Mayowa, Russell, Tapper, Irving

[FuzzyLumpkins]

But who in particular? I never thought there was much in the way of FA DE's and just went back and looked at the list. I don't see any better bets than Mayowa - or Russell and Irving for that matter. I see Mayowa as a project similar to Jermy Parnell, only someone else did the development work.

Another note in looking at the list of FAs, the Cowboys gave Thornton the 5th highest amount of guaranteed money of the FA Defensive Lineman this offseason. I think he is going to have a much bigger effect on the passing game than people think, he is capable of penetrating from the 1T spot in ways this team hasn't seen in a long time.

It's going to be so nice to not see the middle of the DL blown back or stonewalled with a single block 80+% of the time.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Mario Williams and Robert Ayers were available and signed reasonable contracts, they could have given you experience and known ability at the position.

I have no problem with Mayowa, Russell and Irvin in terms of potential but I certainly would like some experience at the rush end position.

I do think Thornton will be an asset and will assist in pushing the pocket from the interior but addressing rush end more substantially in free agency, notwithstanding Mayowa and Crawford, would have mitigated the issues we are currently experiencing at least to some extent.

We may still add someone with some experience that still has some gas left in the tank in the coming weeks.

I agree with you on Mario Williams. They switched schemes on him in Buffalo and dogged it but if they were willing to look at Party Hardy then I would have paid Williams what he got. At the same time I can see why coaches would nix a quitter like that.

 

[Kaiser]

Mario Williams and Robert Ayers were available and signed reasonable contracts, they could have given you experience and known ability at the position.

Mehh. Ayers is 30 and got 10.5 Million guaranteed, Mario is 31 and got 12 Million guaranteed. I would rather roll with a much younger guy with upside at a much lower price but that's just me.

 

[Rogerthat12]

Mehh. Ayers is 30 and got 10.5 Million guaranteed, Mario is 31 and got 12 Million guaranteed. I would rather roll with a much younger guy with upside at a much lower price but that's just me.

Not with our other issues at DE in my view especially considering you have the younger guys that can be groomed and prove their ability and worth in the rotation.

If this defense can not get consistent pressure especially against the better offenses, we are simply not going very far this season and that is the plain truth of the matter sadly.

Also, even when DLaw gets back, if we have little production at RDE, he may struggle because even though Hardy was not good enough last year ultimately, he definitely took the heat off of DLaw to some extent.

 

[Falco78]

Yeah, Irving has a little something to his game. To be so long, he still gets pretty good leverage... which is a pretty special trait to have at his height. The guy understands angles and leverage and is really a pretty good player already. What he did last year as a rookie without even having the benefit of going through camp with the Cowboys was pretty good.

I expect good things from his this year both at DE and inside at tackle.

I was really hoping to see him at DT, but with all the suspensions I think it kinda forces our hand to try him at DE first

 

[Stash]

Mehh. Ayers is 30 and got 10.5 Million guaranteed, Mario is 31 and got 12 Million guaranteed. I would rather roll with a much younger guy with upside at a much lower price but that's just me.

I'd sign any established veteran for a year or two as a 'bridge player' until if or when any of the young guys develop to replace them.

They've done it before with guys like Selvie, Mincey, and Hayden, but the problem was that they never had the player in the pipeline to solidify themselves in the starting role.

A bridge guy buys you a year or two. And with guys like Gregory burning their own bridges, I think they could really use one of those guys right about now.

 

[Stash]

Not with our other issues at DE in my view especially considering you have the younger guys that can be groomed and prove their ability and worth in the rotation.

If this defense can not get consistent pressure especially against the better offenses, we are simply not going very far this season and that is the plain truth of the matter sadly.

Also, even when DLaw gets back, if we have little production at RDE, he may struggle because even though Hardy was not good enough last year ultimately, he definitely took the heat off of DLaw to some extent.

Agreed. People point at Lawrence to save this team's pass rush also want to conveniently forget that Hardy played a good part in helping him to get those sacks last year. The defensive coordinator knows that's true, but some fans want to avert their eyes to it, to say nothing of the fact that he's coming off of back surgery and will miss a quarter of the season.

 

[CATCH17]

All it takes is for a season for you to go from being a good player to a bad one. We've seen it time and time again. There's going to be a Cowboy on this team we expect to be good based on what he did last season and he won't be. That's just the NFL.

If we're willing to take risks as stupid as the risks we take with premium 2nd round picks then i'm sure forking up a 1 year deal for a aging/productive vet shouldn't be too risky.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

If we're willing to take risks as stupid as the risks we take with premium 2nd round picks then i'm sure forking up a 1 year deal for a aging/productive vet shouldn't be too risky.

It's not that it's a risk it's that it's a waste of time and resources. Unless you don't like what we have at DE. But I'd rather go with the inexperience but hungry guys.

 

[zrinkill]

I'm sure the FO wasn't thinking Tank and Gregory would screw up the way they did.

Then the front office is as stupid as I thought.

 

[CATCH17]

It's not that it's a risk it's that it's a waste of time and resources. Unless you don't like what we have at DE. But I'd rather go with the inexperience but hungry guys.

I'm willing to waste some time and resources in this situation..

It's better than wasting the resource of a 2nd round pick and the time it takes for the players or player to come back from injury/suspension.

 

[Sydla]

Then again, the same Philly defense u speak of was top 5 in sacks last year n ran out who exactly at OLB? Connor barwin n Brandon graham? Not exactly household names and most likely benefitted from the stellar play of the interior guys (which hopefully n very well could also happen here). I'm not saying I'm not bummed out about Gregory and certainly it will b an uphill climb, but to sit here and already throw up the white flag before even a single training camp snap is mind boggling imo. Why don't we see how the entire unit performs before throwing these guys under the bus?

They were top 5 in sacks in 2014, not last year.

Further, Connor Barwin had double digit sacks in Houston one year so it wasn't like he came out of nowhere to get double digit sacks in 2014. He had done it before. So for you to try to minimize him as some JAG off the street would be wrong. That team also had Trent Cole who had posted multiple double digit sack seasons in his career. The only real surprise from that team in terms of sacks was Vinny Curry who got 9 sacks that year (and frankly, I was hoping he was a guy the Eagles might not resign and we could scoop up but since they went back to a 4-3, he was resigned).

So no, comparing the 2014 Eagles to this current Cowboys situation is a total stretch. That Eagles team had two proven edge rushers in Barwin and Cole and a stud interior player in Fletcher Cox. We have far more questions than that team did along the front.

 

[CCBoy]

They were top 5 in sacks in 2014, not last year.

Further, Connor Barwin had double digit sacks in Houston one year so it wasn't like he came out of nowhere to get double digit sacks in 2014. He had done it before. So for you to try to minimize him as some JAG off the street would be wrong. That team also had Trent Cole who had posted multiple double digit sack seasons in his career. The only real surprise from that team in terms of sacks was Vinny Curry who got 9 sacks that year (and frankly, I was hoping he was a guy the Eagles might not resign and we could scoop up but since they went back to a 4-3, he was resigned).

So no, comparing the 2014 Eagles to this current Cowboys situation is a total stretch. That Eagles team had two proven edge rushers in Barwin and Cole and a stud interior player in Fletcher Cox. We have far more questions than that team did along the front.

True...that is what it is.

But from where this fan sits, there is an upswing of the arrow on this defensive line, now.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I'm willing to waste some time and resources in this situation..

It's better than wasting the resource of a 2nd round pick and the time it takes for the players or player to come back from injury/suspension.

I'm not sure what you mean? Lawrence is only out 4 games. I'm not even sure if Gregory even plays this year. They have other guys there they need to look at. There's potential there but that's it.

 

[CATCH17]

I'm not sure what you mean? Lawrence is only out 4 games. I'm not even sure if Gregory even plays this year. They have other guys there they need to look at. There's potential there but that's it.

Lawrence isn't worth a 2nd and 3rd rounder. He's solid but we paid too much.

 

[Sydla]

Lawrence isn't worth a 2nd and 3rd rounder. He's solid but we paid too much.

A little early to state that.

 

[CATCH17]

A little early to state that.

Nah.. His talent doesn't warrant a 2nd and 3rd rounder combined.


You could get a lot of incredible veteran players for that type of compensation.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Nah.. His talent doesn't warrant a 2nd and 3rd rounder combined.


You could get a lot of incredible veteran players for that type of compensation.

He's a second year gut coming off 8 sacks on a rookie contract. Yeah, you maybe able to get a vet for a 2nd & 3rd, but then you have to pay them a butt-load.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Lawrence isn't worth a 2nd and 3rd rounder. He's solid but we paid too much.

We paid too much? What? What does that have to do with anything? We drafted him in the 2nd round and he's a starter for us and he looks like a starter. He's not Demarcus Ware but I don't think we ever asked him to be. There's a lot of problems with this defense and Lawrence is the LEAST of them. He's the one bright spot.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Nah.. His talent doesn't warrant a 2nd and 3rd rounder combined.


You could get a lot of incredible veteran players for that type of compensation.

Like who? This is agenda based. But I don't know why. You have so many other options to nitpick at but you nitpick the one bright spot? What am I missing here?