silverbear
Semi-Official Loose Cannon
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I know, writing this up now, when the Combine's in full swing, is kind of odd, but I've had this info for two or three weeks now, and have just been procrastinating, so I have a little free time before I have to do the audit, I figured it's time to have at it...
This offseason will likely be a bit different for Cowboys fans, simply because I don't see Jerry being too active on the free agent market. I figure what cap room he does have will be dedicated mostly to re-signing their own free agents (Chris Canty and Kevin Burnett top that list), and to extending DeMarcus Ware's contract before he can hit free agency next year. Inasmuch as I believe Ware is the single most devastating defensive weapon in the league these days, I support such a plan.
However, the Boys still might have a move or two in them; they can create a bit more cap room by renegotiating a few contracts, perhaps by cutting some deadwood. I don't see them doing a lot of this, though, so perhaps it's unrealistic to expect more than one or two free agent moves. With that in mind, let's look at the positions they might target, and specific players at each position that might be on their wish list. We'll start with...
QUARTERBACK
The Cowboys simply cannot go through another season with no viable backup to Tony Romo, the past season drove home the point that Brad Johnson is not a credible NFL quarterback any more. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot of talent out there looking for work at this position this offseason. The Boys might be better off drafting a QB in the middle rounds, and grooming him to start, but I'm guessing they're going to want a veteran who has started in the league. Here are a few passers who fit that criteria, in the order of my personal preference:
Chris Simms, Tennessee... I wanted him last year, and I'd purely love to see him in a Cowboys uniform in 2009. I think he has the arm strength to prosper in the Cowboys' downfield passing game. I also think he's been victimized thus far in his NFL career by playing for offensively challenged teams. There's one slight problem, though, I read just today that the Titans are eager to keep him.
Byron Leftwich, Pittsburgh... the guy struggles with his weight, and I run better than he does, but he's the most experienced passer on the open market, and he has a career quarterback rating a little over 80. The problem is, he's probably going to want to go somewhere that he can start, and that won't happen in Dallas as long as Romo is ambulatory. But for that, I'd rate Byron ahead of Chris.
Patrick Ramsey, Denver... no, I'm not kidding. There was a time that Patrick was a semi-effective starter for the Skins, and he has a pretty strong arm. Being an aging vet, I have a hunch that he'd be happy to land himself a backup gig.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Cincinnati... I wouldn't have touched him with a ten foot pole until the last 3 games of this past season. But he played rather well in that stretch, leading me to believe he might be able to play in this league.
OFFENSIVE LINE
To me, upgrading the depth on the offensive line, particularly on the interior of the line, is Priority One this offseason. Happily, this free agent group includes a large number of players who have some starting experience in the league. But since I'm looking for players to back up the Cowboys' starters, I've focused in on players who have started less than half of their games thus far. I do this because the Dolphins set the market for starting linemen yesterday when they gave Vernon Carey a deal averaging 7 mil a year. Now, Carey's a competent starter, but he's not a Pro Bowl talent, and he just got Pro Bowl money. This obviously raises the price tag on players like George Foster, Jason Brown, Milforn Brown, Jon Stinchcomb, Seth McKinney, Floyd Womack, Matt Lehr and Stacy Andrews. However, there are still three names out there that greatly intrigue me, players who could fit the Cowboys' scheme and who wouldn't cost them an arm and a leg:
Elton Brown, OG, Arizona... a former high first round draft pick who has never lived up to his billing, Elton might benefit from a change of scenery. He has some starting experience, having started 14 of his 34 NFL games. He certainly has the size the Boys are looking for, and they can probably get an informed scouting report on him just by talking to Leonard Davis. Brown might be a steal for some team.
Duke Preston, C, Buffalo... a massive center to back up Gurode, Duke has started 26 of his 59 NFL games. Of course, the Bills aren't exactly known as an offensive juggernaut. I like Duke anyway, and think the Boys badly need a big backup for Andre.
Ray Willis, OT, Seattle... Willis can play some guard in a pinch, and has started 10 of his 28 NFL games.
Prior to this season, I would have included big ol' Chris Kemoeatu to this list, I do like offensive guards who go close to 350 pounds-- if they have game. But he got his chance to start for the Steelers this season, and was pretty close to dreadful, which tells us that big doesn't necessarily equate to "good". If it did, the NFL would be over in Japan, recruiting sumo wrestlers.
One note about the three linemen listed, they will all be 27 years old at the start of next season. I deliberately set out to find young backups, who might be around for a few years.
DEFENSIVE LINE
I think the key to what the Boys do on the defensive line is Chris Canty; if he stays with the Boys, they might look at a backup nose tackle, but they'll have no interest at all in defensive ends. But if Canty hits the free agent highway, they'll obviously have an interest in the available 3-4 defensive ends. Here are a couple of defensive linemen I'd look at:
Igor Olshansky, DE, Chargers... I've already read that the Boys have an interest in Igor, and if Canty leaves, this is a player I'd really like to see in Dallas. At 6-6, 310 pounds, he has the numbers you look for at that position. I also think that with his strength, he could see spot duty spelling Jay Ratliff at nose tackle. The Boys have a glaring need for a big run stuffer in the middle of their line, but we could make do with the Rat at that position for one more year if we had an Olshansky to back him up.
Shaun Cody, DT, Detroit... provided Cody hasn't come down with a raging case of Loseritis in his time in Detroit, he'd fit well in Dallas. He has started 11 games in his 53 game NFL career, which of course means he's come off the bench for 42 games. This suggests that he could handle being a backup for the Boys.
Colin Cole, DT, Green Bay... if I was going to puruse one free agent nose tackle this offseason, Cole would be it; he's the kind of squatty, "fireplug" widebody that just naturally takes to stuffing the run. Given that he's only started 8 of his 57 NFL games, coming off the bench shouldn't pose a big problem for him.
SAFETY
Though the Boys have an obvious need at safety, with their cap constraints I don't see them pursuing one this offseason. I think they'll look to the draft to address that issue. But on the off chance that I'm wrong (that happens about once a decade), there are two safeties that I find intriguing, who might not cost them an arm and a leg:
Sean Considine, Philadelphia... a capable young veteran who has started 17 of his 46 NFL games. It would be sweet to strengthen the Boys while simultaneously weakening the Iggles.
Will Allen, Tampa Bay... it's hard to believe he'll just be 27 at the start of the 09 season (Considine will be too), it feels like he's been around forever. I mostly like him because of what he brings to the table as a special teamer.
So there you have it, an unusually short list of prospective free agents (at least, the list is short by my usual standards) for the Cowboys to consider. In a perfect world, they'd got out and get Simms to be the backup QB, any of the three offensive linemen listed to provide depth, and if Canty departs via free agency, add Olshansky to the DL mix. Of course, if Canty stays, then Olshansky would not be a target for the team.
It's a strange world we live in these days, a world where Jerry only goes out and buys one or two free agents from other teams. Then again, it may be that a little continuity would be a good thing for the Boys at this point, and you don't get continuity when you're making wholesale changes year after year. To me, this seems like a year to make those one or two JUDICIOUS moves, then rely on the draft to plug other holes, upgrade the talent at the bottom of the roster.
This offseason will likely be a bit different for Cowboys fans, simply because I don't see Jerry being too active on the free agent market. I figure what cap room he does have will be dedicated mostly to re-signing their own free agents (Chris Canty and Kevin Burnett top that list), and to extending DeMarcus Ware's contract before he can hit free agency next year. Inasmuch as I believe Ware is the single most devastating defensive weapon in the league these days, I support such a plan.
However, the Boys still might have a move or two in them; they can create a bit more cap room by renegotiating a few contracts, perhaps by cutting some deadwood. I don't see them doing a lot of this, though, so perhaps it's unrealistic to expect more than one or two free agent moves. With that in mind, let's look at the positions they might target, and specific players at each position that might be on their wish list. We'll start with...
QUARTERBACK
The Cowboys simply cannot go through another season with no viable backup to Tony Romo, the past season drove home the point that Brad Johnson is not a credible NFL quarterback any more. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot of talent out there looking for work at this position this offseason. The Boys might be better off drafting a QB in the middle rounds, and grooming him to start, but I'm guessing they're going to want a veteran who has started in the league. Here are a few passers who fit that criteria, in the order of my personal preference:
Chris Simms, Tennessee... I wanted him last year, and I'd purely love to see him in a Cowboys uniform in 2009. I think he has the arm strength to prosper in the Cowboys' downfield passing game. I also think he's been victimized thus far in his NFL career by playing for offensively challenged teams. There's one slight problem, though, I read just today that the Titans are eager to keep him.
Byron Leftwich, Pittsburgh... the guy struggles with his weight, and I run better than he does, but he's the most experienced passer on the open market, and he has a career quarterback rating a little over 80. The problem is, he's probably going to want to go somewhere that he can start, and that won't happen in Dallas as long as Romo is ambulatory. But for that, I'd rate Byron ahead of Chris.
Patrick Ramsey, Denver... no, I'm not kidding. There was a time that Patrick was a semi-effective starter for the Skins, and he has a pretty strong arm. Being an aging vet, I have a hunch that he'd be happy to land himself a backup gig.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Cincinnati... I wouldn't have touched him with a ten foot pole until the last 3 games of this past season. But he played rather well in that stretch, leading me to believe he might be able to play in this league.
OFFENSIVE LINE
To me, upgrading the depth on the offensive line, particularly on the interior of the line, is Priority One this offseason. Happily, this free agent group includes a large number of players who have some starting experience in the league. But since I'm looking for players to back up the Cowboys' starters, I've focused in on players who have started less than half of their games thus far. I do this because the Dolphins set the market for starting linemen yesterday when they gave Vernon Carey a deal averaging 7 mil a year. Now, Carey's a competent starter, but he's not a Pro Bowl talent, and he just got Pro Bowl money. This obviously raises the price tag on players like George Foster, Jason Brown, Milforn Brown, Jon Stinchcomb, Seth McKinney, Floyd Womack, Matt Lehr and Stacy Andrews. However, there are still three names out there that greatly intrigue me, players who could fit the Cowboys' scheme and who wouldn't cost them an arm and a leg:
Elton Brown, OG, Arizona... a former high first round draft pick who has never lived up to his billing, Elton might benefit from a change of scenery. He has some starting experience, having started 14 of his 34 NFL games. He certainly has the size the Boys are looking for, and they can probably get an informed scouting report on him just by talking to Leonard Davis. Brown might be a steal for some team.
Duke Preston, C, Buffalo... a massive center to back up Gurode, Duke has started 26 of his 59 NFL games. Of course, the Bills aren't exactly known as an offensive juggernaut. I like Duke anyway, and think the Boys badly need a big backup for Andre.
Ray Willis, OT, Seattle... Willis can play some guard in a pinch, and has started 10 of his 28 NFL games.
Prior to this season, I would have included big ol' Chris Kemoeatu to this list, I do like offensive guards who go close to 350 pounds-- if they have game. But he got his chance to start for the Steelers this season, and was pretty close to dreadful, which tells us that big doesn't necessarily equate to "good". If it did, the NFL would be over in Japan, recruiting sumo wrestlers.
One note about the three linemen listed, they will all be 27 years old at the start of next season. I deliberately set out to find young backups, who might be around for a few years.
DEFENSIVE LINE
I think the key to what the Boys do on the defensive line is Chris Canty; if he stays with the Boys, they might look at a backup nose tackle, but they'll have no interest at all in defensive ends. But if Canty hits the free agent highway, they'll obviously have an interest in the available 3-4 defensive ends. Here are a couple of defensive linemen I'd look at:
Igor Olshansky, DE, Chargers... I've already read that the Boys have an interest in Igor, and if Canty leaves, this is a player I'd really like to see in Dallas. At 6-6, 310 pounds, he has the numbers you look for at that position. I also think that with his strength, he could see spot duty spelling Jay Ratliff at nose tackle. The Boys have a glaring need for a big run stuffer in the middle of their line, but we could make do with the Rat at that position for one more year if we had an Olshansky to back him up.
Shaun Cody, DT, Detroit... provided Cody hasn't come down with a raging case of Loseritis in his time in Detroit, he'd fit well in Dallas. He has started 11 games in his 53 game NFL career, which of course means he's come off the bench for 42 games. This suggests that he could handle being a backup for the Boys.
Colin Cole, DT, Green Bay... if I was going to puruse one free agent nose tackle this offseason, Cole would be it; he's the kind of squatty, "fireplug" widebody that just naturally takes to stuffing the run. Given that he's only started 8 of his 57 NFL games, coming off the bench shouldn't pose a big problem for him.
SAFETY
Though the Boys have an obvious need at safety, with their cap constraints I don't see them pursuing one this offseason. I think they'll look to the draft to address that issue. But on the off chance that I'm wrong (that happens about once a decade), there are two safeties that I find intriguing, who might not cost them an arm and a leg:
Sean Considine, Philadelphia... a capable young veteran who has started 17 of his 46 NFL games. It would be sweet to strengthen the Boys while simultaneously weakening the Iggles.
Will Allen, Tampa Bay... it's hard to believe he'll just be 27 at the start of the 09 season (Considine will be too), it feels like he's been around forever. I mostly like him because of what he brings to the table as a special teamer.
So there you have it, an unusually short list of prospective free agents (at least, the list is short by my usual standards) for the Cowboys to consider. In a perfect world, they'd got out and get Simms to be the backup QB, any of the three offensive linemen listed to provide depth, and if Canty departs via free agency, add Olshansky to the DL mix. Of course, if Canty stays, then Olshansky would not be a target for the team.
It's a strange world we live in these days, a world where Jerry only goes out and buys one or two free agents from other teams. Then again, it may be that a little continuity would be a good thing for the Boys at this point, and you don't get continuity when you're making wholesale changes year after year. To me, this seems like a year to make those one or two JUDICIOUS moves, then rely on the draft to plug other holes, upgrade the talent at the bottom of the roster.
