Available FAs vs. who we signed

[gimmesix]

Looking at a list of who is still available, I almost think I would have been more satisfied if we signed some of them than who we got. (Obviously, their asking prices could be higher, which is why they are still available.)

Going to leave off a few that probably aren't signed for injury reasons, such as Stefon Diggs, but here's who I would have taken instead of who we got

RB Nick Chubb instead of Javonte Williams (Both averaged under 4 yards per carry, but Chubb was in his first year back from an ACL tear and then broke his foot, which isn't a dealbreaker injury; prior to that, he had averaged over 5 yards per carry every year; Williams has averaged under 4 yards per carry each of the past two years)

RB J.K. Dobbins over Miles Sanders (I have no idea why Dobbins hasn't been signed by anyone yet unless he's asking for a lot of money; he averaged 4.6 YPC last year and rushed for 905 yards in 13 games.)

WR Tyler Boyd instead of Parris Campbell (Boyd has had a much better career with two 1,000-yard seasons and No. 2 receiver numbers in most years, but not last year)

OL Brandon Scherff instead of OL Rob Jones (Scherff's been in the game a long time, but at age 33, he's still better than Jones has ever been)

DE Za'Darius Smith instead of DE Payton Turner (Smith had 9 sacks last year compared to two for Turner and is solid against the run)

DE Matthew Judon over DE Dante Fowler (This one is definitely debatable since Fowler had more sacks last year than Judon, but Judon is the better overall player)

DT Calais Campbell over DT Solomon Thomas (This one was a little tougher since Campbell is 38, but he still started all 17 games last year and put up 52 tackles and 5 sacks, compared to 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks playing in 16 games for Thomas)

LB Kyzir White instead of LB Kenneth Murray (White's career has been more productive and he's proven himself already as a player.)

LB E.J. Speed over Jack Sanborn (I have to wonder if Eberflus doesn't care for his former linebacker Speed or just likes his most recent one Sanborn better; but it's probably just a price thing.)

CB Stephon Gilmore over CB Kairr Elam (I don't mind the Elam trade, but he may never be as good as Gilmore is now even at 34; could go with Rasul Douglas instead to go a little younger)

So my FA class: WR Tyler Boyd, RB Nick Chubb, RB J.K. Dobbins, OL Brandon Scherff, DE Za'Darius Smith, DE Matthew Judon, DT Calais Campbell, LB Kyzir White, LB E.J. Speed, CB Stephon Gilmore

Again it's noted that many of these probably would not accept Dallas' honest offer, but they are still out of work, so who knows? I'm also not saying these would have been my top FA choices overall just my picks from what's left.

I do think it is fair to say that Dallas chose multiple free agents who were younger and have more upside, but the Cowboys were able to get them for cheap because they haven't lived up to that upside.

 

[charron]

The thing that irritates me is Dallas doesn't reach out to many players. They just assume the price tag is too much and go for who they think will be cheap. None listed would prevent me from drafting anyone in any round. You simply can not have enough defensive help.

 

[Coogiguy03]

Yours and Jerry's are two different lines of thinking yours is worth billions to Jerry and his list of free agents totaling a cost of 12 million for all those we signed

 

[Creeper]

No needles moved. From last year to this year, the team has not improved even a little bit. In fact, we probably lost something with Lewis. Maybe we gained a tiny bit with Fowler.

I don't expect many, if any, of the players they signed to make the 53 man roster in September. I keep hearing how they go a bargain in Elam, but we hear that every year only to be disappointed.
At this point we have to hope the draft is an A+ and some guys come back from injury early and healthy. Then of course we need to see huge improvements from Mazi Smith and Tyler Guyton.

 

[gimmesix]

The thing that irritates me is Dallas doesn't reach out to many players. They just assume the price tag is too much and go for who they think will be cheap. None listed would prevent me from drafting anyone in any round. You simply can not have enough defensive help.

I can't say who they reached out to, but it seems like their coaches and personnel department targeted a lot of players that they think are talented and can get more out of (Turner, Murray, Elam, Williams, Campbell, Jones).

I know that the coaches/personnel department are limited by what they are allowed to spend, but I think it's hubris to believe we're going to make these players more than they have been. We might get lucky with one or two, but most are what they are.

 

[gimmesix]

Yours and Jerry's are two different lines of thinking yours is worth billions to Jerry and his list of free agents totaling a cost of 12 million for all those we signed

I don't know what the total cost would be of the free agents I chose. Obviously since they haven't been signed by anyone they likely are asking too much, but their prices have to come down.

I really don't think Jerry had much to do with our list of free agents other than establishing how much we were willing to spend on them. The list of who we signed looks more like a FA hunt by McClay and the coaches for players who would fit the price parameter.

I doubt Jerry knows much at all about Payton Turner and Kenneth Murray and Kaiir Elam, for example.

 

[speedkilz88]

Chubb is 29
Javonte Williams will be 25 in April.

I would also guess Dobbins is asking for more $$

Tyler Boyd is 30 and if you look at his career that trajectory shows a washed player.

Scherff is not only 33, he's also used to big money and isn't going to sign for what Jones got.

Smith would be the same. He's wanting more money than what Turner got. A lot of these young guys are not guaranteed a roster spot because of small guaranteed money involved.

Judon got almost $14 million aav on a 4 yr contract. $32 million guaranteed.
Fowler is getting $6 million with $2 million in incentives.

Campbell is not only old, he's more of a DE and not a 3T.

Cowboys tried to get Dre Greenlaw when he chose Denver instead they then made the deal for Murray. The DC is going to get to make the call on what type of LB fits their defense.

Another DC call on Sanborn/Speed and who would be better to make that judgement over a player he's coached before?

Elam is a young guy making less than $2.6 million. The front office has seen Gilmore already who would want more and once everyone is healthy then Gilmore would be hard pressed to even play.

 

[Kwyn]

Looking at a list of who is still available, I almost think I would have been more satisfied if we signed some of them than who we got. (Obviously, their asking prices could be higher, which is why they are still available.)

Going to leave off a few that probably aren't signed for injury reasons, such as Stefon Diggs, but here's who I would have taken instead of who we got

RB Nick Chubb instead of Javonte Williams (Both averaged under 4 yards per carry, but Chubb was in his first year back from an ACL tear and then broke his foot, which isn't a dealbreaker injury; prior to that, he had averaged over 5 yards per carry every year; Williams has averaged under 4 yards per carry each of the past two years)

RB J.K. Dobbins over Miles Sanders (I have no idea why Dobbins hasn't been signed by anyone yet unless he's asking for a lot of money; he averaged 4.6 YPC last year and rushed for 905 yards in 13 games.)

WR Tyler Boyd instead of Parris Campbell (Boyd has had a much better career with two 1,000-yard seasons and No. 2 receiver numbers in most years, but not last year)

OL Brandon Scherff instead of OL Rob Jones (Scherff's been in the game a long time, but at age 33, he's still better than Jones has ever been)

DE Za'Darius Smith instead of DE Payton Turner (Smith had 9 sacks last year compared to two for Turner and is solid against the run)

DE Matthew Judon over DE Dante Fowler (This one is definitely debatable since Fowler had more sacks last year than Judon, but Judon is the better overall player)

DT Calais Campbell over DT Solomon Thomas (This one was a little tougher since Campbell is 38, but he still started all 17 games last year and put up 52 tackles and 5 sacks, compared to 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks playing in 16 games for Thomas)

LB Kyzir White instead of LB Kenneth Murray (White's career has been more productive and he's proven himself already as a player.)

LB E.J. Speed over Jack Sanborn (I have to wonder if Eberflus doesn't care for his former linebacker Speed or just likes his most recent one Sanborn better; but it's probably just a price thing.)

CB Stephon Gilmore over CB Kairr Elam (I don't mind the Elam trade, but he may never be as good as Gilmore is now even at 34; could go with Rasul Douglas instead to go a little younger)

So my FA class: WR Tyler Boyd, RB Nick Chubb, RB J.K. Dobbins, OL Brandon Scherff, DE Za'Darius Smith, DE Matthew Judon, DT Calais Campbell, LB Kyzir White, LB E.J. Speed, CB Stephon Gilmore

Again it's noted that many of these probably would not accept Dallas' honest offer, but they are still out of work, so who knows? I'm also not saying these would have been my top FA choices overall just my picks from what's left.

I do think it is fair to say that Dallas chose multiple free agents who were younger and have more upside, but the Cowboys were able to get them for cheap because they haven't lived up to that upside.

Someone posted comments about why the entire market has frozen. Until the draft, compensatory picks are still vulnerable to loss if you sign more players.

Once the draft happens, those restrictions are lifted and a lot of these guys will get quickly picked up.

So, there is still a chance that’s where our remaining cap goes

 

[gimmesix]

No needles moved. From last year to this year, the team has not improved even a little bit. In fact, we probably lost something with Lewis. Maybe we gained a tiny bit with Fowler.

I think what the personnel department and coaching staff went for overall is younger players with potential. Several former first-round picks that they hope to get more out of than the teams they were on did.

How successful will they be? I think we can hope they strike it rich, but I don't think we can expect it.

I agree that Fowler is the only one who appears to be a clear upgrade, but even he is coming off a banner season for him. When he was last here, his numbers weren't that different from Lawson's. So it isn't likely that in his ninth season, he suddenly took his game to a new level. It's more likely it was an aberration.

 

[12+88=7]

When will you people learn, DALLAS DOESN'T DO FREE AGENCY!

Stay in reality. No could've, would've, should've.

Stop imagining what Dallas would be like if you ran it. This way of thinking will only make you upset, mad, and bitter. Waste of emotions.

The way you should deal with Dallas is to go by the hand that you been dealt. Those are the cards we have to play with so just move forward.

 

[gimmesix]

Tyler Boyd is 30 and if you look at his career that trajectory shows a washed player.

Not sure I agree with this. Boyd switched teams last year and had his worst season in a long time, that was playing for Tennessee, but the previous year (his last with Cincy) he had almost 70 catches for nearly 700 yards.

Campbell has never had as many catches and yards in a season as Boyd did in 2023, even when Campbell has been healthy.

 

[gimmesix]

When will you people learn, DALLAS DOESN'T DO FREE AGENCY!

Stay in reality. No could've, would've, should've.

Stop imagining what Dallas would be like if you ran it. This way of thinking will only make you upset, mad, and bitter. Waste of emotions.

The way you should deal with Dallas is to go by the hand that you been dealt. Those are the cards we have to play with so just move forward.

Dallas does free agency. It just usually waits until the third week or so after the prices go down. This year, it shopped cheap early.

I don't know what the prices would be for these players, but we're well past the first week frenzy and prices should be going down even if these players were asking for a lot more at the beginning of FA.

I admit that some of them may still be available because they don't want to drop their asking price. But this was a bit of a fun exercise. Sorry if it upset you.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Looking at a list of who is still available, I almost think I would have been more satisfied if we signed some of them than who we got. (Obviously, their asking prices could be higher, which is why they are still available.)

Going to leave off a few that probably aren't signed for injury reasons, such as Stefon Diggs, but here's who I would have taken instead of who we got

RB Nick Chubb instead of Javonte Williams (Both averaged under 4 yards per carry, but Chubb was in his first year back from an ACL tear and then broke his foot, which isn't a dealbreaker injury; prior to that, he had averaged over 5 yards per carry every year; Williams has averaged under 4 yards per carry each of the past two years)

RB J.K. Dobbins over Miles Sanders (I have no idea why Dobbins hasn't been signed by anyone yet unless he's asking for a lot of money; he averaged 4.6 YPC last year and rushed for 905 yards in 13 games.)

WR Tyler Boyd instead of Parris Campbell (Boyd has had a much better career with two 1,000-yard seasons and No. 2 receiver numbers in most years, but not last year)

OL Brandon Scherff instead of OL Rob Jones (Scherff's been in the game a long time, but at age 33, he's still better than Jones has ever been)

DE Za'Darius Smith instead of DE Payton Turner (Smith had 9 sacks last year compared to two for Turner and is solid against the run)

DE Matthew Judon over DE Dante Fowler (This one is definitely debatable since Fowler had more sacks last year than Judon, but Judon is the better overall player)

DT Calais Campbell over DT Solomon Thomas (This one was a little tougher since Campbell is 38, but he still started all 17 games last year and put up 52 tackles and 5 sacks, compared to 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks playing in 16 games for Thomas)

LB Kyzir White instead of LB Kenneth Murray (White's career has been more productive and he's proven himself already as a player.)

LB E.J. Speed over Jack Sanborn (I have to wonder if Eberflus doesn't care for his former linebacker Speed or just likes his most recent one Sanborn better; but it's probably just a price thing.)

CB Stephon Gilmore over CB Kairr Elam (I don't mind the Elam trade, but he may never be as good as Gilmore is now even at 34; could go with Rasul Douglas instead to go a little younger)

So my FA class: WR Tyler Boyd, RB Nick Chubb, RB J.K. Dobbins, OL Brandon Scherff, DE Za'Darius Smith, DE Matthew Judon, DT Calais Campbell, LB Kyzir White, LB E.J. Speed, CB Stephon Gilmore

Again it's noted that many of these probably would not accept Dallas' honest offer, but they are still out of work, so who knows? I'm also not saying these would have been my top FA choices overall just my picks from what's left.

I do think it is fair to say that Dallas chose multiple free agents who were younger and have more upside, but the Cowboys were able to get them for cheap because they haven't lived up to that upside.

Cowboys I’m sure want these guys at a certain price. They will wait them out to see how cheap they will be.

 

[speedkilz88]

Dirt cheap contract

 

[gimmesix]

Cowboys I’m sure want these guys at a certain price. They will wait them out to see how cheap they will be.

I sincerely doubt that. They filled their losses and that's generally what they do in FA. The only loss they haven't filled is backup QB.

Other than that, I think it will be this summer before Dallas possibly dips back into free agency if it sees that a player or players is not working out as planned.

 

[conner01]

Looking at a list of who is still available, I almost think I would have been more satisfied if we signed some of them than who we got. (Obviously, their asking prices could be higher, which is why they are still available.)

Going to leave off a few that probably aren't signed for injury reasons, such as Stefon Diggs, but here's who I would have taken instead of who we got

RB Nick Chubb instead of Javonte Williams (Both averaged under 4 yards per carry, but Chubb was in his first year back from an ACL tear and then broke his foot, which isn't a dealbreaker injury; prior to that, he had averaged over 5 yards per carry every year; Williams has averaged under 4 yards per carry each of the past two years)

RB J.K. Dobbins over Miles Sanders (I have no idea why Dobbins hasn't been signed by anyone yet unless he's asking for a lot of money; he averaged 4.6 YPC last year and rushed for 905 yards in 13 games.)

WR Tyler Boyd instead of Parris Campbell (Boyd has had a much better career with two 1,000-yard seasons and No. 2 receiver numbers in most years, but not last year)

OL Brandon Scherff instead of OL Rob Jones (Scherff's been in the game a long time, but at age 33, he's still better than Jones has ever been)

DE Za'Darius Smith instead of DE Payton Turner (Smith had 9 sacks last year compared to two for Turner and is solid against the run)

DE Matthew Judon over DE Dante Fowler (This one is definitely debatable since Fowler had more sacks last year than Judon, but Judon is the better overall player)

DT Calais Campbell over DT Solomon Thomas (This one was a little tougher since Campbell is 38, but he still started all 17 games last year and put up 52 tackles and 5 sacks, compared to 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks playing in 16 games for Thomas)

LB Kyzir White instead of LB Kenneth Murray (White's career has been more productive and he's proven himself already as a player.)

LB E.J. Speed over Jack Sanborn (I have to wonder if Eberflus doesn't care for his former linebacker Speed or just likes his most recent one Sanborn better; but it's probably just a price thing.)

CB Stephon Gilmore over CB Kairr Elam (I don't mind the Elam trade, but he may never be as good as Gilmore is now even at 34; could go with Rasul Douglas instead to go a little younger)

So my FA class: WR Tyler Boyd, RB Nick Chubb, RB J.K. Dobbins, OL Brandon Scherff, DE Za'Darius Smith, DE Matthew Judon, DT Calais Campbell, LB Kyzir White, LB E.J. Speed, CB Stephon Gilmore

Again it's noted that many of these probably would not accept Dallas' honest offer, but they are still out of work, so who knows? I'm also not saying these would have been my top FA choices overall just my picks from what's left.

I do think it is fair to say that Dallas chose multiple free agents who were younger and have more upside, but the Cowboys were able to get them for cheap because they haven't lived up to that upside.

One or two of those may get affordable. Teams draft and stay healthy thru camp and jobs dry up. I guarantee that’s what Jerry is hoping for so he can get one cheap year

 

[gimmesix]

Dirt cheap contract

Understood. But we don't know what the players I listed are asking at this point. Who says we couldn't get E.J. Speed for that?

 

[fivetwos]

No needles moved. From last year to this year, the team has not improved even a little bit. In fact, we probably lost something with Lewis. Maybe we gained a tiny bit with Fowler.

I don't expect many, if any, of the players they signed to make the 53 man roster in September. I keep hearing how they go a bargain in Elam, but we hear that every year only to be disappointed.
At this point we have to hope the draft is an A+ and some guys come back from injury early and healthy. Then of course we need to see huge improvements from Mazi Smith and Tyler Guyton.

Last paragraph are things that are common with every off-season.

Can’t even afford one bad draft under their strategy without feeling it. Have two and you’ve probably dug yourself a hole that might be tough to remedy without a full strip down.

 

[gimmesix]

One or two of those may get affordable. Teams draft and stay healthy thru camp and jobs dry up. I guarantee that’s what Jerry is hoping for so he can get one cheap year

I think that is kept in the back of the mind, but we seemed to be "aggressively selective" this year in going after certain free agents early. So I think we got the cheap players we wanted. That can change in camp, of course, but I don't think the players on my list are on Dallas' list. And I think the only way they'll get there is if there is an injury or Dallas sees that a player it signed isn't working out.

 

[chagus]

Looking at a list of who is still available, I almost think I would have been more satisfied if we signed some of them than who we got. (Obviously, their asking prices could be higher, which is why they are still available.)

Going to leave off a few that probably aren't signed for injury reasons, such as Stefon Diggs, but here's who I would have taken instead of who we got

RB Nick Chubb instead of Javonte Williams (Both averaged under 4 yards per carry, but Chubb was in his first year back from an ACL tear and then broke his foot, which isn't a dealbreaker injury; prior to that, he had averaged over 5 yards per carry every year; Williams has averaged under 4 yards per carry each of the past two years)

RB J.K. Dobbins over Miles Sanders (I have no idea why Dobbins hasn't been signed by anyone yet unless he's asking for a lot of money; he averaged 4.6 YPC last year and rushed for 905 yards in 13 games.)

WR Tyler Boyd instead of Parris Campbell (Boyd has had a much better career with two 1,000-yard seasons and No. 2 receiver numbers in most years, but not last year)

OL Brandon Scherff instead of OL Rob Jones (Scherff's been in the game a long time, but at age 33, he's still better than Jones has ever been)

DE Za'Darius Smith instead of DE Payton Turner (Smith had 9 sacks last year compared to two for Turner and is solid against the run)

DE Matthew Judon over DE Dante Fowler (This one is definitely debatable since Fowler had more sacks last year than Judon, but Judon is the better overall player)

DT Calais Campbell over DT Solomon Thomas (This one was a little tougher since Campbell is 38, but he still started all 17 games last year and put up 52 tackles and 5 sacks, compared to 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks playing in 16 games for Thomas)

LB Kyzir White instead of LB Kenneth Murray (White's career has been more productive and he's proven himself already as a player.)

LB E.J. Speed over Jack Sanborn (I have to wonder if Eberflus doesn't care for his former linebacker Speed or just likes his most recent one Sanborn better; but it's probably just a price thing.)

CB Stephon Gilmore over CB Kairr Elam (I don't mind the Elam trade, but he may never be as good as Gilmore is now even at 34; could go with Rasul Douglas instead to go a little younger)

So my FA class: WR Tyler Boyd, RB Nick Chubb, RB J.K. Dobbins, OL Brandon Scherff, DE Za'Darius Smith, DE Matthew Judon, DT Calais Campbell, LB Kyzir White, LB E.J. Speed, CB Stephon Gilmore

Again it's noted that many of these probably would not accept Dallas' honest offer, but they are still out of work, so who knows? I'm also not saying these would have been my top FA choices overall just my picks from what's left.

I do think it is fair to say that Dallas chose multiple free agents who were younger and have more upside, but the Cowboys were able to get them for cheap because they haven't lived up to that upside.