Seahawks sign DT Hankins

[CowboyChris]

Hankins isn’t a big loss, but he is for us.

 

[Blitzen]

We've got a different defensive coordinator who wants his guys and has no ties to the players who left. He got what appears to be his main ask and the Joneses were willing to go against San Francisco for him, likely exceeding what they want to pay any outside free agent.

The players we lost on offense were either underperforming or age/injury risks with younger players waiting in the wings. We have cut ties with players before under this philosophy who did not live up to their contracts. I think there will be a little bit more movement by the team to fill out the roster, but they also could wait until after the draft to see what they get first. After all, when you are paying bottom dollar, you really don't have to hurry.

I think they got placeholders in place at every starting position. I'm not happy about who they've chosen, but for what they are willing to pay, it's pretty much all they could get.

QB Prescott, Lance, Rush (don't expect that to change in draft)
FB Luepke (don't expect that to change in draft)
RB Dowdle, Vaughn, Davis (expect RB to be drafted to contend for starting job)
TE Ferguson, Schoonmaker, Hendershot (don't expect that to change in draft)
WR Lamb, Cooks, Tolbert, Turpin, Brooks, Bryant (not sure if that will change in draft)
OL Tyler, Bass, Hoffman, Martin, Steele, Richards, Ball, Waletzko (expect C to be drafted at the least)

DE Lawrence, Parsons, Williams, Fehoko, Golston (not sure if that will change in draft)
DT Mazi, Odighizuwa, Golston, Davis (expect at least one DT to be drafted)
LB Kendricks, Parsons, Clark, Overshown (expect at least one LB to be drafted)
CB Diggs, Bland, Lewis, Scott (expect CB to be drafted)
S Wilson, Hooker, Bell, Thomas, Mukuamu (don't expect that to change in draft)

That's five positions where there is definitely a draft need, but only RB and C absolutely need a starter upgrade. That's not saying we can't use or don't need several upgrades, but I'm trying to look at it like this front office does. Their strategy each year is to make sure they have placeholders at every position heading into the draft. For example, last year they resigned Hankins to be the placeholder at NT because they didn't know they were going to get Mazi in the draft. This year, re-signing Hankins wasn't considered an absolute because they have Mazi. A few years back, they let Byron Jones go in free agency despite the fact they pay their own. They did that because they knew he would be overvalued but because they also had two starters and a nickel in place and could afford to move on. It may be a poor strategy overall, but it's their strategy ... bring in cheap free agents to fill out the roster where needed ahead of the draft, sign your own unless you've got players to take their roles.

I am interested to see if a change in their strategy this year is to trade some picks after the draft if they don't get what they want in the draft since they know they will have a bunch of comp picks next year. But I'm giving them far too much credit for being forward thinking instead of reactionary.

I’m not saying the team will not find replacements, but this is not their typical m.o. with regards to their own free agents. Replacing this many snaps in a year they are evidently extending their 31 year old QB is not their m.o.

It looks like they are playing the long game, so why would they do that with an older QB about to be extended? The long game approach is something I would prefer at this point, but it is a contradiction to do it with an aging QB-and has not been their off-season plan for awhile.

 

[Texas_Pete]

We have already maxed out our number of comp picks for 2025. you can only have four.

In that case:

 

[CowboyoWales]

Hankins isn’t a big loss, but he is for us.

Yep, its the optics when one of your biggest weaknesses is run defense and have just employed a DC who prefers a massive D-Line....we get rid of a player that fits both criteria....with no real option other than Plug and Hope Mazi has dramatically re-upsized and is seen as the saviour.

 

[Blitzen]

I know that but stop the “we are going for it talk” it’s ridiculous because as you said actions >>>words

This is the same GM that was Super Bowl hyping a Dave Campo led squad with no first round picks for two seasons because Joey Galloway was going to save the team.

 

[Floatyworm]

I feel like this is going to be our best DT rotation ever.

Or...

We may not have enough bodies to run a 4 man front.

I'm starting to have suspicion that we may going to a 3-4 defense.

You hear whispers they want to get bigger...

LDE - Daviis
NT- Sweat
RDE- Mazi

LOLB- Parsons
LILB- Clarke
RILB- Kendrick
ROLB- Lawrence

 

[Sydla]

Not yet, we will see who they draft, who they trade for, and who they sign from cap casualties.

Still holding out hope, I see.

When the draft is just ehhh, they don't make any big trades and they sign slop, you'll be back here defending their moves, saying this joke player is actually much better than he is, etc.

It's what you do.

 

[Sydla]

Even worse. Bigger reason why the Cowboys should trade Lance for a mid-round draft pick next month.

You'd be lucky to get a 6th rounder for him.

 

[Sydla]

Jerry told ya'll that he was going all in. He is...he is going to blow up this team and remake it in a couple of years. He needs to unload some contracts and over the hill players this year and tank for this year and next. Then he will get some top draft choices to retool. FO is going to find out if any of their youngsters can play at the NFL level this year.

If this is the plan, then they can't even tank right. If you are blowing it up or plan to blow it up, why wait? Dump the QB now. Play Lance. Load up on picks to give you ammo to make a trade in a year or two for a QB in the draft.

Only Jerry and his dope of a son could half *** and mess up a tear down.

 

[Sydla]

The best part is going to be when they re-sign Prescott in August, save a ton on the cap that they could have used this FA and then go out and win like 8 games and blow another season due to stupidity.

It's what we do best.

 

[Big_D]

If this is some kind of "rebuild" why would you keep the QB and add to that salary? This is a mess of monumental proportions. Do people actually think this team has some kind of quality plan in place? It's actually disturbing how bad they look right now... both the team and management! It's pretty sad.

 

[CowboyoWales]

Not yet, we will see who they draft, who they trade for, and who they sign from cap casualties.

Well they aren't 'drafting' a DT to replace Hankins/or fits as a Zimmer type DT....unless we go Sweat in the 1st, which we won't.

 

[LittleD]

If this is the plan, then they can't even tank right. If you are blowing it up or plan to blow it up, why wait? Dump the QB now. Play Lance. Load up on picks to give you ammo to make a trade in a year or two for a QB in the draft.

Only Jerry and his dope of a son could half *** and mess up a tear down.

He can't do anything about Dak except let him play out his contract and eat the money this year. That way Jerry starts fresh next season. It's going to take two years to get their
cap credit cards cleared out.

 

[Sydla]

He can't do anything about Dak except let him play out his contract and eat the money this year. That way Jerry starts fresh next season. It's going to take two years to get their
cap credit cards cleared out.

If you cut him now (or work a trade now), they won't have to account for dead cap next year. So they could clear his hit out one year earlier.

If he plays out his last year, then they have to advance all those dummy years onto the 2025 cap.

There's no point to letting him play out his year but then strip the team down around him for 2024. You are literally just wasting a season. So if you want to rebuild, then take the pain now, not extend it another year.

 

[CowboyoWales]

He can't do anything about Dak except let him play out his contract and eat the money this year. That way Jerry starts fresh next season. It's going to take two years to get their
cap credit cards cleared out.

Not really, even with the high Dead Cap (even if Dak doesn't re-sign), our CAP situation in 2025, is pretty decent (compared to our recent years and compared to other teams). If CeeDee (and even Dak) are re-signed it'll be on high Signing Bonus and pushed down the line with v.low 2025 hit.

 

[Creeper]

Let's be honest. Hankins is not that great. In fact he is pretty average at this point in his career. I think his PFF run defense grade was something like 52. But he was teh Cowboys best DT, and now he is gone. That in itself is not a problem. The problem is Dallas will replace him with someone not even as good as Hankins. Carl Davis?

I have no idea what Dallas's plan is but this off-season gets more dismal each week.

 

[LittleD]

If you cut him now (or work a trade now), they won't have to account for dead cap next year. So they could clear his hit out one year earlier.

If he plays out his last year, then they have to advance all those dummy years onto the 2025 cap.

There's no point to letting him play out his year but then strip the team down around him for 2024. You are literally just wasting a season. So if you want to rebuild, then take the pain now, not extend it another year.

Dak has a no trade clause in his contract and will now his manager will wait till next season to maximize his value for his new deal. These contracts that have been restructured will take two years to completely clear out. We will get a 3rd round draft pick for Dak in 2026 and along with the tank will have loads of picks for the draft. Our new QB is on the horizon...not this year or next.

 

[Sydla]

Dak has a no trade clause in his contract and will now his manager will wait till next season to maximize his value for his new deal. These contracts that have been restructured will take two years to completely clear out. We will get a 3rd round draft pick for Dak in 2026 and along with the tank will have loads of picks for the draft. Our new QB is on the horizon...not this year or next.

You can tell Dak and his agent to seek out a trade. If Dak knows that Jerry intends to basically tank the 2024 season, it's more than likely that if he and his agent get to work the trade destination, he'd consider a move out.

The worst possible scenario if this is truly a rebuild is letting Dak play out the season. Which of course is the strategy I'd expect the two nitwits to choose.

 

[LittleD]

You can tell Dak and his agent to seek out a trade. If Dak knows that Jerry intends to basically tank the 2024 season, it's more than likely that if he and his agent get to work the trade destination, he'd consider a move out.

The worst possible scenario if this is truly a rebuild is letting Dak play out the season. Which of course is the strategy I'd expect the two nitwits to choose.

Most all the needy teams have spent for their QB already and at least 5 teams see their new QB in the draft next month. Dak's maximum value is to get the big deal next season. The season schedule this year is quite tough and we were not likely to win 10 games anyway.

 

[Sydla]

Most all the needy teams have spent for their QB already and at least 5 teams see their new QB in the draft next month. Dak's maximum value is to get the big deal next season. The season schedule this year is quite tough and we were not likely to win 10 games anyway.

You could get more than a 3rd round comp pick right now if you could get him to take a trade.

The Cowboys, if they are in a "quiet" rebuild are just screwing up. Which should surprise zero people given the futility of the franchise under Jerry's reign as sole GM with his son.

If you aren't going to win 10 games anyway, then why the hell would you let Dak play out the year, take on like $40MM of dead money in 2025 and only have a 3rd round comp pick to show for it? Oh and then you have to waste 2025 wondering if Lance can play QB or if you have to draft one. If they are rebuilding and they let Dak play out the year, they are literally just wasting an entire season.

Most likely, Jerry is hedging his bets here being the fool he is. He can't totally commit to a rebuild because he can't stomach a bad season, so in his eyes if he lets Dak play out 2024 maybe just maybe we still win enough games, make the playoffs and go on a run. We won't but Jerry is too stubborn to admit reality.