Should we re-sign Leary?

[WillieBeamen]

I like Collins.. But Leary is just better imo because he can get guys moved.

Collins is a heck of a player though but for a run 1st team like Dallas give me Leary.

Collins is only 23 and getting better. Leary will be 28 next season and has the knee condition.

 

[Daillest88]

Sign leary to a 3 year deal. He's been playing at a pro bowl level. Just like he was in 2014

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Collins is only under contract through next year. IIRC he signed a 3 year deal at the max for UDFA.

Correct. But we can re-sign Leary for next year and still have a cheap deal for Collins. I'd be curious to see what Collins goes for in the open market and I actually think we could go early and re-sign Collins to a decent sized deal, but not a back breaker. Especially if we cut Romo.



YR

 

[Trouty]

Smart is a relative term. All the current OL starters (including Leary) I would say are more intelligent than Collins. The guy over-commits on blocks to blow people up rather than just getting the job done. When you over-commit like that, you set yourself up to wiff.

I got you, Sam. You were referring to football smarts.

Yes, he is very raw. But he possesses freak athleticism and has flashed incredible strength at the POA and ability to hit the second level.

We got spoiled by generational linemen in Martin and TFred. Collins may need more time to develop, but his ceiling is sky-high. It's only year two for him, and he's been injured for part of this season.

He needs to keep progressing, I agree. But he has flashed enough to give me faith. I want all 5 darnit

 

[jrumann59]

Correct. But we can re-sign Leary for next year and still have a cheap deal for Collins. I'd be curious to see what Collins goes for in the open market and I actually think we could go early and re-sign Collins to a decent sized deal, but not a back breaker. Especially if we cut Romo.



YR

Problem is you still have Martin's contract coming up. So you would have 3 medium to high priced contracts within 1 year on for 3 guys but for only 2 starting spots.

Throw in that most likely Leary will want at least 5 years, Martin will get Max years and Collins would probably garner 5-7 year deal depending on his play level.

 

[WillieBeamen]

Physically Collins has it. Skill and recognition wise, he is lacking.

Look, the OL is playing better with Leary than it did with Collins. Everyone keeps screaming for Collins to move to RT, but he can't beat out Doug Free for that position.

Collins isn't underrated. I think he is overrated by many of the fans here. I'm hoping he learns and works on his technique, because the potential is there. Though we've seen a lot of players that are just too dumb to realize that potential.

He is underrated in the fact that he is only in his 2nd season and fans want to kick him out to RT, even tho he has shown flashes of being a dominant LG.

Leary wasnt "Leary" until the second half of his 2nd season. Remember, he was a practice squad player in 2012...

 

[Daillest88]

How much is the cap going up next year? Without touching romos contract and by restructuring Bryant,Smith,Frederick,lee,crawford and scandrick we can have 30 million in cap room next year fellas. Good lord jerry does work this cap good. That's without an increase in cap. We can definitely sign Leary if we want too

 

[ElGatoGrande]

This team's need for exceptional OL depth cannot be overestimated and I'd be all for investing the extra dollars to keep it in tact,,, the elephant in the room though is this team's need to invest more in its defense. How much more is yet to be determined, by the end of the season we'll know how it stands up to playoff quality offenses.

 

[jrumann59]

He is underrated in the fact that he is only in his 2nd season and fans want to kick him out to RT, even tho he has shown flashes of being a dominant LG.

Leary wasnt "Leary" until the second half of his 2nd season. Remember, he was a practice squad player in 2012...

Also guard and tackle are different positions. People were spoiled with Martin that transitioned from college LT to RG and was all-pro.

 

[jrumann59]

This team's need for exceptional OL depth cannot be overestimated and I'd be all for investing the extra dollars to keep it in tact,,, the elephant in the room though is this team's need to invest more in its defense. How much more is yet to be determined, by the end of the season we'll know how it stands up to playoff quality offenses.

This team will need to over pay in FA for an above average pass rusher if any are available, plus Carr and Mo will be FA, LBers may need help, maybe even a SS upgrade.

 

[Trouty]

This team's need for exceptional OL depth cannot be overestimated and I'd be all for investing the extra dollars to keep it in tact,,, the elephant in the room though is this team's need to invest more in its defense. How much more is yet to be determined, by the end of the season we'll know how it stands up to playoff quality offenses.

Incredible point, Egg. We must attack D this offseason. We need a bonafide stud at DE, and if Jaylon is still rehabbing, we need a MLB.

Our secondary is there (resigning Church [3aav] and Carr [4aav] , and a larger amount to Mo [7-8 aav] are almost mando, unless we go CB 1st round and SS 2nd round in the draft, but that would be silly, unless we target a 15m DE in free agency). We have a contender secondary, but we must attack DE and MLB.

Perhaps this poses a problem to my dream of having all 5 on the line, unless we can get Leary for around 6 aav.

 

[CATCH17]

I'll never get why they didn't kick Collins out to Right Tackle.

 

[Pokes12]

Controversial question, I know. We have a beast in La'el, but La'el is still raw and Leary is clearly the better of the two right now (just watch @Idgit's Green Bay clip posted in this Zone).

Leary has been a pro bowl level guard in his time here, but because of the splash signing of Collins, and the fact that he plays with Smith, Martin, and TFred, he is often overlooked and brushed aside.

He hits the second level like a boss on run plays and punks DT's in pass-pro.

Due to his knee would it be viable to sign him to a decent contract (around 6-8aav) and keep Collins and push him (Collins) out to RT? Free hasn't been bad, but as @xwalker has said many times, the Oline and coaching staff often have to send coverage over to his side, especially in pass-pro.

This guy isn't a Parnell type, he is actually an incredibly effective guard, every game he plays. Look at how Zeke has performed with this beast back in.

What say you guys? Is it too much cap allocated to one unit, to keep all five? Am I dreaming at the thought of Leary taking a 6-8aav (@bkight13) deal with teams like IND and TEN out there that need Oline?

What do you think, Zoners?

There is no question that we need to sign this guy. He has been nothing but GOOD since we signed him and took a chance on his knees. He has a nastiness about him that transfers nicely to the other linemen when he is in the line-up. He needs to stay here and start!!!

 

[jrumann59]

I'll never get why they didn't kick Collins out to Right Tackle.

He did not have the metrics. They had a perceived need at LG, because I think the staff worries about that knee, which is one injury away from becoming degenerative, my guess is they either expected Leary to be on his way with his knee at this time and they would let him play out his term.

 

[jrumann59]

There is no question that we need to sign this guy. He has been nothing but GOOD since we signed him and took a chance on his knees. He has a nastiness about him that transfers nicely to the other linemen when he is in the line-up. He needs to stay here and start!!!

While I agree this team has a lot tied up on the offensive side of the ball. We sign Leary, then , Collins, and Martin all the defense will be is draft picks and bottom of the barrel FA.

 

[Bullflop]

I think it'd be great if something was worked out that'd be beneficially agreeable to Leary and the Cowboys' organization at the same time. Ideally, it seems like it'd be best if all of our current guys could be retained in a way to maximize our OL and please those involved as well. If that meant switching Collins to RT or whatever else might work in terms of their effectiveness, I'd be all for it.

 

[jrumann59]

I think it'd be great if something was worked out that'd be beneficially agreeable to Leary and the Cowboys' organization at the same time. Ideally, it seems like it'd be best if all of our current guys could be retained in a way to maximize our OL and please those involved as well. If that meant switching Collins to RT or whatever else might work in terms of their effectiveness, I'd be all for it.

I just think that Leary's number will be near top tier LG he may settle for less but I will bet he will want a ton guaranteed with at least 5 years. While teams wonder about his knee, I bet he is too.

 

[Trouty]

While I agree this team has a lot tied up on the offensive side of the ball. We sign Leary, then , Collins, and Martin all the defense will be is draft picks and bottom of the barrel FA.

We can't go bottom of the barrel in free agency, now, J. Not when we are this close. The time to attack free agency is when you have a bubble contender, which we haven't (2014 not withstanding) until now. Our secondary is there, so we have less holes to fill, which makes attacking free agency easier.

We need a splash signing at either MLB or DE this offseason (and to a lesser extent SS) depending on how we draft. Our draft must be heavy D. With DE and MLB in rounds one and two, if it's on the board.

 

[Trouty]

I just think that Leary's number will be near top tier LG he may settle for less but I will bet he will want a ton guaranteed with at least 5 years. While teams wonder about his knee, I bet he is too.

I tend to agree, sadly. A team like Indy or TEN may very well offer him 7-9 aav. We couldn't match that, not with the D that needs to be addressed.

 

[erod]

Why has he been starting? He has contributed more this year than Dez and Romo combined and takes up a small fraction of their salaries.

Aren't you late for school?