the f.a. market. we have our own to deal with and even more in the next couple of years.you can't go out and sign high dollar f.a.'s each year and still keep your own.thats why they have the draft

 

[5mics]

This is why you draft well dude. FA sucks - especially now. Teams keep their own and sign them to contracts (usually) that don't screw 'em salary cap wise -- unless you are the Crapskins or the Houston Toxins (How's that Ahman Green working out for y'all? hehehehe).

I couldn't care less who we sign in FA for the most part in this day and age -- that's what screwed us in the first place 10 years ago combined with BAD drafting.

I have to disagree, FA does not suck. You just have to be smart and be very good talent evaluators. Most recently, weren't T.O., Ken Hamlin, Marc Colombo, Kyle Kossier, and Leonard Davis FA pick-ups? I think we'll be active once again and combined w/ another good draft, will be set for the near future.....

 

[5mics]

I'm talking about over-paying for has-beens. (Some) Cowboys fans have "LET'S SIGN THAT GUY THAT WAS BADARSE 3 YEARS AGO SYNDROME" so bad that they can't stand it.

Davis played for AZ -- 'nuff said. Columbo, Hamlin, Kosier, Ayodele, and Hurd (Hurd? HURD?!...Please!) cost nothing.
I'm not saying you don't use FA, I'm saying you don't use it to bring in past their prime players, who are/were a "name." and think that that's badarse.

BS.

You don't build a team via FA. Period.

I agree, you don't build a team via FA...alone. It's a combination of FA and the draft. It goes hand in hand. The team who does well in both aspect will more than likely be successful (see NE Patriots.....)

BTW, it may have "cost us nothing" to sign Colombo, Hamlin, Kossier, Ayodele, and Hurd BUT they were FA acquisitions and have contributed to the success of the team so that's why I disagree that "FA sucks". Successful teams are very good at both (FA & the draft)......

 

[JackMagist]

So us being pretty active in free-agency the past few years, ie. Davis, Colombo, Hamlin, Henry, Ferguson, Kosier, Ayodele, and Hurd, is a sign we've gone nuts? Ummm, ok if you say so....

Well there was Rivera...that didn't work out so well for us. And now Ferguson who is getting old is out for the season since the first game...and of course Wiley was so great for us. I was not thrilled with signing Rivera or Ferguson at the time due to age. Rivera is the poster boy for what happens with old FA's and now Fergi is showing his age. Even though we did get a couple of pretty good years out of him Fergi has had injury issues off and on since he arrived. I think that is the type of past their prime players he is talking about.

I completely agree with the addage that you should never give big money FA deals to players over the age of 28.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

I don't see Dallas letting Flo go so LT won't be a need. I do however see them getting better depth at CB...

 

[theogt]

I don't think we're going to touch the free agency market this year. We don't have any major needs and re-signing our on players will be costly enough. Any future starters need to be low-cost draft picks.

 

[Oh_Canada]

I can see them letting JJ go as he will be looking for big bucks and more carries....for this reason they may look to someone like Mewelde Moore and draft another back.

I was in the camp of also letting Flo walk. Now I am not so sure...the downside is that he will command big dollars and will be turning 33 years old next season. I also don't think he will be the same player without the carrot of a big contract dangling in front of him. The upside is that he has played very well this season, false starts aside and he is an important piece of an o-line that continues to build contuinity.

If Flo wants anything more than a three year deal, I would take the compensatory pick, thank him for the memories and wish him good luck in Oakland or San Francisco. Otherwise I wouldn't mind having him signed.

 

[theogt]

I can see them letting JJ go as he will be looking for big bucks and more carries....for this reason they may look to someone like Mewelde Moore and draft another back.

I was in the camp of also letting Flo walk. Now I am not so sure...the downside is that he will command big dollars and will be turning 33 years old next season. I also don't think he will be the same player without the carrot of a big contract dangling in front of him. The upside is that he has played very well this season, false starts aside and he is an important piece of an o-line that continues to build contuinity.

If Flo wants anything more than a three year deal, I would take the compensatory pick, thank him for the memories and wish him good luck in Oakland or San Francisco.

The thing is, he already is commanding big numbers, and it's not cost prohibitive now, so if he does in the future it shouldn't be cost prohibitive then. The only problem is if he expects a large signing bonus, which isn't likely given his age. I'd expect something very similar to TO and Glenn's contracts, where the player can make a lot of money if he plays, but it won't cost the team much to cut 'em.