Cowboys Spending by Position

[Verdict]

Couple of MY observations:

1. OL is lower than I thought it would be vs. the rest of the NFL. The young guys are averaging the cost way down.

2. I realize Zeke has underperformed his contract, but I don’t understand the venom he gets from some of you. It’s a year yearly to proclaim him “done” or out of the “best RB in the NFL” conversation just yet. If he shows up in shape and motivated, I think he will earn that contract. Teams also game plan the hell out of Elliott.

3. WR pay is a bit too high, but most of that is Amari Cooper. I think the Cowboys are figuring out why the Raiders were willing to part with Amari in the first place. The Cowboys should use him a lot and sell him when his stock is high.

4. Defensive end is a black hole in terms of return on investment. Tank may be the biggest underperformer, or maybe second to Jaylon in that category.

 

[Bobhaze]

Couple of MY observations:

1. OL is lower than I thought it would be vs. the rest of the NFL. The young guys are averaging the cost way down.

2. I realize Zeke has underperformed his contract, but I don’t understand the venom he gets from some of you. It’s a year yearly to proclaim him “done” or out of the “best RB in the NFL” conversation just yet. If he shows up in shape and motivated, I think he will earn that contract. Teams also game plan the hell out of Elliott.

3. WR pay is a bit too high, but most of that is Amari Cooper. I think the Cowboys are figuring out why the Raiders were willing to part with Amari in the first place. The Cowboys should use him a lot and sell him when his stock is high.

4. Defensive end is a black hole in terms of return on investment. Tank may be the biggest underperformer, or maybe second to Jaylon in that category.

I don’t hold it against Zeke that he was overpaid. I just don’t like the front office's philosophy of putting so much cap space into RBs and WRs.

 

[CowboysRule]

Actually our front office has a long history of spending more on the offense (esp off line), than most teams. We are capable of building a great offense with poor depth but it’s another thing to build a great roster on both sides of the ball with decent depth. We haven’t really seen a Super Bowl caliber roster here since Parcells handed Wade Phillips the team Bill mostly built. And that team couldn’t ever get past the div round.

In their defense, it's about impossible to build a quality roster on both sides AND have depth. Most teams are paper thin. They can usually survive a few injuries by trying to cover a players deficiencies but more than a few and other teams can usually take advantage. In the event there is an injury and the backup plays exceptionally well they are usually leaving to be a starter somewhere else.

 

[aikemirv]

They haven't had anyone worth even spending on in secondary that's the issue there.

Yeah that 24th ranking is just the result of letting Byron Jones go and replacing with rookies. Just an eb and flow of the position, not how Cowboys perceive the value of the position

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Yeah that 24th ranking is just the result of letting Byron Jones go and replacing with rookies. Just an eb and flow of the position, not how Cowboys perceive the value of the position

Yeah you're right I forgot about Byron lol. Event though I would've never given him that deal...

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

I don’t hold it against Zeke that he was overpaid. I just don’t like the front office's philosophy of putting so much cap space into RBs and WRs.

I don't mind putting money on WRs but RBs are dime a dozen....shouldn't make them all time highest paid

 

[Bobhaze]

I don't mind putting money on WRs but RBs are dime a dozen....shouldn't make them all time highest paid

Just as a quick reference point- last year’s SB champs were 17th in spending on RBs, and 25th in spending on WRs.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Just as a quick reference point- last year’s SB champs were 17th in spending on RBs, and 25th in spending on WRs.

we were 18th in spending in 2020 and they were 25th. with about $4M in difference.

in 2021, they are 2nd and we are 5th

 

[CouchCoach]

Couple of MY observations:

1. OL is lower than I thought it would be vs. the rest of the NFL. The young guys are averaging the cost way down.

2. I realize Zeke has underperformed his contract, but I don’t understand the venom he gets from some of you. It’s a year yearly to proclaim him “done” or out of the “best RB in the NFL” conversation just yet. If he shows up in shape and motivated, I think he will earn that contract. Teams also game plan the hell out of Elliott.

3. WR pay is a bit too high, but most of that is Amari Cooper. I think the Cowboys are figuring out why the Raiders were willing to part with Amari in the first place. The Cowboys should use him a lot and sell him when his stock is high.

4. Defensive end is a black hole in terms of return on investment. Tank may be the biggest underperformer, or maybe second to Jaylon in that category.

The player is never, NEVER, the one to blame for his contract.

Every player in the NFL is worth what any team is willing to pay him.

Anyone blaming Elliott, Lawrence or Prescott really needs to back off and take a look at the history of how the fo deals with the stars. Don't you think every agent is aware of that?

A fool and his money are soon parted refers to the ones that had the money first, not the ones who end up with it.

 

[JustChip]

While true.....I think Zeke is also a leader of this team. Not saying he's not replaceable but I think he means more to this team than just being a running back. He's also their franchise QB's best friend as well.

Regardless, what the info shows is what they value in a relative sense. They/Jerry values offense over defense. And that has been borne out by what they have done in the draft prior to this year.

The old golf saying “you drive for show and putt for dough” comes to mind.

 

[ArtClink]

In their defense, it's about impossible to build a quality roster on both sides AND have depth. Most teams are paper thin. They can usually survive a few injuries by trying to cover a players deficiencies but more than a few and other teams can usually take advantage. In the event there is an injury and the backup plays exceptionally well they are usually leaving to be a starter somewhere else.

Yes I know it’s difficult to do but there are teams in the salary cap era that have spent their money wisely, had a true hierarchy in authority and accountability (remember that term here is Dallas lol), and chose not to overpay certain players when they deemed they were no longer a good value. I call those teams deep playoff winners and if you wanna look at a fairly recent Super Bowl champ decimated all season with injuries, check out the last Packers team to win a championship.

 

[Jake]

Yes I know it’s difficult to do but there are teams in the salary cap era that have spent their money wisely, had a true hierarchy in authority and accountability (remember that term here is Dallas lol), and chose not to overpay certain players when they deemed they were no longer a good value. I call those teams deep playoff winners and if you wanna look at a fairly recent Super Bowl champ decimated all season with injuries, check out the last Packers team to win a championship.

That Packers team had 16 guys on IR but the most important one - Aaron Rodgers - healthy. But I have to give McCarthy credit for getting it done while missing so many parts. I'm just not sure he's the same coach a decade and 50 pounds later.

In 2019, the Niners were NFC champs. Last year they had almost twice as many players on IR (31) as that Packers team from a decade ago, including their starting QB. Jimmy G isn't Rodgers, but he was good enough to have them a quarter away from winning a SB (up 20-10 after 3 quarters). I think a lot of people are sleeping on San Fran this season while talking too much about the Rams.

 

[conner01]

Interesting... but not surprising... secondary is the only position group that we pay in the bottom half of the league. They really don't value the secondary.

That’s not necessarily the case
Spending on a position is about second contracts
We’ve used plenty of draft stock on the CB position but haven’t kept many on second contracts
The last few years we’ve been at the bottom in spending on QB but that was all about the position being under a rookie contract not about how they value the position

 

[Sydla]

If you want to know what an organization values, look at how and where they spend their money. I always find it interesting to check how our Cowboys spend their salary cap dollars each year.

Here is a list of what the Cowboys spend by sides of the ball as well as position and how it ranks in the NFL. This is obviously including some players that will eventually not be on the roster after cuts.

OFFENSE: 43 players; $124.880 million; 59.48% of the total cap space. NFL RANK: 2
DEFENSE: 38 players; $83.543 million; 39.7% of the cap space; NFL RANK: 20
SPECIAL TEAMS: 4 players; $5.88 million; 2.66% of the cap space: NFL RANK: 15

POSITION RANKINGS

• QB- 4 players; $24.8 million; 11.8% of the cap: NFL RANK: 8
• RB- 6 players; $17.6 million; 8.38% of the cap; NFL RANK: 1
• WR- 14 players; $37.29 million; 17.76% of the cap; NFL RANK: 5
• TE- 6 players; $9.9 million; 4.73% of the cap; NFL RANK: 16
• OL- 14 players; $36.11 million; 17.2% of the cap; NFL RANK: 12
• DL- 13 players; $37.7 million; 17.96% of the cap; NFL RANK: 13
• LB- 10 players; $25.1 million; 11.99% of the cap; NFL RANK: 11
• Secondary- 19 players; $26.05 million; 12.41% of the cap; NFL RANK: 24
• STs- 4 players; $5.58 million; 2.66% of the cap; NFL RANK: 15

The 3 positional areas that jump out to me are RB, WR, and the Secondary. Being overpaid at RB and WR is the “Jerry effect”. IMO, WRs and RBs should never be that high on cap space.

If you want took at individuals pay or just browse where I got this info, I highly recommend this link to Spotrac:
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/dallas-cowboys/positional/

Your focus at WR is misplaced as I noted in another thread. TB is 2nd this year in WR spending. They are considered a SB favorite. In 2020, the Chiefs were #1 in cap space used at WR. TB would have been 7th in WR cap spending last year but they restructured Evans to kick his cap hits further down the road.

The issue isn't WR spending for the Cowboys. It's TB spending. KC was #1 in WR spending last year but 22nd in RB spending. This is a passing league now so teams putting money into WRs and TEs isn't as egregious as TB.

 

[blueblood70]

If you want to know what an organization values, look at how and where they spend their money. I always find it interesting to check how our Cowboys spend their salary cap dollars each year.

Here is a list of what the Cowboys spend by sides of the ball as well as position and how it ranks in the NFL. This is obviously including some players that will eventually not be on the roster after cuts.

OFFENSE: 43 players; $124.880 million; 59.48% of the total cap space. NFL RANK: 2
DEFENSE: 38 players; $83.543 million; 39.7% of the cap space; NFL RANK: 20
SPECIAL TEAMS: 4 players; $5.88 million; 2.66% of the cap space: NFL RANK: 15

POSITION RANKINGS

• QB- 4 players; $24.8 million; 11.8% of the cap: NFL RANK: 8
• RB- 6 players; $17.6 million; 8.38% of the cap; NFL RANK: 1
• WR- 14 players; $37.29 million; 17.76% of the cap; NFL RANK: 5
• TE- 6 players; $9.9 million; 4.73% of the cap; NFL RANK: 16
• OL- 14 players; $36.11 million; 17.2% of the cap; NFL RANK: 12
• DL- 13 players; $37.7 million; 17.96% of the cap; NFL RANK: 13
• LB- 10 players; $25.1 million; 11.99% of the cap; NFL RANK: 11
• Secondary- 19 players; $26.05 million; 12.41% of the cap; NFL RANK: 24
• STs- 4 players; $5.58 million; 2.66% of the cap; NFL RANK: 15

The 3 positional areas that jump out to me are RB, WR, and the Secondary. Being overpaid at RB and WR is the “Jerry effect”. IMO, WRs and RBs should never be that high on cap space.

If you want took at individuals pay or just browse where I got this info, I highly recommend this link to Spotrac:
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/dallas-cowboys/positional/

One thread wasn’t enough needed 2? Ughh


Cb we are going with youth and that good thing because we are now paying out=r qb so much.. wr was necessary belfry lamb no way to know that was going to happen and Zeke not killing outr cap regardless of what you say..

Teams all have top players regardless of position they pay the largest % of the cap and when they come open for new deal is how that works..

Team with rookie qbs pay more elsewhere teams with high priced qbs have to go younger at other positions but remember those with the high priced qb need to keep him stocked with weapons before that window closes.

There is no one way to do it...

 

[ArtClink]

Just as a quick reference point- last year’s SB champs were 17th in spending on RBs, and 25th in spending on WRs.

Well the Jones boys never use a past super bowl champs franchise as a model or blueprint for deep playoff success. No quite the contrary, here in Dallas the fuhrer and son embrace their dysfunction and forge ahead with the same hierarchy that brought us the past 25 seasons of playoff futility. We now embark on a new season full of hope, hoping that this year will be different than the past 25. We need luck, good ball bounces, ref help, zero injuries, etc (you know, all the things that teams capable of deep playoff runs seldom focus on). Fingers crossed!

 

[ArtClink]

There is no one way to do it...

Agreed but after 25 years of playoff futility, I’d venture to say that the Jones boys have shown how NOT to build a championship team.

 

[Chuck 54]

If you want to know what an organization values, look at how and where they spend their money. I always find it interesting to check how our Cowboys spend their salary cap dollars each year.

Here is a list of what the Cowboys spend by sides of the ball as well as position and how it ranks in the NFL. This is obviously including some players that will eventually not be on the roster after cuts.

OFFENSE: 43 players; $124.880 million; 59.48% of the total cap space. NFL RANK: 2
DEFENSE: 38 players; $83.543 million; 39.7% of the cap space; NFL RANK: 20
SPECIAL TEAMS: 4 players; $5.88 million; 2.66% of the cap space: NFL RANK: 15

POSITION RANKINGS

• QB- 4 players; $24.8 million; 11.8% of the cap: NFL RANK: 8
• RB- 6 players; $17.6 million; 8.38% of the cap; NFL RANK: 1
• WR- 14 players; $37.29 million; 17.76% of the cap; NFL RANK: 5
• TE- 6 players; $9.9 million; 4.73% of the cap; NFL RANK: 16
• OL- 14 players; $36.11 million; 17.2% of the cap; NFL RANK: 12
• DL- 13 players; $37.7 million; 17.96% of the cap; NFL RANK: 13
• LB- 10 players; $25.1 million; 11.99% of the cap; NFL RANK: 11
• Secondary- 19 players; $26.05 million; 12.41% of the cap; NFL RANK: 24
• STs- 4 players; $5.58 million; 2.66% of the cap; NFL RANK: 15

The 3 positional areas that jump out to me are RB, WR, and the Secondary. Being overpaid at RB and WR is the “Jerry effect”. IMO, WRs and RBs should never be that high on cap space.

If you want took at individuals pay or just browse where I got this info, I highly recommend this link to Spotrac:
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/dallas-cowboys/positional/

The QB rank will drop in the next couple of years as other QBs get theirs.
The secondary will rise a bit if one of the vet safeties has a good year and we sign him to a deal. We are in great shape with young CBs for another 2-3 years.
The WR group is high because of Cooper’s new deal….that will also drop as others get their big deals. Besides, I don’t mind ranking in single digits when we think we may have one of the best groups in the NFL.

I love Zeke, and if he has a big year, everyone will love hm again, but we need to start looking for a rookie stud at RB next year.

 

[eromeopolk]

If you want to know what an organization values, look at how and where they spend their money. I always find it interesting to check how our Cowboys spend their salary cap dollars each year.

Here is a list of what the Cowboys spend by sides of the ball as well as position and how it ranks in the NFL. This is obviously including some players that will eventually not be on the roster after cuts.

OFFENSE: 43 players; $124.880 million; 59.48% of the total cap space. NFL RANK: 2
DEFENSE: 38 players; $83.543 million; 39.7% of the cap space; NFL RANK: 20
SPECIAL TEAMS: 4 players; $5.88 million; 2.66% of the cap space: NFL RANK: 15

POSITION RANKINGS

• QB- 4 players; $24.8 million; 11.8% of the cap: NFL RANK: 8
• RB- 6 players; $17.6 million; 8.38% of the cap; NFL RANK: 1
• WR- 14 players; $37.29 million; 17.76% of the cap; NFL RANK: 5
• TE- 6 players; $9.9 million; 4.73% of the cap; NFL RANK: 16
• OL- 14 players; $36.11 million; 17.2% of the cap; NFL RANK: 12
• DL- 13 players; $37.7 million; 17.96% of the cap; NFL RANK: 13
• LB- 10 players; $25.1 million; 11.99% of the cap; NFL RANK: 11
• Secondary- 19 players; $26.05 million; 12.41% of the cap; NFL RANK: 24
• STs- 4 players; $5.58 million; 2.66% of the cap; NFL RANK: 15

The 3 positional areas that jump out to me are RB, WR, and the Secondary. Being overpaid at RB and WR is the “Jerry effect”. IMO, WRs and RBs should never be that high on cap space.

If you want took at individuals pay or just browse where I got this info, I highly recommend this link to Spotrac:
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/dallas-cowboys/positional/

Defense wins championships and the Cowboys have not seen and NFC Championship game in +25 years. No invest no success.

Sometimes the dollar value is not there but the investment is there. Case in point Tampa Bay. They have hardly any money invested at RB. However, the 4th overall pick in the 2017 draft starts in the backfield. That is investment value.

I would like to see the investment value in the Cowboys defense. It started with Parsons. Lets get a DE and DT as 1st round picks, let them develop on the field and see where that can put the Cowboys the next 2 years.

 

[CowboyRoy]

If you want to know what an organization values, look at how and where they spend their money. I always find it interesting to check how our Cowboys spend their salary cap dollars each year.

Here is a list of what the Cowboys spend by sides of the ball as well as position and how it ranks in the NFL. This is obviously including some players that will eventually not be on the roster after cuts.

OFFENSE: 43 players; $124.880 million; 59.48% of the total cap space. NFL RANK: 2
DEFENSE: 38 players; $83.543 million; 39.7% of the cap space; NFL RANK: 20
SPECIAL TEAMS: 4 players; $5.88 million; 2.66% of the cap space: NFL RANK: 15

POSITION RANKINGS

• QB- 4 players; $24.8 million; 11.8% of the cap: NFL RANK: 8
• RB- 6 players; $17.6 million; 8.38% of the cap; NFL RANK: 1
• WR- 14 players; $37.29 million; 17.76% of the cap; NFL RANK: 5
• TE- 6 players; $9.9 million; 4.73% of the cap; NFL RANK: 16
• OL- 14 players; $36.11 million; 17.2% of the cap; NFL RANK: 12
• DL- 13 players; $37.7 million; 17.96% of the cap; NFL RANK: 13
• LB- 10 players; $25.1 million; 11.99% of the cap; NFL RANK: 11
• Secondary- 19 players; $26.05 million; 12.41% of the cap; NFL RANK: 24
• STs- 4 players; $5.58 million; 2.66% of the cap; NFL RANK: 15

The 3 positional areas that jump out to me are RB, WR, and the Secondary. Being overpaid at RB and WR is the “Jerry effect”. IMO, WRs and RBs should never be that high on cap space.

If you want took at individuals pay or just browse where I got this info, I highly recommend this link to Spotrac:
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/dallas-cowboys/positional/

Get rid of Cooper and zeke and put it in defense and we’re just about right.