DAL has had better success with the draft recently than with signing FA's.

[DawnOfANewD]

A lot of people in here who have been a little um, chagrined that we haven't been active in signing FA's seem to have forgotten that there's something called the draft which is coming up in a little while. There are two steps in the recipe for improving one's team in the offseason: free-agency and the draft. Whatever holes we don't fill holes through FA we'll fill through the draft. We do have 3 picks in the first 3 rounds, plus we've historically been pretty astute finding sleepers in later rounds.

As far as our success rate in signing FA's versus drafting guys goes, it doesn't look pretty for the former. Why don't we compare who we've signed as FA's over the last couple of years ('04-'05 and '05-'06) to who we've drafted over those same 2 years:

FA's (27 by my count but I'm sure I've missed some guys):

Michael Barrow: hi, bye...
Drew Bledsoe: great pickup, restored the passing game in DAL
Jermaine Brooks: hi, bye...
Quinton Caver: good depth guy but no more than that
Marc Colombo: was once an interesting prospect in CHI but now depth guy and no more with us
Terrence Copper: decent kick-returner
Jason Ferguson: not bad but not the dominant run-blocking DT he was made out to be
Ryan Fowler: good depth guy but no more than that
Lance Frazier: hi, bye
Scott Fujita: not a liability but not particularly outstanding either
Aaron Glenn: solid nickel CB
DeMingo Graham: hi, bye...
Anthony Henry: solid CB
Thomas "Pepper" Johnson: interesting prospect
Ahmad Merritt: hi, bye....
Ben Noll: depth guy but no more than that, bye...
Brett Pierce: depth guy but no more than that
Willie Pile: depth guy but no more than that
Lousaka Polite: little-used as FB position is becoming obsolete in DAL
Peerless Price: got him on the downside of his career and it showed
Shaun Suisham: hi, bye...
Anthony Thomas: an undrafted FA beat him out for a backup RB spot
Marco Rivera: had back problems, missed an entire year
Tyson Thompson: beat out A. Thomas for a backup RB spot
Bruce Thornton: depth guy but no more than that
Kalen Thornton: depth guy but no more than that
Marcellus Wiley: huge huge bust

Basically only 4 out of 27 or 15% of those guys, ie. Bledsoe, Henry, Glenn, and Thompson have met or surpassed expectations (IMHO) while the rest we're either still waiting for the light to go on for, ie. Rivera & Ferguson, or have merely been bit pieces depth-wise, or have been dumped, ie. Wiley, Thomas, etc.

Draftees (16):

Marion Barber: solid backup for Jones
Justin Beriault: low-round pick showed he wasn't totally out of place in the league
Kevin Burnett: jury is still out as he hasn't been able to stay healthy
Chris Canty: showed he could be successor to Greg Ellis
Patrick Crayton: showed some nice potential for a humble 7th(b)-round pick
Bradie James: took awhile but he finally blossomed last year
Julius Jones: if he stays healthy, he could be dynamite
Nathan Jones: roster filler and nothing more
Stephen Peterman: see Burnett
Rob Pettiti: see Beriault
Jay Ratliff: an interesting project, runs surprisingly well for a DE
Jacques Reeves: depth guy but no more than that
Jacob Rogers: see Peterman
Sean Ryan: good blocker, not much else
Marcus Spears: a little overmatched this year but decent against the run
Demarcus Ware: 8 sacks in rookie season

All 16 of these guys are still on the roster (I'm pretty sure), while Barber, Canty, Spears, Ware, B. James, J. Jones, Crayton, Pettiti, Beriault have played significant minutes and been solid contributors.

Conclusion: We've had more success with the guys we've drafted guys than with the FA's we've signed over the last couple of years, plus 2 straight solid drafts have infused the roster with youth and good health. In the meantime, a lot of the FA-vet-signings have afflicted the roster with age and/or injury and/or sheer uselessness. Let other teams shell out exorbitant amounts for "name guys" while we be a little more prudent replenishing our roster with a few select quality lesser-known FA's and judiciously chosen young draft picks. I think that was NE's formula for their recent extended run of success.

 

[theogt]

Apples and oranges. Draftees are supposed to be on the roster for years. FAs are often stop gaps.

 

[Eddie]

What year did Marco Rivera miss out on? He's only been with us one year.

Justin Beriault: low-round pick showed he wasn't totally out of place in the league
- kid had a few decent preseason games where he threw some licks. That's it. He's done nothing to show anyone anything.

Bradie James: took awhile but he finally blossomed last year
- his lousy reads were the reason why Mike Anderson and that lame xGiant RB tore us apart in the Denver game.
- let's not put him in the Pro Bowl just yet.

Jay Ratliff: an interesting project, runs surprisingly well for a DE
- played a few games as a backup. Hasn't shown a dammed thing.

Stephen Peterman: see Burnett
- what jury? He can't sniff the field.

Jacob Rogers: see Peterman
- sorry, this one is lost on me.

 

[DandyDon]

What year did Marco Rivera miss out on? He's only been with us one year.

Justin Beriault: low-round pick showed he wasn't totally out of place in the league
- kid had a few decent preseason games where he threw some licks. That's it. He's done nothing to show anyone anything.

Bradie James: took awhile but he finally blossomed last year
- his lousy reads were the reason why Mike Anderson and that lame xGiant RB tore us apart in the Denver game.
- let's not put him in the Pro Bowl just yet.

Jay Ratliff: an interesting project, runs surprisingly well for a DE
- played a few games as a backup. Hasn't shown a dammed thing.

Stephen Peterman: see Burnett
- what jury? He can't sniff the field.

Jacob Rogers: see Peterman
- sorry, this one is lost on me.

Actually Ratliff played well at DT before he got injured last year - in fact he is a great run stopper......after he went down with an injury, we started getting gashed up the middle. He played well in rotation.

 

[Eddie]

Actually Ratliff played well at DT before he got injured last year - in fact he is a great run stopper......after he went down with an injury, we started getting gashed up the middle. He played well in rotation.

Ok, I'll agree to that one. He did play decent in the rotation. What's the status on his recovery? Fergie needs help.

 

[sago1]

Also, when did we cut Marc Colombo. Last I hear he still with us rehabbing his knee. Anything changed?

 

[rikolai]

I think a lot of the credit for success with the drafted players goes directly to Parcells.If nothing else is true about Bill,he does get the most out of his players.It's like hiring someone for your company that's never really had a job,so you teach him your way which in Dallas is the Parcells way and his success is well documented.Some of the free agents you pick up,as Bill would say,just "don't get it."
First time poster-great site(except all the damn pictures,lol)

 

[InmanRoshi]

Fill holes through free agency. Upgrade your team's overall talent level through the draft. That's how it should be done. Unfortunately, its not how its been done in Dallas for a very long time.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Draftees:

Marion Barber: solid backup for Jones

Solid pickup for Julius Jones??

:laugh1: