News: ESPN: Are Dallas Cowboys improved after franchise-high eight free agents signed?

[Sydla]

Again I could care less how they get the comp picks. I like their strategy. You hate everything they do. You do you and I’ll do me.

Except you are in a thread about free agency claiming their method was smart because it results in comp picks, including a 3rd this year.

But that third has nothing to do with their approach to signing bargain bin guys from other teams.

 

[starfan1]

We'll be injured this year too. Many more factors again this year. The additional game is @NE, count it as a loss.

Perhaps! We’ll see NE is far from the team they used to be a huge drop in talent from tom to cam but they still got BB. Honestly I think last year was a farce there is too much talent on offense to be that poor again

defense only needs to improve on their improvement of the second half of season and we won’t be playing with 3rd stringers on the line again

but I’m more of a glass half full guy

 

[Rockport]

It might pay off if they were any good at drafting. 2017, 2018, and 2019 were all terrible draft classes so why should I believe they got better at it now?

2018 and 2019 were pretty good drafts. Above average.

 

[Rockport]

Except you are in a thread about free agency claiming their method was smart because it results in comp picks, including a 3rd this year.

But that third has nothing to do with their approach to signing bargain bin guys from other teams.

How many times do I have to say it? I could give a flying you know what how they get the comp picks as long as they do. It’s one of their strategies.

 

[JoeKing]

Perhaps! We’ll see NE is far from the team they used to be a huge drop in talent from tom to cam but they still got BB. Honestly I think last year was a farce there is too much talent on offense to be that poor again

defense only needs to improve on their improvement of the second half of season and we won’t be playing with 3rd stringers on the line again

but I’m more of a glass half full guy

If you are betting on Tyron Smith and La'el Collins to stay healthy, you're going to lose that bet. Once the O-line is struggling again, the season will go downhill from there. We have so much talent but it is wasted every season. 2021 will be no exception. Maybe they will make the playoffs but this team is far from a SB contender.

 

[kskboys]

I don’t care how they get the comp picks, just that they do. It’s a strategy and it’s going to pay off. I realize you hate on everything the Cowboys do because you’re too narrow minded and agenda driven to see the positives.

And there comes the insults after being proven wrong.

I wish you weren't on these boards.

 

[ESisback]

It might pay off if they were any good at drafting. 2017, 2018, and 2019 were all terrible draft classes so why should I believe they got better at it now?

Because 2020 was very good.

 

[Rockport]

And there comes the insults after being proven wrong.

I wish you weren't on these boards.

Most wish you weren’t.

 

[Redball Express]

I think Dak sucks?

And right there you show what a schmuck you are.

Not sure I understand your comment.

 

[starfan1]

If you are betting on Tyron Smith and La'el Collins to stay healthy, you're going to lose that bet. Once the O-line is struggling again, the season will go downhill from there. We have so much talent but it is wasted every season. 2021 will be no exception. Maybe they will make the playoffs but this team is far from a SB contender.

Well you’re just a ray of sunshine we haven’t played a down yet. You do you I pretty much have optimism until there’s no reason for optimism

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

In terms of depth particularly on defense. The new swing tackle is marginally better than his predecessor. His feet are better.

As for the defenders you have to consider who they are replacing on gamedays.

Urban and Basham are better than Tyrone Crawford, Ron Dell Carter, the corpse of Everson Griffin, and could send Armstrong to the bench. All of those guys got lots of gameday snaps and were a huge reason for our run woes. Off tackles, sweeps, screens, and smokes worked against us too easily.

Watkins is in the mix at defensive tackle. He is great insurance if Hill and/or Hamilton crapping the bed. We won't have to see the level of play as we did with Eli Ankou and Don Poe.

Kearse is a standout special teams player and better than the replacement types that got snaps last year like Thompson and Savion Smith.

These signing are not about improving the ceiling. They are about raising the floor.

Moreso these signings improve our special teams. Listening to McCarthy talk about needing athletes in that 230 to 270 lbs range on your roster made a lot of sense to me.

Neal was healthy last year. I think playing him at WILL/nickel plays to his strengths and I cannot say how much I look forward to the pursuit and tackling that he and Wilson will provide.

Kazee may not play but his bar to beat is 2020 Xavier Woods.

Not a lot of sexy but the game is mitigating mistakes and risk as much as it is pushing the front lines.

 

[Adreme]

2018 and 2019 were pretty good drafts. Above average.

Above average... they were far below average. From 2018 you got a first round pick who you do not think is worthy of a 5th year option (that usually says all you need to know), an above average guard, and your 3rd WR, and a backup TE. This is sadly the best of the 3 but its not very good. From 2019 you got a backup RB and backup OLine player, and a bad safety. How are either an above-average draft? Its not just that you could not find a single very good player in either (which ideally you would like to find every 2-3 drafts) its not there are simply not enough JAGs in the draft with the late round picks utterly being unable to find even serviceable players. Not every pick has to be a Pro Bowl player, but the Dallas Cowboys lack both playmakers and JAGs which is why the team is lacking.

 

[Adreme]

Because 2020 was very good.

Probably, but I am not including yet because obviously the 2 good players and 1 decent player have a lot of room to grow before really being considered great. The reason I left them out was not to color the data, but because I think you need at least 2 years to really see how a draft class is starting to play out.

Edit: You also cannot have one good draft every 4 years and be anything than an average football team. You become a good team by having multiple good drafts in a row and then you have a 2-3 year window where you can be both active in free agency and have cheap players on rookie deals.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Cowboys hasn't improved one bit. I would have expected them to sign a DL, a Corner and a Safety. The rest they can find later or fill it in with the draft. Now at #10 they force their hand to having to fill that spot with a corner.

If Surtain II is gone, they are left with reaching for another corner. They should have signed a Corner in FA and pick up Micah Parsons. He would be my ultimate pick at #10 and could really improve this defense immensely.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

The answer is........ who knows.

History, however, tells us these kind of moves rarely pay off for Jerry and the Cowboys.

Hopefully this is the year they bucks that trend.

agreed. there is a lot of one year, lets prove it kind of deals. and usually half of these work out, and half don't....

 

[ESisback]

Cowboys hasn't improved one bit. I would have expected them to sign a DL, a Corner and a Safety. The rest they can find later or fill it in with the draft. Now at #10 they force their hand to having to fill that spot with a corner.

If Surtain II is gone, they are left with reaching for another corner. They should have signed a Corner in FA and pick up Micah Parsons. He would be my ultimate pick at #10 and could really improve this defense immensely.

They added veteran depth at DL and DB at a good price, a swing tackle that’s better than what they had, they may not be done with FA, and they have 11 draft picks, with four picks in the first 100. They have a new DC too. Add Dak, Jarwin, and a healthier OL, and I think they’ll be MUCH better! JMO.

 

[Rockport]

Above average... they were far below average. From 2018 you got a first round pick who you do not think is worthy of a 5th year option (that usually says all you need to know), an above average guard, and your 3rd WR, and a backup TE. This is sadly the best of the 3 but its not very good. From 2019 you got a backup RB and backup OLine player, and a bad safety. How are either an above-average draft? Its not just that you could not find a single very good player in either (which ideally you would like to find every 2-3 drafts) its not there are simply not enough JAGs in the draft with the late round picks utterly being unable to find even serviceable players. Not every pick has to be a Pro Bowl player, but the Dallas Cowboys lack both playmakers and JAGs which is why the team is lacking.

Yes, above average.

 

[Adreme]

Yes, above average.

You really need to look around the league. The average team is drafting better than that. The good teams are drafting far better than that. I looked at 10 teams just now real quick to see their 2018 and 2019 draft classes and only 1 would I say had it worse, and most were far better (including the Ravens who had a 2018 draft class that is just cheating). The only way the Cowboys draft classes look decent is if you overhype your own guys and just simply do not know the names of the other people drafted (as a general rule most teams have players that they hype that no one outside of that team really knows).

 

[ESisback]

You really need to look around the league. The average team is drafting better than that. The good teams are drafting far better than that. I looked at 10 teams just now real quick to see their 2018 and 2019 draft classes and only 1 would I say had it worse, and most were far better (including the Ravens who had a 2018 draft class that is just cheating). The only way the Cowboys draft classes look decent is if you overhype your own guys and just simply do not know the names of the other people drafted (as a general rule most teams have players that they hype that no one outside of that team really knows).

So what attracted you to such a gaggle of incompetent morons?

 

[Adreme]

So what attracted you to such a gaggle of incompetent morons?

Just because I like the team does not mean I am going to pretend that they are good at everything. I have enjoyed the team for over 25 years now, but it would be silly to pretend that the weaknesses that the Cowboys have, and have pretty much had for decades, are not there. The reason the roster is largely devoid of either JAGs or playmakers is because they have not drafted well the past few seasons, especially when it comes to finding JAGs in the later rounds, who are important to have. 2020 seems like it could be a good draft, at least in the playmaker perspective, but need to hit more than 1 draft every 4 years. If they have a good draft this year, then this time next year could be an exciting offseason, but they still do not draft well overall.