CCBoy
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Cowboys 2016 Plan: Will Team Go All-In On Winning Now AND Build For The Future?
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2016...16-nfl-draft-free-agency-salary-cap-tony-romo
...First off, the team is in a good position under the salary cap. KD Drummond has laid out how Dallas can free up nearly $48 million in cap space for this year, and that is without further extensions to Romo's contract. With an expected cap of around $153 million this year, that means that the Cowboys have over a quarter of their cap space available for free agency as well as locking in players like Travis Frederick and Zack Martin for the long term. The Cowboys have always been very willing to use as much of their cap space as they can, but now they have a sustainable approach that seems to make it easier each year. The key to this has been getting their dead money figure under a million dollars. It is the best cap position they have had in recent memory, and it means they are not limited in what they do in free agency. That is not to say that they are going to be free-spending, since the team does not look at free agency as the best way to build a roster. it just means that they can go after one or two key free agents and pay what is needed to get them. Still, the team will likely rely more on bargain shopping to fix needs before the draft, but now they can be a bit more aggressive even there.
Secondly, the dismal finish in the standings leaves them with excellent draft capital to spend. If they get the scouting correctly, they should either get a blue-chip player in the first round or convert that to more picks if they should decide to trade back (assuming there is a good trading partner available). Last year, they were picking right at the bottom edge of legitimate first-round picks. Based on early returns, they negotiated that well with Byron Jones, plus they got the unexpected bonus of grabbing La'el Collins after his draft stock was unjustly ruined. Now, they should be able to get a legitimate first-round talent, and with an anticipated nine picks when compensatory ones are awarded, they should be able to find good value all up and down the draft.
It is going to take some hard work. They have to get it all to fit together correctly. But the team has the opportunity to add some players that should immediately help this fall while bringing in young talent that will pay off down the road. The Cowboys have been doing very well with the top of the draft recently, but certainly can do better in the mid and late rounds. They have also had some free agent moves that have not worked out as well as hoped. Caution will have to be exercised there, but hopefully they have learned from their mistakes.
For now, we still can only wait and hope. Things will go slowly until free agency. That won't heat up until the new league year begins on March 9. We are left to list possible free agent targets and of course do about a billion mock drafts. Still, the Cowboys sit in a very good position for both. Now they just have to figure out how to make them work.
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2016...16-nfl-draft-free-agency-salary-cap-tony-romo
...First off, the team is in a good position under the salary cap. KD Drummond has laid out how Dallas can free up nearly $48 million in cap space for this year, and that is without further extensions to Romo's contract. With an expected cap of around $153 million this year, that means that the Cowboys have over a quarter of their cap space available for free agency as well as locking in players like Travis Frederick and Zack Martin for the long term. The Cowboys have always been very willing to use as much of their cap space as they can, but now they have a sustainable approach that seems to make it easier each year. The key to this has been getting their dead money figure under a million dollars. It is the best cap position they have had in recent memory, and it means they are not limited in what they do in free agency. That is not to say that they are going to be free-spending, since the team does not look at free agency as the best way to build a roster. it just means that they can go after one or two key free agents and pay what is needed to get them. Still, the team will likely rely more on bargain shopping to fix needs before the draft, but now they can be a bit more aggressive even there.
Secondly, the dismal finish in the standings leaves them with excellent draft capital to spend. If they get the scouting correctly, they should either get a blue-chip player in the first round or convert that to more picks if they should decide to trade back (assuming there is a good trading partner available). Last year, they were picking right at the bottom edge of legitimate first-round picks. Based on early returns, they negotiated that well with Byron Jones, plus they got the unexpected bonus of grabbing La'el Collins after his draft stock was unjustly ruined. Now, they should be able to get a legitimate first-round talent, and with an anticipated nine picks when compensatory ones are awarded, they should be able to find good value all up and down the draft.
It is going to take some hard work. They have to get it all to fit together correctly. But the team has the opportunity to add some players that should immediately help this fall while bringing in young talent that will pay off down the road. The Cowboys have been doing very well with the top of the draft recently, but certainly can do better in the mid and late rounds. They have also had some free agent moves that have not worked out as well as hoped. Caution will have to be exercised there, but hopefully they have learned from their mistakes.
For now, we still can only wait and hope. Things will go slowly until free agency. That won't heat up until the new league year begins on March 9. We are left to list possible free agent targets and of course do about a billion mock drafts. Still, the Cowboys sit in a very good position for both. Now they just have to figure out how to make them work.
