Cowboys Not Likely To Spend Much In Free Agency - And Fans Should Be Glad

[waving monkey]

NFL free agency is almost here. The unofficial start was during the NFL Combine, when the rules are largely ignored as teams talk to agents to sort out the landscape, at a minimum. Now we will all be waiting to see who will be signed by the Dallas Cowboys. Names like Lamar Miller and Mario Williams are being bandied about to fill some of the more glaring needs. But recent history has shown that the Dallas front office does not like to spend a lot. The Cowboys have established a pattern of sitting out the first rush of big-name signings and waiting for things to settle down. Then they will look for more affordable contracts to plug the holes. At most, they may try to complete one or two sizable deals, but they may forego them completely. (Our own Michael Sisemore has a nice post up sorting through some of the more prominent rumors and trying to apply a little logic to them.)

This can create a little frustration. After free agency is mostly done, there will be a variety of articles about which teams "won" free agency. The teams that grab the big names will be proclaimed as the winners, and lately, the Cowboys have not been included in that group.


As it turns out, that is a very good thing. After a few seasons, there are always many articles like this one about the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The success the Jaguars have had drafting offensive guards the past two seasons will allow them to turn the page on a significant failed free-agent signing.

Jacksonville is set to release guard Zane Beadles, ESPN's Adam Caplan reported Thursday on Twitter. Beadles completed only two seasons of a five-year, $30 million contract he signed in free agency in 2014.

link/http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2016...-2016-nfl-free-agency-and-fans-should-be-glad

 

[JBS]

More reason to draft a qb

 

[KingintheNorth]

A team just won the Super Bowl, primarily with both, I know this is crazy, solid draft picks AND key free agent signings over the past few years. Manning? Free agent. DeMarcus Ware? Free agent. Emannuel Sanders, Aqib Talib, TJ Ward, Evan Mathis, Louis Vasquez, Owen Daniels, and Darian Stewart ...all yucky free agents!

Good teams use all available avenues to improve their roster. Because we signed poor free agents in the past or because Jacksonville signed some bad free agents is not a good reason to ignore this opportunity. In my opinion, Green Bay is one of the top drafting teams in the league. Even they will target a quality free agent (Charles Woodson, Julius Peppers) if they feel it improves their chances of winning. Is Ted Thompson and John Elway better at their jobs than Jerry? Yes. Are they magic? No.

Also, why else would we cut Carr and then restructure Crawford and Smith if we weren't considering going out and adding some free agents? Travis Frederick's extension won't take up a quarter of the cap room they are creating.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

More reason to draft a qb

That way we can look back on them like most late 1st round QBs, BUST, that were taken way too soon because of hair trigger player evaluation?


The 2016 Top QBs are mediocre talent in most years.

 

[guag]

@waving monkey, did you know that your avatar is from the 1955 film Revenge of the Creature (sequel to 1954's Creature of the Black Lagoon)? This film was actually the acting debut of Clint Eastwood, though he was an uncredited lab technician in a tiny role. Damn I'm bored.

Oh yeah... and +1 on not spending big in free agency... lol.

 

[Floatyworm]

Awesome...just freaking AWESOME. Can't wait to see the same sorry bunch that went 4-12 w/ no noticable improvements in the off season.

I real front office would have slashed and burned half a dozen guys by now. But we are too afraid that we can't replace the likes of Doug Free or Brandon Carr.

Pathetic

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

They need to spend money in FA and they need to do it wisely. Seattle, Denver, and the teams that he was lauding spent significantly in free agency. They just got very good players to take less than maximum dollar. Seattle got two DE for a pittance. Denver got Sanders Ward and Talib.

They also hit on all of them.

It's the difference between signing Jenkins(Carr) because you just have to have a corner and going after Mario Williams(Ware) because he is a talented pass rusher playing in the wrong scheme.

Sign Mario Williams DE
Sign Sammie Lee Hill DT
Resign Bernadeau IL
Resign McClain LB
Resign Claiborne CB
Resign Crawford DT

Rd 1. Ramsey DB
Rd 2. Lynch QB
Rd 3. K Dixon RB
Rd 4. M Collins DT
Rd 5. J Brown LB
Rd 6. B Boddy-Calhoun CB
Rd 7. J Driskell QB

 

[Beast_from_East]

I guess Denver never got the memo


Who needs free agency......LOL

 

[waving monkey]

@waving monkey, did you know that your avatar is from the 1955 film Revenge of the Creature (sequel to 1954's Creature of the Black Lagoon)? This film was actually the acting debut of Clint Eastwood, though he was an uncredited lab technician in a tiny role. Damn I'm bored.

Oh yeah... and +1 on not spending big in free agency... lol.

man your the wizard of trivia, I downloaded that from one of the art poster sites.
I was looking to buy some stuff for my boring flat overseas. Clint Eastwood
who'd ah thunk it another actor I really like. And to your avatar Matt everybody loves him.

Oh ya, no big dollar FA

 

[MRV52]

How has the dream team worked out for some teams, cough cough Eagles. Spending big in FA doesn't equate to a Superbowl win. More times than not big names are busts when they move from one team to another.

 

[waving monkey]

I guess Denver never got the memo


Who needs free agency......LOL

not saying it's impossible to work but percentages are against it.

 

[Floatyworm]

not saying it's impossible to work but percentages are against it.

It's not about how much they spend...it's about who they spend it on. This excuse of waiting for the market to come to them is BS. If a guy wants to come here...work out the deal. What's so hard about that? For years this team has played the "we are broke" card...More than Stephen A. has played the race card.

As a fan...we can look back @ history and see Jerry is just tight w/ his money. While other teams get better through free agency. You just have to be smart about it. Don't spend on big name players that are over their prime like Weddle, Mario Williams. Target guys like Travis Benjamin, George Iloka...guys that are just hitting their prime w/ upside.

 

[DogFace]

A team just won the Super Bowl, primarily with both, I know this is crazy, solid draft picks AND key free agent signings over the past few years. Manning? Free agent. DeMarcus Ware? Free agent. Emannuel Sanders, Aqib Talib, TJ Ward, Evan Mathis, Louis Vasquez, Owen Daniels, and Darian Stewart ...all yucky free agents!

Good teams use all available avenues to improve their roster. Because we signed poor free agents in the past or because Jacksonville signed some bad free agents is not a good reason to ignore this opportunity. In my opinion, Green Bay is one of the top drafting teams in the league. Even they will target a quality free agent (Charles Woodson, Julius Peppers) if they feel it improves their chances of winning. Is Ted Thompson and John Elway better at their jobs than Jerry? Yes. Are they magic? No.

Also, why else would we cut Carr and then restructure Crawford and Smith if we weren't considering going out and adding some free agents? Travis Frederick's extension won't take up a quarter of the cap room they are creating.

This makes too much sense.

 

[LittleD]

It's not about how much they spend...it's about who they spend it on. This excuse of waiting for the market to come to them is BS. If a guy wants to come here...work out the deal. What's so hard about that? For years this team has played the "we are broke" card...More than Stephen A. has played the race card.

As a fan...we can look back @ history and see Jerry is just tight w/ his money. While other teams get better through free agency. You just have to be smart about it. Don't spend on big name players that are over their prime like Weddle, Mario Williams. Target guys like Travis Benjamin, George Iloka...guys that are just hitting their prime w/ upside.

That's absolutely not true. The Cowboys spend right up against the cap every year. They went after Hardy last year when many said it was a big costly mistake. There
was no way they were going to pay anything close to what Suh got. Everyone loathes what Jerry paid Carr and now we're trying to figure out how to get rid of him and
still find a way to get two new CB's. Stephen is now watching the purse strings and they are just not going to try and win the FA sweepstakes any longer cause it rarely
works out well.

 

[waving monkey]

It's not about how much they spend...it's about who they spend it on. This excuse of waiting for the market to come to them is BS. If a guy wants to come here...work out the deal. What's so hard about that? For years this team has played the "we are broke" card...More than Stephen A. has played the race card.

As a fan...we can look back @ history and see Jerry is just tight w/ his money. While other teams get better through free agency. You just have to be smart about it. Don't spend on big name players that are over their prime like Weddle, Mario Williams. Target guys like Travis Benjamin, George Iloka...guys that are just hitting their prime w/ upside.

Floaty I like reading you sometimes but you undermine your credibility with
statements like this. Anybody who has watched JJOnes throw money at players
knows its just the opposite. JJones set the market way too long.
Your funny to read but have lost credibility

 

[CowboysLaw87]

There's a huge correlation issue here.

Big spenders didn't lose BECAUSE they spent big. They spent big BECAUSE they were losing. They drafted poorly, lost, then had to spend in FA to make up for it.

Teams who are winning are doing so because they drafted well, and therefore don't have as many holes to fill.

I want us to spent appropriately. If the value is there, go for it. We shouldn't not spend just for the sake of not spending, as this article suggests.

 

[Bullflop]

I haven't been a fan of the FA craze, especially so since Dallas hasn't had much luck with that tool for quite some time.

I'd much rather see them acquire their "gems" in the draft. Recent acquisitions like the one with Carr have been typical.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

No need to since we are this close to the SB. lol

 

[cowboyblue22]

the big difference in free agency for the cowboys and team like Denver and seattle are the gms that make the choices not the money that is spent. If the guy picking the players has a plan and a vision for what he wants his team to look like its okay, but if he likes bling andf splash then it don't work out so well.

 

[fortdick]

There's a huge correlation issue here.

Big spenders didn't lose BECAUSE they spent big. They spent big BECAUSE they were losing. They drafted poorly, lost, then had to spend in FA to make up for it.

Teams who are winning are doing so because they drafted well, and therefore don't have as many holes to fill.

I want us to spent appropriately. If the value is there, go for it. We shouldn't not spend just for the sake of not spending, as this article suggests.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could trade a draft pick to another team for a portion of their salary cap? You have a team that doesn't like any players in their draft position, but they love a free agent they can't sign and stay under the cap. Find a team with 10 million in cap space to spare, give them a high draft pick in exchange.

Wouldn't that be great?