CFZ Offense: What free agents should the Cowboys have signed?

[4lifecowboy]

What they should have done was keep Cooper
Signed 2 veteran interior linemen a Guard and a Center
The only reason Jerry let Cooper go was because he wouldn't get vaccinated
Our Achilles last year was that we were weak in the middle of the line.
Instead of building on last year, and addressing the holes he created more holes

 

[Floatyworm]

• Cowboys Offense
  • 2021: #1 in points scored. #1 in total yards. #2 in passing yards.
  • 2020: (at the point Dak got injured): #2 in points scored. #1 in total yards. #1 in passing yards.
  • 2019: #6 in points scored. #1 in total yards. #2 in passing yards.

Excellent post....funny how facts tends to shut people up. Kellen Moore isn't the problem.

 

[TheHerd]

Gallup is not a borderline #1. Lamb is maybe a borderline #1. Trading a legit #1 for nothing was dumb. I get getting tired of him, but trading Coop for nothing was dumb. Otherwise I really don’t have tons of issues with the offensive off-season. Maybe get a better guard. I didn’t want Collins back.

 

[CowboyRoy]

• This is about Offense only. We can have another tread about defense.

• Keep in mind that this was a year when other teams paid:
  • Connors Williams 7M per season.
  • Cedrick Wilson 7.35M per season.
  • Traded a 1st & 2nd for WR Davante Adams & gave him a 140M contract.
  • Traded 5 picks (1, 2, 4, 4, 6) for Tyreek Hill & gave him a 120M contract.

• What should the Cowboys have done if they spent more money:
  • They couldn't give a big contract to a free agent LT to backup Tyron.
    • Signing another journeyman swing Tackle was not going to make things better.
  • They opted to give Tyron 1 more season to see if he could stay reasonably healthy.
    • They used a 1st round pick on a LT and kept Tyron for this final year.
    • It was a reasonable decision.

• Moving on from Amari Cooper was about more than money.
  • Remember the Raiders also got tired of him.
  • Yes, obviously the Raiders got a premium pick from him, but there was a reason they were ready to move on.

• Should they have signed another WR?
  • CeeDee had 79 catches for 1102 yards with a 65.8% catch rate in 2021.
    • Comp: Mike Evans had 74 catches for 1035 yards with a 54.9% catch rate (Yards/Catch +0.1 over CeeDee).
    • Evans had less catches/yards despite playing more snaps.
  • Gallup is a quality #2 WR and arguably #1 type NFL WR.
  • The Bucs signed Julio Jones for 1-year, 6M.
    • That looked good for game 1, however...
      • He played less snaps for 2020 & 2021 combined than CeeDee played in 2021.
      • i.e. Relatively high risk of injury at this point.
    • Also, Julio Jones only signed with the Bucs because of Brady.
      • Jones has made a ton of money already.
  • If just signing a free agent was the answer...
    • The Raiders could have saved themselves a 1st and 2nd round pick.
    • They gave up the picks and gave Davante Adams a big contract.
  • The Dolphins gave up 5 picks (1st, 2nd, 4th, 4th, 6th) for Tyreek Hill.
    • They also gave him a mega-contract.

This team needs a legitimate RT and Guard and they need Gallup back. Could also use a another big play RB to pair with Pollard and this offense is ready to roll.

The Oline is the #1 Problem. They also need a quality 3rd WR.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Excellent post....funny how facts tends to shut people up. Kellen Moore isn't the problem.

Moore isnt the biggest issue, but he is part of the problem.

 

[Sydla]

• This is about Offense only. We can have another tread about defense.

• Keep in mind that this was a year when other teams paid:
  • Connors Williams 7M per season.
  • Cedrick Wilson 7.35M per season.
  • Traded a 1st & 2nd for WR Davante Adams & gave him a 140M contract.
  • Traded 5 picks (1, 2, 4, 4, 6) for Tyreek Hill & gave him a 120M contract.

• What should the Cowboys have done if they spent more money:
  • They couldn't give a big contract to a free agent LT to backup Tyron.
    • Signing another journeyman swing Tackle was not going to make things better.
  • They opted to give Tyron 1 more season to see if he could stay reasonably healthy.
    • They used a 1st round pick on a LT and kept Tyron for this final year.
    • It was a reasonable decision.

• Moving on from Amari Cooper was about more than money.
  • Remember the Raiders also got tired of him.
  • Yes, obviously the Raiders got a premium pick from him, but there was a reason they were ready to move on.

• Should they have signed another WR?
  • CeeDee had 79 catches for 1102 yards with a 65.8% catch rate in 2021.
    • Comp: Mike Evans had 74 catches for 1035 yards with a 54.9% catch rate (Yards/Catch +0.1 over CeeDee).
    • Evans had less catches/yards despite playing more snaps.
  • Gallup is a quality #2 WR and arguably #1 type NFL WR.
  • The Bucs signed Julio Jones for 1-year, 6M.
    • That looked good for game 1, however...
      • He played less snaps for 2020 & 2021 combined than CeeDee played in 2021.
      • i.e. Relatively high risk of injury at this point.
    • Also, Julio Jones only signed with the Bucs because of Brady.
      • Jones has made a ton of money already.
  • If just signing a free agent was the answer...
    • The Raiders could have saved themselves a 1st and 2nd round pick.
    • They gave up the picks and gave Davante Adams a big contract.
  • The Dolphins gave up 5 picks (1st, 2nd, 4th, 4th, 6th) for Tyreek Hill.
    • They also gave him a mega-contract.

Oh look.

Excuse making.

 

[Pass2Run]

They could have signed another Cam Fleming, Ty Nsekhe or Cam Erving.
- They still would have started Tyler over those guys.

Jason Peters, even if he is not active for the first 3 games is a better option than those journeyman types.
- His 2021 performance was was rated as the Bears best OT performance for a season since 2017.
- I think the Cowboys have had Peters on the back burners for a few months.
- He was only going to play again under certain circumstances.
- He lives in Texas and the Cowboys were his top choice.
- As a 40 year old veteran, he likely didn't want to go to training camp.

If Tyron could have just made it through about 3 games, they would have been set.
- I think they would have signed Peters even if Tyron did not get injured.

I like your reasoning on this one, and I agree. Even not having seen him play this year, he was a decent option last year, even at his age.

So, then, we're able to move Tyler Smith to the LG position . . . maybe by game 3.

I said in my predictions that I could see this team going 0-3 to start, then picking up the pace down the line and going on a streak.

We shall see. I'm actually more hopeful that Cooper Rush can pull off another win next game. But who knows? I don't really trust his arm too much.

 

[Pass2Run]

Unfortunately for me it had less to do with this last off-season than the ones that saw JJ give DLaw an extension, Zeke an extension, and Jaylon Smith an extension. These type of moves, and others, hurt the Dallas cap which hampered their ability to go after legitimate impact players.....but those moves are all JJ as he falls for his players.

Yeah . . . we whiffed on Julio Jones.

There were other guys out there like Von Miller, I suppose, and I can see why you pass on that guy. Because if you don't win, you lose a whole lot by signing him at 33. But Julio Jones at $10 million this year? I would get with that. Just because then you're really loaded at WR. Good WRs has been part of what has made Dallas even semi-successful during the regular season.

That's what this team has always been. A regular season team with a pretty good winning record, that always has pretty interesting players. But they're not NFL championship team anymore.

 

[xwalker]

Oh look.

Excuse making.

The thread is for people to post their opinions on this exact topic in one place.

I see references in other threads about what management should have done, but trying to separate emotions from practicalities, what was feasible that they could have done but didn't?

Fail
JuJu would have been a good option and realistic.

Not Fail
Signing a legit starting caliber LT before Tyron's injury was not realistic.

 

[Chuck 54]

2018 was different , there wasn't a ceedee Lamb or a 3 rd year Gallup, there was a rookie Gallup and that's it.

Actually, while he wasn’t very good, we had Terence Williams who had been a starter, and we had Cole Beasley. If we are judging Dak by 1 game, then I think so far it’s safe to say we still have no proven #1 WR. Plus, we knew Gallup wasn’t going to play for a few games, so you’re supposed to prepare for that. We did not.

 

[xwalker]

I like your reasoning on this one, and I agree. Even not having seen him play this year, he was a decent option last year, even at his age.

So, then, we're able to move Tyler Smith to the LG position . . . maybe by game 3.

I said in my predictions that I could see this team going 0-3 to start, then picking up the pace down the line and going on a streak.

We shall see. I'm actually more hopeful that Cooper Rush can pull off another win next game. But who knows? I don't really trust his arm too much.

Yes, in March they had to decide to keep or cut Tyron. That was before the draft.

His 2021 injury was not an age related or back/neck issue. It was logical to believe that he would play the first several games at a minimum.

In March the plan was to draft a Future LT which meant Tyron would be a 2022 stopgap.

No way to know for certain, but I think before Tyron's injury they expected to eventually sign Peters as insurance.

LT actually looked good in game 1. The issue is that LG was weaker without Tyler there, then McGovern was injured after 7 snaps. Tyler next to Farniok was too much inexperience side by side.

Tyler next to Zack Martin might have been offensive player of the game...

I get a good vibe from Peters as a player-coach similar to Sean Lee coaching LVE during his rookie season.

Tyron might be more of the.Witten type that just didn't fit that mold. Tyron is only 31. It's only human to not be gung-ho to help replace yourself.

 

[buybuydandavis]

The plan wss for McGovern to also be a backup.

I reviewed past year's game footage of James Washington and he appeared to be a decent stopgap signing.

Free agents like JuJu go where they think they have a good chance to be a starter. It's not always a money decision.

But if the plan was to move Tyler out to LT if Tyron got hurt, there was more need for backup interior oline. We only had 2 interior oline backups to backfill for 4 starters. Not enough generally, but especially with Tyron's injury history.

Even with Washington, given that Gallup was going to miss games and be coming back from serious injury, WR was an obvious spot where we needed more depth, and Washington broke his foot on Aug 1st.
They had weeks to find an upgrade to Noah Brown as a starter. I like Brown, but he's not my idea of a starter.
Lamb, Brown, Houston, and Simi? That's what we *planned* to start the season with with over a month of time to upgrade?

Interior oline and WR - two spots we could have improved easily, and should have.

 

[KJJ]

They should’ve kept one of their own free agents Cedrick Wilson.

 

[Pass2Run]

The plan wss for McGovern to also be a backup.

I reviewed past year's game footage of James Washington and he appeared to be a decent stopgap signing.

Free agents like JuJu go where they think they have a good chance to be a starter. It's not always a money decision.

I agree on James Washington. He's as good as Ju Ju. Many Steeler fans would tell you that anyway. And cheaper. Appears to be a Dak-friendly role player type.

I would have like another vet though. If Julio Jones costs me over $10 million, I get a cheaper guy. But I still throw down for a guy like Julio Jones. He's not done yet. He's had some injuries hampering his game. He's only 33. I see him having a good year. JMO.

 

[Ranched]

Doesn't matter. The season has started.

 

[Pass2Run]

Im all for developing a guy. But they wouldnt play simi last year. They rarely use brown. So we know those 2 cant fill the void by themselves.

They still won't play Simi or Tolbert this year.

Instead, Dennis Houston...

Doesn't matter. The season has started.

Suh is still out there..lol

 

[Dre11]

They didn't try to sign anyone. The only plan to replace coop was wash and a bunch of wr that are terrible that may grow into backup roles if given enough years. Get out of here with the julio isn't coming here, how do you know did they even try? no. Their plan sucked as evidenced on the field. I'd rather have kept cooper over gallup yes. Gallup will have his own struggles once he's back. But if you are going to send your best receiver away you have to have as better plan than a bunch of guys who can barely make a roster and 1 decent vet. And they failed to even try to bring anyone else in. I'ts a huge F for failure.

Lamb was Cooper replacement. What are you talking a out?. When they drafted Lamb everyone knew Cooper days were numbered

 

[Dre11]

Actually, while he wasn’t very good, we had Terence Williams who had been a starter, and we had Cole Beasley. If we are judging Dak by 1 game, then I think so far it’s safe to say we still have no proven #1 WR. Plus, we knew Gallup wasn’t going to play for a few games, so you’re supposed to prepare for that. We did not.

They signed Washingtoom and drafted a wr. They had no idea Washington was getting hurt.

 

[Dre11]

Gallup is not a borderline #1. Lamb is maybe a borderline #1. Trading a legit #1 for nothing was dumb. I get getting tired of him, but trading Coop for nothing was dumb. Otherwise I really don’t have tons of issues with the offensive off-season. Maybe get a better guard. I didn’t want Collins back.

THEY WERE NOT GETTING ANYTHING MORE. Their only options were to keep him, take the 4th, or release him. They were up against a deadline where his contract became guaranteed. They didnt feel his production/availability matched the 20 million and they felt he was soft(basically) .

 

[Dre11]

Oh look.

Excuse making.

No it's fact.