I think all the referenda on Ware's career being "hurt" or "ruined" needs to stop.
Bottom line is that it is what it is -- he's 32 years old this summer at a position that takes an absolute beating every single snap, and for the majority of his career he was a 3-down player.
I still think he can produce at a level high enough to help a team, but not enough on the Cowboys for it to be worth keeping him at the requisite cap costs. This contract was likely structured to either be restructured if he was still playing at a high level, or to be released at this point.
Now, all of that being said, unless a guy is basically a fountain of youth like Jason Witten, I don't want to see us sign any more players other than offensive linemen to contracts that extend into their mid-30's.
Henry Melton works out great -- we can give him a 1-year deal at age 27 and see what happens, or give him a 3-year deal that lets him walk away at age 30 regardless of production. All of these guys, Ratliff, Ware, etc. started to break down around age 30 or 31. Anthony Spencer is 30 years old now too -- I wouldn't even think about re-signing him unless it's a very, very inexpensive deal as a stopgap while we scout defensive ends in the 2015 draft.
I said it before free agency started and I'll say it again -- we'll be able to tell what direction this franchise is trying to go based on what we do this off-season. So far we're saying that we're moving on and starting to go with the youth and speed movement. I like it.
