The "30 And Over" Players

[rockj7]

not sure on Free as I believe his cap hit next season would be $7.5M. That's a lot and if I'm interpreting his contract correctly, we could save $5M next season by cutting him. I agree we need to draft a RT next year.

How about resigning Leary and move Collins to RT

 

[drawandstrike]

It'll be interesting to see what happens with Lee and Witten's contracts this offseason.

I'd bet Lee would stay as-is for another season at least. Witten's going to be making ~$7m base next year and while I don't think he's quite worth that much (that's top 5 TE in the league money), I also can't see the Cowboys cutting him or asking him to take a pay cut.

Maybe an extension with guarenteed money in exchange for lowering his per-year numbers? It's a thought.

Surprisingly enough, Witten is the 5th TE in the league currently with 50 or more catches this season. He has 52 catches on the year and only 3 more guys have more than him.

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

How about resigning Leary and move Collins to RT

I'm a big fan of resigning Leary, he's a tough SOB. I suspect he'd want $4-6M/yr but number of years is the issue - he wants that second, lucrative contract. Collins is nicely versatile but under contract through next year so some time to figure that out.

 

[Titleist]

How about resigning Leary and move Collins to RT

This is what I've proposed but seemingly few people around these parts agree with me. Most are concerned that Collins does not have the feet (i.e. lateral swiftness) to play OT at the pro level.

I'll admit that I'm biased because I've followed Collins since he started at LSU in 2011 but I really think he could make a fine RT.

 

[mrmojo]

I'm an old geezer here and even I'm saying dang Romo and Free are old haha

 

[LocimusPrime]

Siince Lee is getting a little older, we should really start looking at our linebacking Corp as well as the DE.
Without knowing if or when Jaylon will recover or what type of player he will be, I'm not looking forward to having Hitchens, Wilson, and Nzeocha at LB.

 

[StarBoyz83]

I thought Carr and Durant were older

 

[Q_the_man]

2017 Draft
Round
1- CB or DE
2- CB or DE
2- DL or TE (trade Romo for a 2nd)
3- DB, WR or OL
4- WR, OL or DL

 

[Satchel89]

Free gets destroyed a lot and I understand that he's not at the same level as the other lineman but he's still a solid player. I know Green and Collins are the future but Free would still be a good backup to keep around.

 

[Zekeats]

I would let romo play out his contract and I would let Dak know that he will get an extension the final year of romos deal in 2019

 

[Ashwynn]

Wow, I did not realize Lee was 30 already, man, feels like a wasted career almost in some respects. Where did the time go, I remember him being a rookie just the other day. Lets hope he has a good 5-6 or more years left.

 

[DogFace]

not sure on Free as I believe his cap hit next season would be $7.5M. That's a lot and if I'm interpreting his contract correctly, we could save $5M next season by cutting him. I agree we need to draft a RT next year.

Wouldn't mind using some of that to keep Leary and move Collins out to RT.

 

[xwalker]

Free gets destroyed a lot and I understand that he's not at the same level as the other lineman but he's still a solid player. I know Green and Collins are the future but Free would still be a good backup to keep around.

The biggest issue with Free would be if Martin had to miss a game and an average at best player had to play RG. The Cowboys do a of things scheme wise to protect Free. Many of these things would be difficult to impossible with a sub-par RG.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

His contract is currently written to void this off-season, which will make Brandon Carr an unrestricted free agent.

Carr accepted a pay cut this season and may be open to re-working his 2017 salary to remain in Big D.

Or he might one to try another dip in the free agent pool and see what kind of bites he gets.

Brandon Carr has to be the oldest 30 yr old in the league. Seems like he has been around for 15 years.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Oldest players on the roster (age 26 and up)

1. QB Tony Romo - 36 - under contract through 2019, franchise QB, likely to be traded or released in off-season

2. LS L.P LaDouceur - 35 - under contract through 2017, franchise LS, never missed a snap, roster lock

3. TE Jason Witten - 34 - under contract through 2017, may get extension to create salary cap room, roster lock

4. OT Doug Free - 32 - under contract through 2017 - starting RT, possible release or pay cut to stay in '17

5. LB Justin Durant - 31 - under contract through 2016, reserve LB, unlikely to re-sign

6. QB Mark Sanchez - 30 - under contract through 2016, reserve QB, probable re-sign

7. CB Brandon Carr - 30 - under contract through 2016 (2017 voids), unlikely to re-sign

8. Sean Lee - 30 - under contract through 2019, franchise LB, roster lock

9. CB Orlando Scandrick - 29 - under contract through 2018, starting RCB & Nickel slot CB, roster lock

10. RB Darren McFadden - 29 - under contract through 2016, reserve RB currently on NFI, pending free agent, doubtful re-sign

11. K Dan Bailey - 28 - under contract through 2020, franchise kicker, roster lock

12. SS Barry Church - 28 - under contract through 2016, starting SS, pending free agent, probable re-sign

13. Cedric Thornton - 28 - under contract through 2019, reserve NT, roster lock

14. DT Terrell McClain - 28 - under contract though 2016, starting NT, pending free agent, doubtful re-sign

15. DE Jack Crawford - 28 - under contract through 2016, playing DE this season, pending free agent, doubtful re-sign

16. WR Dez Bryant - 28 - under contract through 2019 - franchise WR, roster lock

17. LB Andrew Gachkar - 28 - under contract through 2016, special teams, reserve LB, pending free agent, unlikely re-sign

18. RB Alfred Morris - 27 (28 in Dec) - under contract through 2017, reserve RB, likely to remain next season

19. DE Ryan Davis - 27 - under contract through 2016, reserve DE, pending free agent, unlikely re-sign

20. WR Cole Beasley - 27 - under contract through 2018, QB friendly slot receiver, roster lock

21. LB Kyle Wilber - 27 - under contract through 2017, core special teamer, reserve LB, probable salary cap release in off-season

22. LG Ronald Leary - 27 - under contract through 2016, starting RG, pending free agent, unlikely to re-sign

23. QB Kellen Moore - 27 - under contract through 2016, reserve QB on IR, possible #2 in 2017, pending free agent, likely re-sign

24. LB Rolando McClain - 27 - under contract through 2016, suspended MLB, contract will carryover to 2017 if suspension lengthened, likely release

25. TE James Hanna - 27 - under contract through 2018, #2 TE on PUP this season, expected back next year but knee may tap out, probable return

26. P Chris Jones - 27 - under contract through 2017, starting punter and field goal holder, roster lock

27. WR Terrance Williams - 27 - under contract through 2016, starting wideout, pending free agent, unlikely to re-sign

28. DT Tyrone Crawford - 27 - under contract through 2020, playing mainly DE this season, roster lock

29. LB Mark Nzeocha - 26 - under contract through 2018, special teams player, reserve LB, roster lock

30. RB Lance Dunbar - 26 - under contract through 2016, reserve RB, pending free agent, probable re-sign

31. WR Brice Butler - 26 - under contract through 2016, reserve WR, pending free agent, probable re-sign

32. CB Morris Claiborne - 26 - under contract through 2016, starting RCB, pending free agent, probable re-sign

33. G Joe Looney - 26 - under contract through 2017, reserve G/C, roster lock

34. CB Leon McFadden - 26 - under contract through 2017, reserve CB, bubble layer

35. G Zack Martin - 26 - under contract through 2017, starting RG, 5th year option and likely extension coming in off-season, roster lock

36. OT Emmett Cleary - 26 - under contract through 2016, reserve OT, pending exclusive rights free agent, likely re-sign, bubble player

37. DE Zach Moore - 26 - Practice Squad, may sign futures deal at end of season, bubble player

38. G Ryan Seymour - 26 - Practice Squad, may sign futures deal at end of season, bubble player

-----

24 of these players are either free agents or have an obstacle in their path of return next season.

Some will be back, but more than half of these 38 could get churned by final cuts next year.

Looking back, 11 players were churned from this list going back to April.

Jeremy Mincey (32), Tyler Clutts (31), Mackenzy Bernadeau (30), Nick Hayden (30), Charles Brown (29), Danny McCray (28), Greg Hardy (28), Darrion Weems (28), Buddy Jackson (27), Josh Thomas (27) and Jerrel Harris (27).

I would think Dallas would try to resign McClain. He has been the best DL and probably won't be that expensive given he doesn't have a lot of "stats" per se.

Don't see much of a reason to resign Dunbar.

I can't see us spending #1 money for Claiborne....can't count on him to stay healthy.

 

[Swanny]

Of those players, I think only four would be potential contributors in 2017.

• Witten: They have three guys behind him currently, possibly two if they let Escobar walk. 2017 might be his last year in Dallas.
• Free: This one sticks out like a sore thumb to me. Chaz Green has been a walking injury since he was a Gator so they cannot count on him being a full time solution. They need to draft a guy.
• Lee: He seems to have finally found his health and I think he plays out his contract. They need better depth at LB and Smith needs to pan out.
• Ladouceur: They should bring in some guys this offseason, but Ladouceur has been awfully good for a long time now.

It amazes at how good LP us at his job. I want to teach my son to be a long snapper and make $900,000 per year. That's a good gig.

 

[big dog cowboy]

It amazes at how good LP us at his job. I want to teach my son to be a long snapper and make $900,000 per year. That's a good gig.

I told my son the exactly same thing last night.

 

[Bluefin]

I would think Dallas would try to resign McClain. He has been the best DL and probably won't be that expensive given he doesn't have a lot of "stats" per se.

Definitely possible.

That said, I'm expecting Terrell McClain to leave for the biggest offer on the table. While he had injury issues the prior two seasons, the team knew McClain was a good player and kept him around for the final year of his contract.

Dallas could've looked to give McClain a small extension last off-season, instead the biggest splash made in free agency was another player at the same position.

Cedric Thornton.

Both players are 28 years old, so I'd like to find a young NT in the draft to groom for a few years behind Thornton.

Don't see much of a reason to resign Dunbar.

Maybe they do, maybe they don't.

The team seems to like Lance Dunbar, so he might be back so long as another club doesn't offer anything unexpected like Atlanta did for Justin Durant in 2015. It shouldn't cost a lot, Dunbar is a specialist and brings injury concerns.

I can't see us spending #1 money for Claiborne....can't count on him to stay healthy.

Agreed.

Morris Claiborne is a good cornerback, but one of the unluckiest health-wise I've seen.

I'd prefer to keep Mo' instead of Brandon Carr, but it will have to be a fair contract to both sides.