News: BTB: No Compensatory Draft Picks For Cowboys In 2017

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The Cowboys had four compensatory picks this year, and we can only hope they used them wisely, because they won't get any in 2017.

May 12 came and went, and Cowboys free agents like Greg Hardy, Jeremy Mincey, Nick Hayden, Danny McCray and Tyler Clutts remain unsigned. Why is that important?

After May 12, free-agent signings don’t count toward the determination of compensatory draft picks. For a team that signs a free agent after May 12, it doesn’t reduce its potential haul of compensatory picks. More importantly for the Cowboys, losing free agents after May 12 won't result in any additional compensatory picks.

Back in early April, we argued that the Cowboys probably wouldn't get any comp picks in the 2017 NFL draft because it didn't look likely that any of their free agents would be signing any contracts soon, and that's exactly what happened.

In total, the Cowboys added four free agents in DT Cedric Thornton, DE Benson Mayowa, RB Alfred Morris, and OG Joe Looney while losing three free agents in Matt Cassel, Mackenzy Bernadeau, and Robert Turbin. But not every one of these players is a compensatory free agents who would count against the comp pick formula.

Here's where the Cowboys stand today:

Compensatory Free Agents lost: 2 Compensatory Free Agents gained: 2​

Player​

POS Annual Value Contract Value POS Annual value

Matt Cassel​

QB $2,000,000

Cedric Thornton​

DT​

$4,250,000​

Mackenzy Bernadeau​

OG $1,500,000

Alfred Morris​

RB​

$1,750,000​

Non-compensatory free agents​

Player​

POS Annual Value Contract Value POS Annual value

Robert Turbin​

RB $760,000

Benson Mayowa​

DT​

$2,750,000​

Joe Looney​

OG​

$1,016,667​

​

Robert Turbin and Joe Looney don't make enough to meet the minimum threshold for a compensatory free agent. Benson Mayowa became a non-compensatory free agent when the Raiders didn't match his offer sheet from the Cowboys. Which leaves the Cowboys with two UFAs signed versus two lost.

Theoretically the Cowboys could still get two comp picks for Cassel and Bernadeau, if

1. the Cowboys release both Cedric Thornton and Alfred Morris and



2. Matt Cassel stays on the Tennessee roster for the entire year (how likely is that?) and



3. Mackenzy Bernadeau's $1.5 million salary remains above the minimum threshold for a compensatory free agent (which it might not).

The chances of all three of those things happening are asymptotically approaching zero. The Cowboys won't get any comp picks in the 2017 draft.

The Cowboys had four compensatory picks this year, and we can only hope they used them wisely, because the four they had will have to last them until at least the 2018 draft.

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