News: BTB: Cowboys 2017 Free Agency: Five Thoughts So Far Includes Tony Romo’s Farewell Tweet

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What do you think of the free agent activity so far? With day one in the books, here are five thoughts on what’s transpired.

With the first day of free agency pretty much over, it’s business as usual for the Cowboys. While some fans (raises hand) can’t resist being on the edge of their seat in anticipation of a possible new pass rusher the team might sign, it doesn’t take long for reality to sink in. The Cowboys just don’t operate that way. So instead, we are left to just sit back with a bag of popcorn as teams make these outrageous investments as they attempt to improve their team. There has been a rouse in the cheap seats of Cowboys Nation. Couch GM’s everywhere are shaking their head in disgusts as all these other teams make big signings while the Cowboys just sit on their hands and do nothing.

I equate free agency to taking your car to the shop to be repaired. Sure, there are things that you can have done that will fix a problem, but are you really that excited about spending a lot of money on it? Wouldn’t you be happier if you just purchased a higher quality automobile in the first place?

Well, that’s what the Cowboys have - high performance vehicles. Rather than throw money at wasteful purchases like undercoating and rust proofing, the Cowboys are getting more bang for their buck by saving their money to sign their own All Pro draft picks. To get some perspective, check this out...

The #Cowboys just lost a player who will make more than $8M… and won’t have to replace a starter on their offensive line. Ridiculous.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2017​

Ron Gets A Big Paycheck


Leary’s deal with the Denver Broncos will pay him an average annual salary of $8.75 million. In comparison, Travis Frederick is on a six-year deal where his average salary will be $9.4 million. That’s right, the Cowboys get a much better player for only $650,000 more per year. Either the Broncos are getting ripped off or the Cowboys made out like bandits. It’s probably a little of both.

Overpaid Receivers


It doesn’t take long to feel good about Dallas not getting involved in all this craziness. For example, this whole idea that these mid-tier #2/#3 wide receivers deserve lucrative deals is insane. The payday that Kenny Britt, Kenny Stills, and Robert Woods received is absolutely preposterous (numbers courtesy of Spotrac.com)

They have essentially propelled themselves into Jordy Nelson type money. Sorry, but these guys are severely overpaid.

Big Savings + Future Compensation


It can be hard to sit by and just watch Cowboys players get picked off by other teams, but it would be even harder to stomach the idea that Dallas would shell out this kind of money for them. Look at these deals (courtesy of Spotrac.com) and their annual average salary:

These big deals are going to result in some nice comp picks in 2018.

NFC East Reloaded WRs


Even though the crazy spending isn’t bothersome, there is one part of free agency so far that is a little concerning. And that’s the idea the the Cowboys NFC East opponents have revamped their receiving corps.

It started with the New York Giants signing Brandon Marshall to a two-year, $12 M deal. Marshall will be 33 years old when the new season begins, but he’s still a talented receiver. He’s had eight seasons where he’s had 1,000+ yards receiving. When you combine him with Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard, that’s a fierce receiving group. This is a huge upgrade over Victor Cruz.

And the Philadelphia Eagles not only added Alshon Jeffrey (one-year, $14 M), but also Torrey Smith (three-year, $15 M). This will give Carson Wentz more weapons in his offense.

To make matters worse, the Cowboys could end up losing Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne so it could be quite challenging matching up with some of the new receivers in the division this season.

Romo’s Farewell Tweet


Finally, this whole Tony Romo mystique has everyone confused as to what is actually going to happen. Is he going to be released? Do the Cowboys have a trade partner? All of this should reveal itself soon enough, but whether Dallas gets something in return or not, what is inevitable is that he’s still leaving us. And he even took to twitter to say thanks to all those who have supported him.

Thanks for all the support everyone. pic.twitter.com/RlRS3KAqwb

— Tony Romo (@tonyromo) March 9, 2017​

Man, I love that guy.

These are the biggest things that have caught my eye so far. How about you? What has shocked you the most? And are you getting a little uneasy with the inactivity of the Cowboys?

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