Laramey Tunsil & a $40 Million Dollar Offensive Line

[Stash]

I think the second contracts for all these guys are going to start at $10 million a year. If Zack Martin keeps making Pro Bowls, he may be looking at $15MM a year.

I think the number in the OP are way low. The contract for Smith and the second contracts for Collins, Fredricks and Martin will be $50 million alone. Not including RT. Add $5 million a year for Tunsil with his second contract at least $15 million assuming he's all that.

I just think the team will have too many limited resources at one position.

There is also the law of diminishing returns. Sure, Tunsil is likely better than Free. But THAT much better. Maybe. But you are also throwing away Chaz Green.

I wouldn't hate it if they took Tunsil. But I'd prefer a trade down if Goff or Wentz isn't there.

As for drafting well.....the Cowboys have done a good job in the first round. After that, they have generally stunk.

Tunsil's second contract is 4 years down the road, minimum. During that time, you're also getting out from under Romo's contract, far and away the priciest on the team. And that's also assuming that everybody is getting paid by the Cowboys and no other linemen come along as potential replacements.

And Chaz Green may already be a bust of a draft pick, I'm not influencing my draft choices based on him at all. If you get anything at all, it's a swing tackle bonus or a quality player you may be able to trade later on.

I'm totally with you on the quarterbacks, but if both are gone, I'm definitely considering Tunsil at #4 unless I get a whale of a trade offer.

 

[Stash]

But I was referring to those saying that drafting Tunsil was not worth considering.

D'oh! Sorry, my bad...

 

[AKATheRake]

There won't be 1 of the top 2 QB's waiting there. I already weeks ago predicted someone moving up to #1 and I think it will be for Goff. The Rams pulled it off. SF is next at #2 or our pick.

SD would scoop Tunsil instantly unless Ramsey really is what they want.

I would try and trade Free for a pick and if I can't get 1 for him I would cut him.

Then select Tunsil. He is the best overall player in the draft and we would absolutely impose our will on teams defenses.

 

[Stash]

Nope. We have 2 over the hill RBs (McFadden and Morris) McFadden is a FA next year and I'm sure in the heck not depending on Morris after that. Why not sew up RB for the next 7-10 years

Because you can do it considerably cheaper. And smarter. This team makes running backs. Running backs don't make them. Facts prove that.

You can "sew up" running back much later in the draft. The NFL's leading rusher of 2014 came out of the 3rd round. And then proceeded to flame out spectacularly at his next stop before being traded away. Not all on him to be sure, but he looked a lot different playing without this line.

Conversely, a former bust draft pick was the league's #4 rusher last year when he started working with this line.

Nobody can say "overkill" regarding Tunsil and then turn around and clamor that this team needs to draft a running back at #4 to have a dominant run game.

 

[KJJ]

I love Tunsil but I wouldn't do it.we have a aging QB and no successor on the horizon.the game is to get to the playoffs.one injury and we are 4-12 or worse and the greatest oline ever assembled would do nothing for you.

We had arguably the greatest OL ever assembled in the early 90s and without an elite back behind it in 93 during Emmitt's holdout we started 0-2 and that team had a great defense. Regardless how great your OL is the back matters. The problem with taking a QB real high it's far from guaranteed they'll end up Romo's successor and if they did there's no assurances they'll be the long-term answer. As good as the Cowboys OL already is if you don't have a quality QB and RB and a solid defense you're not going to win many games and we found that out last season. The OL is the last place I would use the 4th overall pick.

 

[Stash]

It's easy to pass him up when you consider we already have the top OL in football and that we're never going to get anywhere until we start adding some impact players to the defense. You can't just keep putting resources into an area of great strength when we have holes all over the DL and at corner. I don't care how good you make the offense it's never going to be good enough to overcome the defense we have. Lee had two concussions last season and one more could retire him and once you get past him we have virtually no playmakers. When you have the 4th overall pick you have to address a weakness with the pick and they'll be defensive players there that could help us.

So your plan is to draft Lee's replacement at #4 overall? Who did you have in mind?

 

[Stash]

I love Tunsil but I wouldn't do it.we have a aging QB and no successor on the horizon.the game is to get to the playoffs.one injury and we are 4-12 or worse and the greatest oline ever assembled would do nothing for you.

I think most of us are saying to draft Tunsil if both of the top two quarterbacks are already gone, not advocating passing on one of them for him.

 

[YosemiteSam]

The game is won and lost at the line of scrimmage. The QB, OL and DL are the absolute best places to spend your money.

 

[Stash]

We had arguably the greatest OL ever assembled in the early 90s and without an elite back behind it in 93 during Emmitt's holdout we started 0-2 and that team had a great defense. Regardless how great your OL is the back matters. The problem with taking a QB real high it's far from guaranteed they'll end up Romo's successor and if they did there's no assurances they'll be the long-term answer. As good as the Cowboys OL already is if you don't have a quality QB and RB and a solid defense you're not going to win many games and we found that out last season. The OL is the last place I would use the 4th overall pick.

Nobody is saying to pass on either of the top two quarterbacks to draft him, why bring it up?

 

[boysfanindc]

I love Tunsil but I wouldn't do it.we have a aging QB and no successor on the horizon.the game is to get to the playoffs.one injury and we are 4-12 or worse and the greatest oline ever assembled would do nothing for you.

Maybe the O line could play both ways?

 

[muck4doo]

If the best player in the draft is there, take him. Pretty simple, really.

Indeed. If Tunsil is there at 4 take him. If we don't need him someone will offer a valuable trade for us at a position of need.

 

[ilykdrama]

Tunsil would be unbelievable if we could get him to play RT, they'd wear a defensive line down by halftime.

 

[waving monkey]

If T Crawford,Thornton or Lawrence tear a ACL then what.

 

[KJJ]

So your plan is to draft Lee's replacement at #4 overall? Who did you have in mind?

You got it all wrong I said once you get past Lee we have virtually no playmakers. I'm not looking to replace him I'm looking to add a playmaker on defense on the DL or at corner. I'm on record as saying I'm not thrilled with anyone in the top 5. Taking a QB at #4 would mean we're taking a backup player with a top 5 pick which wouldn't make any sense for a 4-12 team. Miles Jack is coming off a significant knee injury and the medical reports haven't been good so he would be a huge risk. Bosa tested positive for pot and was suspended plus he doesn't look like a sack master. As for Ramsey no one knows what he is a corner or a safety and some scouting reports haven't been that great.

With the top OL in the league we don't need Tunsil. I've been on record for weeks saying I would trade down. We could fleece a team like SF or Philly that might want Goff. We could get their first rounder, a second rounder and maybe even their #1 next year. When a team wants a QB bad enough you could walk away with the farm. We could add some real talent to this team the next couple of years if trade down and make the right picks. We could still walk away with one of the second tier QBs who could end up being a great QB who knows!

 

[KJJ]

Nobody is saying to pass on either of the top two quarterbacks to draft him, why bring it up?

Where did I say anything about that? I said I wouldn't take a QB high I would pass on both top QBs and Tunsil and trade down.

 

[Stash]

You got it all wrong I said once you get past Lee we have virtually no playmakers. I'm not looking to replace him I'm looking to add a playmaker on defense on the DL or at corner. I'm on record as saying I'm not thrilled with anyone in the top 5. Taking a QB at #4 would mean we're taking a backup player with a top 5 pick which wouldn't make any sense for a 4-12 team. Miles Jack is coming off a significant knee injury and the medical reports haven't been good so he would be a huge risk. Bosa tested positive for pot and was suspended plus he doesn't look like a sack master. As for Ramsey no one knows what he is a corner or a safety and some scouting reports haven't been that great.

So what exactly are you advocating?

All I see are a bunch of 'don't wants' without an idea of a 'do want'.

With the top OL in the league we don't need Tunsil.

With Doug Free at right tackle? Sure we do. Free is a spare, and far and away this line's weakest link. There's not a team in the league that would give you anything for Doug Free. Tunsil is so much better a player that it's not debatable.

I've been on record for weeks saying I would trade down. We could fleece a team like SF or Philly that might want Goff. We could get their first rounder, a second rounder and maybe even their #1 next year. When a team wants a QB bad enough you could walk away with the farm. We could add some real talent to this team the next couple of years if trade down and make the right picks.

Does it not look contradictory to you at all that you punch holes in all of these players and yet still somehow expect to "fleece" teams out of picks for them? Do you not see the irony here?

We could still walk away with one of the second tier QBs who could end up being a great QB who knows!

History knows. And unlike people, it doesn't lie. It shows the truth. Whether people like that truth or not.

 

[Stash]

Where did I say anything about that? I said I wouldn't take a QB high I would pass on both top QBs and Tunsil and trade down.

Yeah, I saw that 'plan' in the above post...

 

[Direwolf63]

Taking a QB at #4 would mean we're taking a backup player with a top 5 pick which wouldn't make any sense for a 4-12 team.

Wrong.

Taking a QB at #4 means you are investing in the long term future of your franchise. You may not like the pick, but that's what it means.

 

[Stash]

Wrong.

Taking a QB at #4 means you are investing in the long term future of your franchise. You may not like the pick, but that's what it means.

The ignorance in the entire thought process is apparent.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

If your numbers are accurate, we'd be foolish not to do it. Compare the return on investment to any of those other teams and what they're paying, and the Cowboys' line (with Tunsil) would put any and all of them to shame!

Compare the lineup we would have to any of theirs and it's not even close.

$400,000 more than what the Vikings are paying for the lineup they have? Sign me up for that immediately!

This just re

Currently we rank about 20th with money spent per offensive line in the league and it represents about 14% of our cap, that is about to change with or without drafting Tunsil. With the Rams moving up, Tunsil one of the best players in the draft may slide. The question is whether drafting Laremy Tunsil is too much talent and money allocated in one place. Let's take a closer look...

If we fast forward several years and resign Zach, Fred and L.Collins we are looking at APPROXIMATELY a $36 million dollar O-Line without Tunsil. With Tunsil it becomes about a $40 Million dollar line at least for the first five years of Tunsil's contract. Can we afford it? Im not sure but it looks like we will be spending 35Mill or 40Mill either way. With the cap going up and Romo going away in 2019 or sooner, it is possible.

In comparison right now the top 5 teams spending on the O-line is as follows.

2016
Minnesota Vikings $39,600,000
Oakland Raiders $37,500,000
Philadelphia $34,200,000
Pitts Steelers $31,900,000
Houston Tex $30,000,000

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/positional/offensive-line/

We would most likely become the highest paid offensive line in the league by a few million but we would've amassed more talent on the offensive line than the league has ever seen. I'm not a salary cap guru and i'm not sure how long you can keep restructuring Tyrone Smith, so I may be off some. I have "estimated" the cap hits based on the best players at their positions. On the flip-side we may be able to save on new these contracts if we set up T.Smith type deals with Frederick, Collins and Martin.

2016 Dallas Cowboys
TyroneSmith 6,800,000
Doug Free 5,500,000
Zach Martin 2,500,000
Frederick 2,200,000
R. Leary 2,200,000
L. Collins 550,000
Backups 2,000,000
Total 19,555,000

2018 PJ (estimates based on best in league)
Tyrone Smith 9,000,000 (restructured)
Frederick 6,500,000
L Collins 7,500,000
Z Martin 9,000,000
Tunsil 5,000,000 (1st 5 years)
Backup 4,000,000
Total 40,000,000

This is good but the problem is more nuanced.

These represent just the explicit costs in drafting Tunsil and paying our line.

But what about implicit costs? There are laws of diminishing returns to adding talent to our offensive line. What's the opportunity cost in missing out on a defensive playmaker? What's the team building lost opportunity to trading down?

I'm fine with the explicit cost of adding Tunsil.

I am not fine with the implicit cost of adding Tunsil.