The current barometer

[Verdict]

Kmowing that there is a long way to go until opening day, including the draft, additional free agent signings and undrafted free agent signings, what is your current feeling about where we are right now?

Free is gone. A lot of people including me were ready for him to go, but I wanted to see us shore up the position first. I guess we will see if Green or a draft pick will fill that spot.

I actually like the restraint in free agency but I am not wowed by any of the signings. If we go the BPA route in the draft we will likely have some talent holes on this team. If we reach for need, we will likely miss.

The Cowboys may be doing what we have said they should do for some time and that's build the team patiently and smartly. It is the best long term but we may field a lesser team next year. Time will tell.

 

[Joe Realist]

I feel the Boys will slip back to the pack some. 8-8 could be realistic, though 3-13 would fit right into Garrett's pattern.

 

[haleyrules]

It has been a little surprising, so far, that the club didn't pursue some FA's. Not a big fan of overspending on old players. But there were a couple that might have helped..Bouye or Torrey Smith. Getting a young player like Gilmore just starting his upswing would have been a nice addition. Well, its a long way to the season opener so things could change.

 

[Setackin]

Based on the what the Cowboys player acquisition strategy is the last few years, I don't think it's fair to judge until after the draft. The players they've acquired in FA aren't necessarily replacements. They were brought in to round out the roster holes, to prevent reaching in the draft.

 

[waldoputty]

Kmowing that there is a long way to go until opening day, including the draft, additional free agent signings and undrafted free agent signings, what is your current feeling about where we are right now?

Free is gone. A lot of people including me were ready for him to go, but I wanted to see us shore up the position first. I guess we will see if Green or a draft pick will fill that spot.

I actually like the restraint in free agency but I am not wowed by any of the signings. If we go the BPA route in the draft we will likely have some talent holes on this team. If we reach for need, we will likely miss.

The Cowboys may be doing what we have said they should do for some time and that's build the team patiently and smartly. It is the best long term but we may field a lesser team next year. Time will tell.

with the offense we have, we will continue to be very very good.
my guess is somewhere between 10-6 to 12-4.

the only problem is the defense was not improve like could have been.
top FAs could have been brought in without blowing up the cap.
however, the front office chose the cheap approach when there was plenty of cap to leverage.

with a limited defense, even if this team gets to the NFC championship game or the superbowl, how in the world is it supposed to stop an elite offense.
instead of patching up the defense with 3rd tier CB etc, may be we should just have not signed any D FAs and go 6-10 (if that was even possible) with just rookies and udfas.
at least we would have gotten a better draft pick to get a real daddy after the season

what is the most ridiculous is that the front office risked dak's health without the lack of a proven replacement for Free when they knew he was retiring.
lets hope dak does not get hurt.

 

[Stash]

I don't see how anyone can be either surprised or worried. They're doing exactly what they have repeatedly said they would do, not spend big money on average free agents. If anyone thought they would or should do differently, that's on them.

And to this day, nobody can name a single player lost that is irreplaceable, or even one who will be tough to replace.

And everyone looking at the contracts paid to the guys walking out the door should be glad it's not the Cowboys overpaying them what they're getting. If anything, I personally feel very good about the moves they are making and those that they're not.

 

[MileyDancer]

I feel the Boys will slip back to the pack some. 8-8 could be realistic, though 3-13 would fit right into Garrett's pattern.

This. All day.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I don't see how anyone can be either surprised or worried. They're doing exactly what they have repeatedly said they would do, not spend big money on average free agents. If anyone thought they would or should do differently, that's on them.

And to this day, nobody can name a single player lost that is irreplaceable, or even one who will be tough to replace.

And everyone looking at the contracts paid to the guys walking out the door should be glad it's not the Cowboys overpaying them what they're getting. If anything, I personally feel very good about the moves they are making and those that they're not.

 

[Verdict]

I don't see how anyone can be either surprised or worried. They're doing exactly what they have repeatedly said they would do, not spend big money on average free agents. If anyone thought they would or should do differently, that's on them.

And to this day, nobody can name a single player lost that is irreplaceable, or even one who will be tough to replace.

And everyone looking at the contracts paid to the guys walking out the door should be glad it's not the Cowboys overpaying them what they're getting. If anything, I personally feel very good about the moves they are making and those that they're not.

I am not criticizing letting the players go that they have let go, with the exception of Leary and I get that it was a cap related departure. I like the fact we are keeping our powder dry to resign our own guys.

I am just not sure we are going to be able to replace all the players lost with an equivalent player on our budget. So we may go backward a little but this year.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I am just not sure we are going to be able to replace all the players lost with an equivalent player on our budget.

Then you are in for a surprise.

 

[Idgit]

We're pretty much where we ought to have expected the team to be right now. This is how it goes. We'll end up signing a couple more of our own next week. Mo, McFadden. Guys like that. Then we'll have a surprise signing or two late in FA of a good player or two willing to take a one year shot on a popular contending team. Everyone will feel better about things going into the draft. Then we'll draft, everybody will complain about who we picked, and the cycle will start back up again.

 

[gmoney112]

Meh, if you knew beforehand the contracts expiring this year it's probably not a shock.

I really don't mind the guys we lost.

All depends on the health of the DL guys (and Jaylon) this year and what they add in the draft.

I honestly don't mind at all if we go young on the defense to judge the guys that we actually have on defense since a lot of them have missed time. Will we be the youngest defense in the league? Feels like it.

If they stay relatively healthy on the DL, draft, with Irving+Mayowa improving, I have us at 10-6, 9-7.

The offense is just too dominant. If all the young guys improve as the year goes on, we can still make noise in the playoffs but we'll be in a great position going into 2018 as far as evaluation, cap, and knowing how to proceed. That's the optimal way to approach it since it will only be Dak's 2nd year in the league.

 

[Leadbelly]

I think the defensive backfield is one Scandrick high ankle sprain from a dumpster fire. The lost players individually are replaceable but when you have to make changes at 4 spots in a single position group and get four or more new people up to speed in your particular defense, it's how you go 2-4 to start a season instead of 4-2.

Everything else is fine. Pleasantly surprised we kept both TWill and Butler. Nolan Carroll was a solid signing. After the draft, hopefully I'll feel much better about the DBs.