Five moves each NFC East team should make
8:35 AM ET
- Bill Barnwell ESPN Staff Writer
The NFL season ended less than two weeks ago, but teams are already beginning to make moves in advance of the new league year. And with the NFL combine sprouting up in Indianapolis next week, vacations are already over for many. In addition to the scouting bonanza to come, front offices are figuring out their free-agent plans and identifying which players they'll want to retain from their own rosters heading into the new league year on March 9.
A good offseason, naturally, starts with a good beginning. That's where we come in. Teams like the Broncos and Panthers probably don't need our help, but that's never stopped us before. Over the next few days, we'll run division-by-division and detail the five moves each NFL franchise should make to kick off their respective offseasons in a positive fashion. That can include anything from cutting a longtime contributor to making a big splash in free agency -- or, in some cases, staying out of the pool altogether.
Some teams should be more active than others, so there are a few teams whose five moves extend all the way to draft day at the end of April. Other teams need to be more aggressive by the time the first day of free agency wraps up. Note that these moves aren't always in chronological order, even if they are the first five pressing decisions I've picked out. Finally, the advice is contained within its own world; multiple teams might be ideally interested in going after the same player, or a situation that might make sense for one organization wouldn't for the other.
It's 32 teams, 32 universes. Here we go.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
1. Cut Brandon Carr as a post-June 1 release. The Cowboys are perennially strapped for cap space, but they should have about $11 million or so available heading into the 2016 year before signing any of their unrestricted free agents, pending the official confirmation of the 2016 cap figure. (The estimate being used here for numbers throughout this series is a $154 million cap.) With less than $1 million in dead cap space for the first time seemingly since the beginning of the salary cap era, the Cowboys don't need to squeeze their veteran contracts to create more wriggle room under the cap.
In the case of Carr, though, the Cowboys are stuck with a deal that's underwater. They've restructured his deal in years past to create cap room, but now Carr is a middling cornerback with a premium cap figure. Dallas would owe the 29-year-old Carr $13.8 million to stay on the team in 2016, and while they would have been able to eliminate all but $2 million of that money if they hadn't restructured in years past, they would now owe Carr $7.4 million in dead money if they released him under the traditional fashion. As a post-June 1 release, though, Carr would only cost $4.7 million in cap space in 2016, with the remaining $2.7 million hitting the cap in 2017. Under any circumstance, it's money Dallas would be better off investing elsewhere.
2. Don't answer when the Eagles call about DeMarco Murray. A reunion between the Cowboys and their former star running back would make on-field sense for both sides. Murray was an ideal fit in Dallas' system, and while Chip Kelly is gone, the 2014 rushing leader might already be due for a change of scenery out of Philadelphia. (More on that in a minute.)
The problem is cost. The Cowboys would be on the hook for $7 million in guaranteed money this year and a minimum of $2 million (basically functioning as a buyout) with a maximum of $7.5 million in 2017. That's just not a smart investment for a running back like Murray; as talented as he is, 2014 sticks out like a sore thumb in terms of his ability to handle a heavy workload while staying healthy. Dallas can't afford to invest that much money in a running back.
3. Sign Alfred Morris instead. If the Cowboys do want to add a veteran running back from their division rivals, the 27-year-old Morris makes sense. Morris had far more success running in a zone-blocking scheme during offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's time in Washington, is a year younger than Murray, has less of an injury history and was far more consistent than his Dallas counterpart.
Johnny Manziel. It will be tempting for owner Jerry Jones to go after the quarterback he coveted in the first round of the 2014 draft, but Manziel has shown little on the field to go with his abhorrent off-field behavior. Taking
Zack Martin over Manziel was one of the best things the Cowboys have done over the past decade.
Dallas does need a backup quarterback, though, and after struggling through the
Matt Cassel fiasco last year, it's clear that they need a passer who can at least vaguely emulate
Tony Romo's athleticism, if not necessarily his effectiveness. Given Romo's propensity for injuries and advancing age, it's a place where the Cowboys genuinely need to invest a premium after years of getting by on the cheap. A deal for somebody like
Drew Stanton or
Tarvaris Jackson would be wise.
5. Add pass rush help. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has made a career of turning anonymous edge rushers into superstars, but he needs bodies.
Greg Hardy and rotation end
Jeremy Mincey are both free agents, and after Hardy created noticeable locker room drama, it's unlikely he'll return.
DeMarcus Lawrence and
Randy Gregory will play meaningful roles, but the Cowboys need depth.
Dallas could try to hit the top of the market and go after
Olivier Vernon or
Mario Williams (assuming the latter is released), but lower-cost, higher-ceiling options make more sense. Somebody like
Aldon Smith could be a fit. One fascinating option if he leaves his current team: Giants defensive end
Jason Pierre-Paul.
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