If you were the Cowboys GM. what would you do?

[Verdict]

You obviously have to go BPA but if you are going to draft a receiver to be your number 1 you have to consider taking him in the first or second round. It's not a must and you don't force the pick, but I think if a number one receiver is there then you pull the trigger on him. This is as much about salary cap as performance.

Linebacker. You can get a really good one in the first three rounds in most drafts. We will need one worse if Jaylon isn't going to pan out. We will know more about this prior to April. If Jaylan hasn't fully healed by April, you assume he isn't going to and whatever you get out of Jaylon is found money.

1 Tech. We could get good value out of a 1 tech really anywhere in the first four rounds of most drafts.

Needs may not like up with draft grades. If a top linebacker is there in the first take him if he is your BPA. If it's a receiver, get him.

You can get RB draft value often in the 3rd round. We have a lot of picks. We need to use them to manipulate the draft to get what we want out of it.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Woods, in my opinion, is a Free Safety. But I, too, have mentioned that we might still get better production from Woods than Heath in the role temporarily. But if Chris Thompson (a scatback) can break his tackle, Strong Safety, in the long run, is not for him.

Maybe, although I think I might eventually like to see Awuzie take the FS spot and move Jones to full-time CB. Heath's greatest weakness is coverage which you still need from the SS position. If Woods can work on his tackling, I think he's the future at SS.

 

[bodi]

Hire Harbaugh and give him full reign to hire his own coaching staff and let him make team personnel decisions.

or hire Ken Norton Jr

 

[Sydla]

Funny thing is, the free agents everyone was pinning for before the season were DEs to improve pass rush, which is now the least of our problems.

Yeah, that's a bit of an exaggeration. DE was definitely something people focused on but so was the 1 Tech, S, even LB.

You know, positions that not surprisingly, we still need help at.

 

[Alexander]

I would find me a pro personnel director and break the bad news to Garrett that the gig is up and we are firing his brother.

I don't know what exactly Judd Garrett does to keep his job.

He is like the guy you have seen around the office forever, but you are damned if you know what exactly it is he does.

 

[Sydla]

I'm not sure about strong safety yet. Our linebacker play has been so poor how can you really evaluate it?

Heath has enough speed to cover receivers which is critical in the NFL. If we get adequate linebacker play I'm not sure Heath even looks like the same player.

Heath has shown limited pass coverage skills as a starting S.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Yeah, that's a bit of an exaggeration. DE was definitely something people focused on but so was the 1 Tech, S, even LB.

You know, positions that not surprisingly, we still need help at.

If I have to recount the number of time I heard "war daddy" during the off-season, lol. Really, though, While not a world beater they signed Paea for 1-Tech. I can't recall what safeties or LBs were available.

 

[Sydla]

Maybe, although I think I might eventually like to see Awuzie take the FS spot and move Jones to full-time CB. Heath's greatest weakness is coverage which you still need from the SS position. If Woods can work on his tackling, I think he's the future at SS.

I'd like to hope we bring in a DC that basically uses hybrid type Ss, kind of like Philly. So much more flexibility there. Woods and Awuzie as hybrid type Ss would be great IMO.

 

[jday]

I'm not sure about strong safety yet. Our linebacker play has been so poor how can you really evaluate it?

Heath has enough speed to cover receivers which is critical in the NFL. If we get adequate linebacker play I'm not sure Heath even looks like the same player.

Fair point, but it takes far more than speed to be a good Strong Safety...I just don't think Heath is the answer; he has had more than enough time to develop. That said, I would not be surprised in the least to see the Cowboys take a linebacker in the first round...but SS, I'm guessing, will be addressed in the offseason, at some point, as well.

 

[Tabascocat]

I would find me a pro personnel director and break the bad news to Garrett that the gig is up and we are firing his brother.

I don't know what exactly Judd Garrett does to keep his job.

He is like the guy you have seen around the office forever, but you are damned if you know what exactly it is he does.

Does he have a desk in the basement with his only friend being a stapler?

 

[Sydla]

If I have to recount the number of time I heard "war daddy" during the off-season, lol. Really, though, While not a world beater they signed Paea for 1-Tech. I can't recall what safeties or LBs were available.

They signed Paea because he was cheap, their favorite trait for a FA, and a Marinelli guy. There were people who were not behind that deal. I recall Poe got a lot of discussion here, even Logan. Two guys that would have helped this team a lot.

In fact, I'd be all over Logan this offseason as I said, if KC parts ways with him.

 

[Alexander]

Does he have a desk in the basement with his only friend being a stapler?

Maybe. But I don't even think Milton got his job out of blatant nepotism.

 

[Denim Chicken]

They signed Paea because he was cheap, their favorite trait for a FA, and a Marinelli guy. There were people who were not behind that deal. I recall Poe got a lot of discussion here, even Logan. Two guys that would have helped this team a lot.

In fact, I'd be all over Logan this offseason as I said, if KC parts ways with him.

Poe would have been a great acquisition and I think he's a FA again next year. 1-tech was absolutely mismanaged (should have kept McClain at least).

 

[Sydla]

Poe would have been a great acquisition and I think he's a FA again next year.

He and Logan both are. Both only signed one year deals this past offseason.

It seems like the market for guys like that isn't huge. Even look at Hankins, who got more than either. Indy can basically cut him after this season for no cap hit.

Who knows how the DT market will be this offseason, but based on last offseason, if the Cowboys are serious and don't go cheap in FA again, they could probably find a decent 1 Tech that won't cause them cap pain down the road.

 

[jday]

Maybe, although I think I might eventually like to see Awuzie take the FS spot and move Jones to full-time CB. Heath's greatest weakness is coverage which you still need from the SS position. If Woods can work on his tackling, I think he's the future at SS.

The idea has merit on, at least, a trial basis. I really don't know enough about Byron in the corner role to say one way or another. I think it might work better to put Awuzie at SS and Woods at FS. Awuzie is already bigger than Woods and has a better frame than Woods to bulk up. Whereas Woods was a ballhawk in college; FS would be the perfect place to see him exercise those skills.

 

[perrykemp]

This isn't about any one defensive player / coach / strategy that is the issue -- it's about the front office's philosophy on team building / cap allocation.

71% of the Cowboy's cap allocation is spent on offense, 29% on defense.

That tells you everything you need to know about why the Cowboy's defense is an below average defense.

 

[xwalker]

Poe would have been a great acquisition and I think he's a FA again next year. 1-tech was absolutely mismanaged (should have kept McClain at least).

Paea played well.

If his knee was OK when they signed him, then it was not a bad decision.

If his knee was bad when they signed him then it was a bad move or they should have signed someone in addition to him.

 

[Denim Chicken]

his knee was bad when they signed him then it was a bad move or they should have signed someone in addition to him.

Or at least kept Thornton.

 

[WillieBeamen]

This isn't about any one defensive player / coach / strategy that is the issue -- it's about the front office's philosophy on team building / cap allocation.

71% of the Cowboy's cap allocation is spent on offense, 29% on defense.

That tells you everything you need to know about why the Cowboy's defense is an below average defense.

Yep. They are poor at drafting defensive players.

 

[Alexander]

This isn't about any one defensive player / coach / strategy that is the issue -- it's about the front office's philosophy on team building / cap allocation.

71% of the Cowboy's cap allocation is spent on offense, 29% on defense.

That tells you everything you need to know about why the Cowboy's defense is an below average defense.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/positional/defense/

This is a bit skewed due to the youth we have on defense. But we also have a lot fewer good players worth getting paid.

These numbers did get helped by dumping the Carr, Claiborne and Church salaries.