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Former NFL players, execs give Cowboys 'B' offseason grade, say Hardy-Lee combo could 'transform defense'
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Published: 29 March 2015 07:50 PM
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After an explosive start, NFL free agency has come to a slow crawl while fans await the looming draft.
So how did the Dallas Cowboys do, exactly?
A handful of former players and executives - including Bill Polian, Louis Riddick and ESPN's Mike Sando - got together to rank the offseason moves for all of the teams in the NFL separating them into tiers. The Cowboys fell into the fourth tier with a "B" ranking.
Here's what Sando and Polian had to say about the Cowboys.
"The pressure is on the Cowboys to replace [DeMarco] Murray. If they do that successfully, free agency is going to look like a success. It already has big potential with [Greg] Hardy adding a badly-needed pass-rush threat to the defense on a one-year deal. Hardy and a healthy Sean Lee could transform the defense. Potential is the key word, however. There are many unknowns.
'Adding Hardy looks like a good deal on paper,' Polian told ESPN. 'What you do not know is what the suspension will be and will there be litigation that follows that? They protected themselves contract-wise, but they do not know how long he will be on the field.'
For what it's worth, the Philadelphia Eagles received the same grade as the Cowboys with Polian saying that Murray "dropped into [the Eagles'] laps". The team that did the best among the Cowboys' division was the Washington Commanders (receiving an A-minus) and the worst was the New York Giants (receiving a "C" grade).
Click here to read Sando's entire article.
Hardy also made an appearance in a separate ESPN article as one of the top 10 impact acquisitions of the offseason.
"We're concentrating only on what Hardy can do on the field with this selection, and his availability could be limited by a league-mandated suspension," Matt Williamson wrote. "But Hardy was a dominant player in 2013, and after signing a one-year incentive-laden deal, he should remain very hungry to regain that dominance for the Cowboys so long as he's able to stay on the field. Hardy is very stout on the edge against the run, but is also a great pass-rusher who can win on the edge or as an inside pass-rusher when Dallas goes to its sub package defense. That makes him close to an every-down player.
"Jeremy Mincey played well for the Cowboys in 2014, and DeMarcus Lawrence has a lot of ability that flashed at the end of the year. This could be a very good defensive line after the addition of Hardy. Behind this upgraded defensive line, Sean Lee needs to finally stay healthy and the Cowboys could use a new recruit or two for the second level via the draft. But their pass rush and overall play up front should make this an improved defense."
Click here to read Williamson's full article.
On Twitter: @SportsDayDFW
Follow @SportsDayDFW
Published: 29 March 2015 07:50 PM
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/incoming/20150329-ns_27cowslee_37846787.jpg.ece/BINARY/w940/NS_27COWSLEE_37846787.JPG
After an explosive start, NFL free agency has come to a slow crawl while fans await the looming draft.
So how did the Dallas Cowboys do, exactly?
A handful of former players and executives - including Bill Polian, Louis Riddick and ESPN's Mike Sando - got together to rank the offseason moves for all of the teams in the NFL separating them into tiers. The Cowboys fell into the fourth tier with a "B" ranking.
Here's what Sando and Polian had to say about the Cowboys.
"The pressure is on the Cowboys to replace [DeMarco] Murray. If they do that successfully, free agency is going to look like a success. It already has big potential with [Greg] Hardy adding a badly-needed pass-rush threat to the defense on a one-year deal. Hardy and a healthy Sean Lee could transform the defense. Potential is the key word, however. There are many unknowns.
'Adding Hardy looks like a good deal on paper,' Polian told ESPN. 'What you do not know is what the suspension will be and will there be litigation that follows that? They protected themselves contract-wise, but they do not know how long he will be on the field.'
For what it's worth, the Philadelphia Eagles received the same grade as the Cowboys with Polian saying that Murray "dropped into [the Eagles'] laps". The team that did the best among the Cowboys' division was the Washington Commanders (receiving an A-minus) and the worst was the New York Giants (receiving a "C" grade).
Click here to read Sando's entire article.
Hardy also made an appearance in a separate ESPN article as one of the top 10 impact acquisitions of the offseason.
"We're concentrating only on what Hardy can do on the field with this selection, and his availability could be limited by a league-mandated suspension," Matt Williamson wrote. "But Hardy was a dominant player in 2013, and after signing a one-year incentive-laden deal, he should remain very hungry to regain that dominance for the Cowboys so long as he's able to stay on the field. Hardy is very stout on the edge against the run, but is also a great pass-rusher who can win on the edge or as an inside pass-rusher when Dallas goes to its sub package defense. That makes him close to an every-down player.
"Jeremy Mincey played well for the Cowboys in 2014, and DeMarcus Lawrence has a lot of ability that flashed at the end of the year. This could be a very good defensive line after the addition of Hardy. Behind this upgraded defensive line, Sean Lee needs to finally stay healthy and the Cowboys could use a new recruit or two for the second level via the draft. But their pass rush and overall play up front should make this an improved defense."
Click here to read Williamson's full article.
On Twitter: @SportsDayDFW
