News: BTB: Which Cowboys Veterans Are In Danger Of Being Released?

[Future]

Hanna, Esco, Dunbar...it's flirting with a list of guys who are just criminally underutilized in this offense.

 

[AbeBeta]

That's because you just look at the numbers and forget the cost of paying a relacement player. So you likely lose cap space etc then still have to pay the rent on a new player. Then you absorb the risks of having to deal eventually with the same problem again.

Any replacement player is likely coming in at the league minimum. So really, there isn't any impact on the cap whatsoever there. Dunbar creates some very minor savings as he's got the highest salary of our four RBs. But at 1.5 mill that's not really some amazing number. He's not great but he is pretty much the only guy in that group who made it through last year on an NFL roster without missing a game due to injury or being arrested.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Romo


"Went through the danger zone"

Fans "You can't handle the truth"

Jerry "I didn't know it until now.... It was Romo all along"

Garrett "leave romo ... Take the cannoli"

 

[gmoney112]

Haha, 0% chance Escobar gets cut. He's gotten limited opportunities because of the pass catchers in front of him on the totem pole. He's a huge target with some great hands. He's not going anywhere.

If they want a "blocking" tight end, isn't that why they drafted Swaim?

Hanna is the odd man out, it'll come down to him or Swaim.

 

[chris1995]

Haha, 0% chance Escobar gets cut. He's gotten limited opportunities because of the pass catchers in front of him on the totem pole. He's a huge target with some great hands. He's not going anywhere.

If they want a "blocking" tight end, isn't that why they drafted Swaim?

Hanna is the odd man out, it'll come down to him or Swaim.

I think Escobar has a breakout season this year, the Cowboys take advantage of his height in the red zone.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

You say this every time James Hanna's name is mentioned and every time people remind you about how he improved his blocking and how it was mentioned several times by the Cowboys:

"James Hanna What We Know: Hanna’s blocking in roughly one-third of the Cowboys’ total offensive snaps was a huge part of Murray’s single-season franchise-record rushing total. A sixth-round pick in 2012, Hanna has appeared in every game of his three-year career as a sturdy backup to Witten."

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2...wer-can-young-tight-ends-behind-witten-emerge

Can he get beat out? Sure, but to say he can't block when he basically did just that pretty well in 1/3 of the Cowboys offensive snaps last year is incorrect. He may get cut, but it won't be because he "can't block".

improved...yes. good, reliable? I am not sure. that's the difference. he may have had some good blockings on some plays, but I am not sure if its consistent enough. appearing in 1/3 maybe out of necessity as we did like to run a lot of two TE formations. so is he better than Escobar in blocking, perhaps, given he played in 1/3 of the plays, but escober was drafted as a the future starting TE. with that said, has Hanna peaked in what ever he is going to be in the NFL? is he great at catching? No. is he a great blocker No? he is average at both. so that's why I wouldn't be surprised if he gets cut. if swaim is a better blocker and lesser receiver, then he probably might beat him out, specially if swaim can play a little h-back as we tried with witten and failed. that allows us not to carry a FB as we did last year.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Hanna improved big time with his blocking. Not on Witten level but to say he is a one trick pony is false. Personally I think we trade him before we cut him

what would you pay for a 3d string TE who is average blocker and below average receiver? he improved. yes. is he good at it or really good at it. No.

what would you pay for a hanna type on somebody else's team? specially if they just drafted another 6th round TE?

 

[LatinMind]

Most training camp battles focus on rookies and free agents trying to earn a spot, but there are a few "established" Cowboys who may be worrying about a visit from the Turk.

NFL training camp battles are one of the most enjoyable parts of the preseason. Watching late round draftees, UDFA rookies and free agents try to fight their way onto rosters is to a large degree the main reason for training camp. The coaching staff is trying to figure out who they want to keep and who has to go. For most returning veterans, camp is just about getting fully into "football shape" and polishing their game.

For most - but not all. While established stars and dependable role players can have a measure of confidence that they just need to stay healthy and not do anything massively stupid to retain their locker, some players have to face the fact that just having tenure and a contract is no guarantee that they will be on the 53-man roster to start the season. For these players, camp is about fighting off those new faces to hang onto their job. It happens every year. While sometimes these camp battles develop in unexpected places, most of these "bubble veterans" can be identified before camp even opens. Here are the leading candidates for the Dallas Cowboys to find themselves in a fight to keep wearing the Star they bore last year.

Morris Claiborne. He has been a disappointment since the beginning, failing to come close to the expectations that came after the Cowboys traded up to take him sixth overall in the draft. He has been injured or recovering nearly every game sine he joined the team. He is a poster child for unfulfilled potential. Now with Byron Jones part of the team, Claiborne may find himself in a battle for the fourth cornerback spot - and he is still coming back from his latest, possibly most serious injury. Torn patellar tendons are much harder to recover from than ACLs. If he does not recover enough to be able to compete on the field, there are a group of hungry corners ready to push him off the roster. Even if he should, his past performance is not a strong argument for him being able to stave off those challengers.

The one thing arguing for the team to keep him around even if they have to put him on PUP to start the season is the $5.175 million in dead money he would represent for the team. And he is not going to be destitute whatever happens, since his $2.6 million salary is fully guaranteed. The team could elect to put him on injured reserve this year since it doesn't change the impact on the team. That way they could monitor his progress and see if he might be worth a shot, possibly on a much lower cost deal, for 2016. But however the cap hit is managed, there is an obvious threat to Claiborne seeing the field for the Cowboys this year. Jason Garrett showed his first year as head coach that he has no problem cutting a player with a big cap hit.

Kyle Wilber. The four game suspension of Rolando McClain helps Wilber's case, since that means Anthony Hitchens will probably be tabbed to be the first or second option at the MIKE spot, rather than the SAM position that is Wilber's best fit. As injuries accumulated in the linebacking corps last year, he got the call to start three games late in the regular season. But his issue is that he is largely just a strongside linebacker, and that is the least valuable position in this era of passing games and nickel defenses. The coaching staff may be looking for a player with some position flexibility to take the job away from him. Wilber is strong on special teams, but again there are a lot of guys who are more than ready to put in the work on teams to take his spot. He would cost the team almost nothing in dead money, and free up cap space to pay a rookie or veteran on a minimum deal. The decision on him is going to be based solely on value to the team.

Nick Hayden. In Rod Marinelli's scheme, being able to bring pressure and get to the passer is the key attribute he seeks in all his defensive linemen, with flexibility to be effective both from inside and outside on the line a close second. Given that, the clear favor Hayden is shown as a one-tech lane clogger is an anomaly. He doesn't get deep and needs to be off the field in obvious passing downs. Despite Marinelli's praise for the man he calls the Golden Cock, Hayden has to be vulnerable. Dallas has a bunch of defensive linemen coming into camp. He also has no real dead money impact. If someone else like Ken Bishop can provide the same value on running downs and some additional penetration when the quarterback is throwing the ball, he may just push Hayden out of a job.

Lance Dunbar. The coaching staff is making a lot of noise about trying to get Dunbar more involved in the offense, but the issue for him is that there is just a lot of overlap between what he does and what the team can get elsewhere. Cole Beasley is able to work superbly in the middle of the field, and while a healthy Darren McFadden may not provide the exact same things, he can be very dangerous in space. The key here may well be pass protection ability. McFadden is bigger, and if he is better able to pick up a blitzing linebacker than Dunbar, the value of protecting Tony Romo may tip the scales. Dunbar also has his cap impact working against him. He would entail zero dead money, and releasing him frees up $1.5 million. How well Ryan Williams and Lache Seastrunk do in preseason will also enter into the equation. Williams could be a backup for the lead runner, most likely Joseph Randle, which Dunbar can't. And while Seastrunk is a long shot at best, he would be a cheaper change of pace back than Dunbar, which seems to be his primary skill set. Dunbar will have to show convincingly he can be the weapon the coaches think he can be to make it to the regular season.

Gavin Escobar and James Hanna. They face the same problems and are competing with one another as well as a rookie. Dallas seems to have some specific ideas about what to do with Geoff Swaim. Neither Escobar nor Hanna have been large contributors in most games due to the fact that Jason Witten is Jason freaking Witten and shows no signs of the fade in productivity that his age would lead us to fear. His incredible connection with Romo is going to make him the lead dog at tight end barring unforeseen issues. Although the 12 personnel package is getting talked about again this year, there may only be room for thee tight ends when the final cuts are made. Neither of the two represents a significant dead money issue. Unless the team decides to eschew a fullback and keep four TEs on the roster, it looks like Escobar, Hanna and Swaim are fighting for two spots. This could be a very close race to watch.

Those are the veteran Cowboys who look to be on something of a bubble now. Who do you see as threatened, and do you think there are other names to watch?

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Cutting Hanna and Escobar because Witten is Witten? Really?

 

[Enlightened32]

I think there is a good chance Dunbar and Wilber are gone.

 

[jobberone]

Any replacement player is likely coming in at the league minimum. So really, there isn't any impact on the cap whatsoever there. Dunbar creates some very minor savings as he's got the highest salary of our four RBs. But at 1.5 mill that's not really some amazing number. He's not great but he is pretty much the only guy in that group who made it through last year on an NFL roster without missing a game due to injury or being arrested.

I was speaking in general but I agree this year for a RB the price may not be high. But we don't know that.

 

[Section446]

McFadden.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Good chance Hanna will be playing elsewhere, but 0 chance he gets cut. Ive seen much lesser players get traded before and he can get traded to a TE needy team.

 

[Bluefin]

I think there is a good chance Dunbar and Wilber are gone.

Playing on an expensive one year tender may work against Lance Dunbar.

The team will typically extend restricted free agents they like on multi-year deals instead of using the one year tender. Dunbar also needs to show he can pass protect if he wants to earn increased snaps this season. However, he also plays in coverage on special teams, which is a huge advantage over Ryan Williams.

 

[Enlightened32]

Playing on an expensive one year tender may work against Lance Dunbar.

The team will typically extend restricted free agents they like on multi-year deals instead of using the one year tender. Dunbar also needs to show he can pass protect if he wants to earn increased snaps this season. However, he also plays in coverage on special teams, which is a huge advantage over Ryan Williams.

Dunbar seems like the odd man out to me.

The two questions I would ask are is someone better in the running game and can someone fill his shoes on special teams.

 

[conner01]

I think there is a good chance Dunbar and Wilber are gone.

I don't think is a good chance anyone on that list is cut
I would say Dunbar and Wilber will have the most competition for their roster spot though
There is nothing gained by cutting Mo
Hanna is not going to be beat out by swain I don't think but if he was he has some trade value
Just looking at the numbers it's seems obvious that Wilber has a lot of competition for his spot as does Dunbar
Injuries may very well sort out a few of these spots

 

[DoctorChicken]

I've just dropped my iphone on the ground and destroyed the screen.

 

[jazzcat22]

Escobar, no way he is cut.
Hanna, maybe, depending on how much they want to justify the trade to pick Swaim, but also possibly a trade.
Mo, no, he is good depth for a low price.
Dunbar, yes I can see this
Wilber, yes, time for him to be replaced.
Hayden, I doubt it, but hopefully the other guys step up and can make this happen.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Escobar in danger of getting cut? Yeah right

Yep. That would be stupid if you asked me. 1) he's shown flashes, 2) Witten is getting up there, and 3) we spent a 2nd on him. Cutting him would mean we made an awful pick yet again on TE.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

I think Escobar has a breakout season this year, the Cowboys take advantage of his height in the red zone.

I want to nickname him red zone. He can be that got us.

Legitimately!

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

One thing I never understood was people clammoring for more touches for Dunbar, Hanna, Escobar etc.

You have Dez, Jason Witten and Terrence Williams and there's only one football. How many touches do you truly expect for them to get?