Cowboys should sign Eric Berry - After 1st game of season

[Cowboys22]

Well, it's pretty evident nobody in the nfl even things he's worth that much..I wonder why

We don’t know exactly why at this point. His asking price could have been too high. He may have wanted multiple years. Maybe he can’t even pass a physical. It could be lots of different reasons but at this point, it’s likely he would accept a 1 year fairly inexpensive deal if he wants to continue playing. Lots of safety needy teams spent in free agency or drafted one high so the demand for him and other free agent safeties is rock bottom right now. Oddly enough, the one safety needy team that went cheap in FA and waited until round 6 to draft one is the same team that met with Berry. It is also a high profile team, expected to be a pretty good team, has highly respected DC and DB coaches, and has the cap space to spare. It makes a ton of sense for this to happen at some point but then again Dallas has passed on no brainer moves many times before.

 

[xwalker]

For vested veterans, their salary becomes guaranteed if they are on the roster for the 1st game of the season. But if signed after week 1, their salary becomes a week-to-week thing, with none of it guaranteed. Given Eric Berry's health issues, and the fact that he's only played 3 games in the last 2 seasons, he's an ideal candidate to sign AFTER week 1 is over. The Cowboys could potentially get an All-Pro safety to upgrade the position, but at the same time, protect themselves if Berry isn't able to play.

The other upside is that if Berry has an outstanding year, and hits the free agent market again in 2020, the Cowboys would be in line to get draft pick compensation if he signs with another team. But, under no circumstances should the Cowboys sign Berry before the end of Week 1.

Berry needs surgery but would have missed this season if he had it.

There is a bone spur under and pressing against his tendon. It's a simple surgery like most bone spur surgeries.

The Cowboys could sign him now to a Greg Hardy style contract that paid a big bonus for each game played. They could give Berry the veterans minimum (about 800K) and 500K per game played. That's 8.8M for 16 games but only 800K if he can't play.

Then he could be with the team with some practice time in the scheme. The Kris Richard scheme is a bit different than most. Obviously Berry is an experienced veteran but he still needs time to digest the scheme. Safety is one of the more difficult positions from that perspective.

Even veterans signed after game 1 are due an injury settlement if injured. The specifics on that get murky but it is an issue to consider. If not injured then teams can cut those players for free vs cutting a veteran that played game 1 would mean cutting what is essentially a guaranteed salary. It's called termination pay and players can only get it once in their career.

The Cowboys over the past several years have obtained players during the season and have gotten good value from doing it. They got Sua-Filo cheap in 2018 and Datone Jones cheap in 2017.

My gut feeling is that if the Cowboys had much interest in Berry they would try to get him signed before camp to a deal that is 'safe" for them.

They've been willing to take small gambles on players like this the past few years and cut them even when they had given them signing bonuses or had guaranteed some of the salary.
Deonte Thompson
1M SB
Cut then re-signed before game 1 then cut after Cooper acquired because they could preserve the comp pick by cutting Thompson.

Several that were cut after receiving less than 1M in guaranteed money.

CB Nolan Carroll in 2017.
He was really only terrible about 1/2 of a game and that actually came down to just a few plays. He was decent in game 1 against the Giants then struggled early against Denver, then exited the field with an injury, then returned and got burned a time or two before leaving with an injury again and not returning. It cost 3M or 4M for him. They could have retained him because the injury appeared to be short term but they had signed him for the early part of the season while the 2 CB draft picks and X.Woods playing some CB got up to speed.

Many years ago they would have held on to these players because of the guaranteed money but in more recent years they considered the small guaranteed money losses as OK because the low level signings have kept them from forcing the issue by signing big contract free agents to fill needs. A fail on 1 big free agent costs more than many fails on low level free agents.

Personally I would consider working out a deal with Berry such that they pay him something in 2019 on a deal that has him under contract in 2020. He then goes to IR and gets the surgery. In 2020 he would be rehabbed and at 31 might still have a couple of really good years remaining.

Teams probably suspect that Berry wants to sign with a team then end up getting the surgery while under contract.

 

[Stash]

Berry needs surgery but would have missed this season if he had it.

There is a bone spur under and pressing against his tendon. It's a simple surgery like most bone spur surgeries.

The Cowboys could sign him now to a Greg Hardy style contract that paid a big bonus for each game played. They could give Berry the veterans minimum (about 800K) and 500K per game played. That's 8.8M for 16 games but only 800K if he can't play.

Then he could be with the team with some practice time in the scheme. The Kris Richard scheme is a bit different than most. Obviously Berry is an experienced veteran but he still needs time to digest the scheme. Safety is one of the more difficult positions from that perspective.

Even veterans signed after game 1 are due an injury settlement if injured. The specifics on that get murky but it is an issue to consider. If not injured then teams can cut those players for free vs cutting a veteran that played game 1 would mean cutting what is essentially a guaranteed salary. It's called termination pay and players can only get it once in their career.

The Cowboys over the past several years have obtained players during the season and have gotten good value from doing it. They got Sua-Filo cheap in 2018 and Datone Jones cheap in 2017.

My gut feeling is that if the Cowboys had much interest in Berry they would try to get him signed before camp to a deal that is 'safe" for them.

They've been willing to take small gambles on players like this the past few years and cut them even when they had given them signing bonuses or had guaranteed some of the salary.
Deonte Thompson
1M SB
Cut then re-signed before game 1 then cut after Cooper acquired because they could preserve the comp pick by cutting Thompson.

Several that were cut after receiving less than 1M in guaranteed money.

CB Nolan Carroll in 2017.
He was really only terrible about 1/2 of a game and that actually came down to just a few plays. He was decent in game 1 against the Giants then struggled early against Denver, then exited the field with an injury, then returned and got burned a time or two before leaving with an injury again and not returning. It cost 3M or 4M for him. They could have retained him because the injury appeared to be short term but they had signed him for the early part of the season while the 2 CB draft picks and X.Woods playing some CB got up to speed.

Many years ago they would have held on to these players because of the guaranteed money but in more recent years they considered the small guaranteed money losses as OK because the low level signings have kept them from forcing the issue by signing big contract free agents to fill needs. A fail on 1 big free agent costs more than many fails on low level free agents.

Personally I would consider working out a deal with Berry such that they pay him something in 2019 on a deal that has him under contract in 2020. He then goes to IR and gets the surgery. In 2020 he would be rehabbed and at 31 might still have a couple of really good years remaining.

Teams probably suspect that Berry wants to sign with a team then end up getting the surgery while under contract.

I like your suggestion on contract terms and a pay-as-you-play arrangement. As you said, the salary can be for a league minimum type deal with money paid each week he plays.

But I suspect that the player wants the team to assume the risk for his health rather than him, and that's why he remains unsigned and with very little interest to this point.

And if nothing changes on that front, and Berry insists on getting paid from a team that assumes most of the risk for his health, I think the odds are better that he retires rather than that he plays again.

 

[tunahelper]

For vested veterans, their salary becomes guaranteed if they are on the roster for the 1st game of the season. But if signed after week 1, their salary becomes a week-to-week thing, with none of it guaranteed. Given Eric Berry's health issues, and the fact that he's only played 3 games in the last 2 seasons, he's an ideal candidate to sign AFTER week 1 is over. The Cowboys could potentially get an All-Pro safety to upgrade the position, but at the same time, protect themselves if Berry isn't able to play.

The other upside is that if Berry has an outstanding year, and hits the free agent market again in 2020, the Cowboys would be in line to get draft pick compensation if he signs with another team. But, under no circumstances should the Cowboys sign Berry before the end of Week 1.

It also gives Berry the best chance to play week 2. If he avoids tripping in the shower he just might stay off injury report?

 

[xwalker]

Berry needs surgery but would have missed this season if he had it.

There is a bone spur under and pressing against his tendon. It's a simple surgery like most bone spur surgeries.

The Cowboys could sign him now to a Greg Hardy style contract that paid a big bonus for each game played. They could give Berry the veterans minimum (about 800K) and 500K per game played. That's 8.8M for 16 games but only 800K if he can't play.

Then he could be with the team with some practice time in the scheme. The Kris Richard scheme is a bit different than most. Obviously Berry is an experienced veteran but he still needs time to digest the scheme. Safety is one of the more difficult positions from that perspective.

Even veterans signed after game 1 are due an injury settlement if injured. The specifics on that get murky but it is an issue to consider. If not injured then teams can cut those players for free vs cutting a veteran that played game 1 would mean cutting what is essentially a guaranteed salary. It's called termination pay and players can only get it once in their career.

The Cowboys over the past several years have obtained players during the season and have gotten good value from doing it. They got Sua-Filo cheap in 2018 and Datone Jones cheap in 2017.

My gut feeling is that if the Cowboys had much interest in Berry they would try to get him signed before camp to a deal that is 'safe" for them.

They've been willing to take small gambles on players like this the past few years and cut them even when they had given them signing bonuses or had guaranteed some of the salary.
Deonte Thompson
1M SB
Cut then re-signed before game 1 then cut after Cooper acquired because they could preserve the comp pick by cutting Thompson.

Several that were cut after receiving less than 1M in guaranteed money.

CB Nolan Carroll in 2017.
He was really only terrible about 1/2 of a game and that actually came down to just a few plays. He was decent in game 1 against the Giants then struggled early against Denver, then exited the field with an injury, then returned and got burned a time or two before leaving with an injury again and not returning. It cost 3M or 4M for him. They could have retained him because the injury appeared to be short term but they had signed him for the early part of the season while the 2 CB draft picks and X.Woods playing some CB got up to speed.

Many years ago they would have held on to these players because of the guaranteed money but in more recent years they considered the small guaranteed money losses as OK because the low level signings have kept them from forcing the issue by signing big contract free agents to fill needs. A fail on 1 big free agent costs more than many fails on low level free agents.

Personally I would consider working out a deal with Berry such that they pay him something in 2019 on a deal that has him under contract in 2020. He then goes to IR and gets the surgery. In 2020 he would be rehabbed and at 31 might still have a couple of really good years remaining.

Teams probably suspect that Berry wants to sign with a team then end up getting the surgery while under contract.

This should have said "It's NOT a simple surgery..."

 

[CowboyStar88]

If he hasn’t dated 5 playboy models I’m not interested.

 

[buybuydandavis]

For vested veterans, their salary becomes guaranteed if they are on the roster for the 1st game of the season. But if signed after week 1, their salary becomes a week-to-week thing, with none of it guaranteed. Given Eric Berry's health issues, and the fact that he's only played 3 games in the last 2 seasons, he's an ideal candidate to sign AFTER week 1 is over. The Cowboys could potentially get an All-Pro safety to upgrade the position, but at the same time, protect themselves if Berry isn't able to play.

The other upside is that if Berry has an outstanding year, and hits the free agent market again in 2020, the Cowboys would be in line to get draft pick compensation if he signs with another team. But, under no circumstances should the Cowboys sign Berry before the end of Week 1.

Of course there are circumstances where we sign Berry before Week 1.

We can protect the cap while signing him today. Make his contract primarily game day roster bonuses. Easy peasy. If Berry would take that kind of offer, we should sign him tomorrow.

He's not signed now probably because he's trying to get better offers. I bet he'll be signed by someone before the start of the season. Good chance around the start of camps. There's too much potential value there.

 

[cern]

His best bet to be signed, imo, is after an injury to another safety. Other than that, he has little value. Hurt too often.

 

[buybuydandavis]

My gut feeling is that if the Cowboys had much interest in Berry they would try to get him signed before camp to a deal that is 'safe" for them.
...
Personally I would consider working out a deal with Berry such that they pay him something in 2019 on a deal that has him under contract in 2020. He then goes to IR and gets the surgery. In 2020 he would be rehabbed and at 31 might still have a couple of really good years remaining.

Teams probably suspect that Berry wants to sign with a team then end up getting the surgery while under contract.

He should have gotten the surgery ASAP. Most GMs have an owner to account to, and so are risk averse. He should have taken the risk on himself, then been able to market himself as a recovering player with no known long term problem.

This is one of the reasons why we're a likely fit. Jerry is free to take risks other GMs can't.

I'm ok with your plan, but I doubt he'd be.

If he gets desperate, maybe we can sign him to a Henry Melton face saving contract. Tiny first season with lots of big money pretend seasons on the back end.

 

[ItzKelz]

For vested veterans, their salary becomes guaranteed if they are on the roster for the 1st game of the season. But if signed after week 1, their salary becomes a week-to-week thing, with none of it guaranteed. Given Eric Berry's health issues, and the fact that he's only played 3 games in the last 2 seasons, he's an ideal candidate to sign AFTER week 1 is over. The Cowboys could potentially get an All-Pro safety to upgrade the position, but at the same time, protect themselves if Berry isn't able to play.

The other upside is that if Berry has an outstanding year, and hits the free agent market again in 2020, the Cowboys would be in line to get draft pick compensation if he signs with another team. But, under no circumstances should the Cowboys sign Berry before the end of Week 1.

Berry is just a name at this point. Not one team has looked at his medical records and has said he was worth the cash.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Cowboys are fine with the youth they currently have.

 

[gimmesix]

For vested veterans, their salary becomes guaranteed if they are on the roster for the 1st game of the season. But if signed after week 1, their salary becomes a week-to-week thing, with none of it guaranteed. Given Eric Berry's health issues, and the fact that he's only played 3 games in the last 2 seasons, he's an ideal candidate to sign AFTER week 1 is over. The Cowboys could potentially get an All-Pro safety to upgrade the position, but at the same time, protect themselves if Berry isn't able to play.

The other upside is that if Berry has an outstanding year, and hits the free agent market again in 2020, the Cowboys would be in line to get draft pick compensation if he signs with another team. But, under no circumstances should the Cowboys sign Berry before the end of Week 1.

I'd rather sign him now and if he can't play, then cut him before the first game of the season. I'm not concerned about his salary being guaranteed if he's better than what we've got.

 

[Sydla]

No question pre-injury Berry would have been a big upgrade. Can he even play any more?

Camp starts in 3 weeks across the league and he is still unsigned. That tells me something.

Either he can't play any more or he wants a bunch of money like Dez did. It's a risky move no team want any part of.

Could tell you a lot of things.

Maybe he's washed up. Maybe he can play but his demands are too high. Maybe he's taking the veteran route here and purposely not signing early so he can skip some workouts, etc.

 

[TwentyOne]

B


If we want him, we have cap room to sign him before week 1. We don’t need to play games like this. Also, I doubt that he doesn’t have a job by week 1.

Remember there is the option to rollover unused cap to the following league year. So essentially his salary will account for 2020. And we will need some money there. We have like 33 FA players in 2020 and only 58 under contract right now.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

For vested veterans, their salary becomes guaranteed if they are on the roster for the 1st game of the season. But if signed after week 1, their salary becomes a week-to-week thing, with none of it guaranteed. Given Eric Berry's health issues, and the fact that he's only played 3 games in the last 2 seasons, he's an ideal candidate to sign AFTER week 1 is over. The Cowboys could potentially get an All-Pro safety to upgrade the position, but at the same time, protect themselves if Berry isn't able to play.

The other upside is that if Berry has an outstanding year, and hits the free agent market again in 2020, the Cowboys would be in line to get draft pick compensation if he signs with another team. But, under no circumstances should the Cowboys sign Berry before the end of Week 1.

so why is berry not signed yet? if he was any good wouldn't he already be signed? what will he bring to the table? I am not sure I understand

 

[ShiningStar]

if hes so good, why is he avaliable?

If KR wanted him, fine, he got screwed in the draft. if he thinks Berry can work here, im all for it. if its just a fan thing, i dont care. Fans dont run the team.

 

[CCBoy]

Berry needs surgery but would have missed this season if he had it.

There is a bone spur under and pressing against his tendon. It's a simple surgery like most bone spur surgeries.

The Cowboys could sign him now to a Greg Hardy style contract that paid a big bonus for each game played. They could give Berry the veterans minimum (about 800K) and 500K per game played. That's 8.8M for 16 games but only 800K if he can't play.

Then he could be with the team with some practice time in the scheme. The Kris Richard scheme is a bit different than most. Obviously Berry is an experienced veteran but he still needs time to digest the scheme. Safety is one of the more difficult positions from that perspective.

Even veterans signed after game 1 are due an injury settlement if injured. The specifics on that get murky but it is an issue to consider. If not injured then teams can cut those players for free vs cutting a veteran that played game 1 would mean cutting what is essentially a guaranteed salary. It's called termination pay and players can only get it once in their career.

The Cowboys over the past several years have obtained players during the season and have gotten good value from doing it. They got Sua-Filo cheap in 2018 and Datone Jones cheap in 2017.

My gut feeling is that if the Cowboys had much interest in Berry they would try to get him signed before camp to a deal that is 'safe" for them.

They've been willing to take small gambles on players like this the past few years and cut them even when they had given them signing bonuses or had guaranteed some of the salary.
Deonte Thompson
1M SB
Cut then re-signed before game 1 then cut after Cooper acquired because they could preserve the comp pick by cutting Thompson.

Several that were cut after receiving less than 1M in guaranteed money.

CB Nolan Carroll in 2017.
He was really only terrible about 1/2 of a game and that actually came down to just a few plays. He was decent in game 1 against the Giants then struggled early against Denver, then exited the field with an injury, then returned and got burned a time or two before leaving with an injury again and not returning. It cost 3M or 4M for him. They could have retained him because the injury appeared to be short term but they had signed him for the early part of the season while the 2 CB draft picks and X.Woods playing some CB got up to speed.

Many years ago they would have held on to these players because of the guaranteed money but in more recent years they considered the small guaranteed money losses as OK because the low level signings have kept them from forcing the issue by signing big contract free agents to fill needs. A fail on 1 big free agent costs more than many fails on low level free agents.

Personally I would consider working out a deal with Berry such that they pay him something in 2019 on a deal that has him under contract in 2020. He then goes to IR and gets the surgery. In 2020 he would be rehabbed and at 31 might still have a couple of really good years remaining.

Teams probably suspect that Berry wants to sign with a team then end up getting the surgery while under contract.

Sign him, fix him, and then play him...sounds smart.

 

[jay94]

We should sign him today a 50% Berry is better than Heath.

 

[OmerV]

The problem is that after playing only 3 games over the last 2 years, Berry desperately needs to get into a training camp and get back into it. If signed after the season starts it might be 4-5 games in before he is really ready to contribute - or even if he is able to contribute at all. There certainly aren't any guarantees.

 

[Sydla]

so why is berry not signed yet? if he was any good wouldn't he already be signed? what will he bring to the table? I am not sure I understand

You could be right.............. he could be done.

But then again, Berry wouldn't be the first vet to hold out at this point because 1) he wants more money and 2) he wants to not have to show up for OTAs, etc.

In other words, if he sets a ridiculous price knowing he likely won't get it but he's OK with that knowing he can lower his price later when he won't have to attend as many work outs.............. but if some team gets dumb and gives him what he wants, then sure, he'll show up at that point.