CFZ What are your plusses and minuses?

[CowboyoWales]

Key for me is what they do with the cap savings????

It's only about $14m, so a couple of above JAG o-line pieces, maybe a WR and carry over the rest.

 

[Creeper]

I like your negatives but I disagree with the positives. I don't have faith in Fowler. I have even less faith in Steele.

My positives:

Reworking the contract of Demarcus Lawrence. Lawrence was an overpaid player about to cost $27 million against the CAP. The new deal cuts that to $14 million. Kudos to both sides in that deal. Contrary to popular believe Lawrence does make a difference when he plays.

Re-signing Anger, the punter, was a positive. He may still be one of their best weapons.

I like bringing LVE back for a small 1 year deal. We get to see if he is the player we saw at the end of last year or not. If not there is no long term commitment and it only cost $3 million to find out. He is like an insurance policy.

I like resigning Gallup. But we have to see if his injury has any effect on his play.

I like that they did not touch Zeke's contract. They have an out next year and they left it that way.

The Negatives:

All of the negatives from the OP, and these.

Cutting La'el Collins and putting all their eggs in the Steele basket. This scares me to death. Steele is going to be a big liability in the passing game especially if the Cowboys have to come from behind to win. They should have kept him for the good of the team and let him compete with Steele. They can always trade him later and would probably get something decent for him when he would be more in demand.

The moves they made seem to imply that they will take the same approach to games in 2022 that they did in 2021. That means Dak throwing 40 to 50 times a game to outscore the opponent. The defense is at best the same as last year, but probably a little weaker. The offense is a lot weaker than last year. They are misplacing the blame on Cooper and Collins for the failure of their QB and other offensive linemen. Dumb.

As of now they are going into the draft with too many glaring holes in the lineup. They have only 1 first round pick so they can only fill one hole adequately. I have an awful feeling they will use it to draft a WR because Dak is the man. The next pick will be OL or DE. If they do not hit a home run in the draft this team is going to be mediocre at best. I know they are feeling cocky after last year's draft but the reality is if the Broncos didn't screw up their draft by taking CB the Cowboys would have not take Parsons. Will they have the same luck this year at 24?

 

[KJJ]

There’s been nothing but minuses this offseason. If you’re looking for hope there hasn’t been any so far.

 

[visionary]

PLUS:
Jerry is one year closer to the dirt nap

MINUS:
Stephen is next in line

 

[CouchCoach]

Going into this off season with that cap and how they lost that playoff game, I knew this was not going to be smooth.

I really don't have any pluses yet because I don't know how Fowler and Washington are going to fit but I am optimistic about the draft class from 2021 showing up more and contributing. Wait, keeping Lawrence at a reduced price is a positive. This defense needs him.

I have one minus, the people who run this team and their need to be celebrities and run their mouths. I think that affected the Collins and Cooper situations and while Cooper isn't close to the Adams and Hill hauls, he was better than what they got but when have you ever considered them astute traders?

The Jonses have to be the worst poker players I've seen, You do it have to look for the tell, they'll gladly tell you that.

What I do think is way too much is being made of this off season and many here, and I know they know better, are acting shocked that the Cowboys weren't real players in FA. When was the last time they were that? Parcells with Glover? Of course they did give CB1 money to a CB2 so do you really want them playing in the deep end of the pool?

 

[john van brocklin]

It's only about $14m, so a couple of above JAG o-line pieces, maybe a WR and carry over the rest.

Yuck, wish we could put it into one quality free agent... if any are even left....

 

[MoistMayonnaise]

On the plus side, I'm 6'3" , relatively smart and attractive enough that is doesn't cost me job opportunities.

Minus, I'm getting old and cranky. The mind is 13 but the body reminds me on a daily basis, it isn't.

 

[ICP]

Well, we did get our punter back

 

[CowboyoWales]

Yuck, wish we could put it into one quality free agent... if any are even left....

.....and there's and why we were in CAP Hell, we cut/traded/restructured and lost to Free Agency over $70m. We've signed a group of (just above) JAGS, Kearse and Gallup and we've still only got $14m (after draft considerations) to spend.

The problem with the quality free agent is that we could structure to defer large payments to 2023.....unfortunately we've only got $1m to spend (and that's taking into account the annual increase).

The light at the end of the tunnel is 2024, but im sure with restructuring to Tyron and DLaw and Zeke/Schultz gone we could make a splash signing in FA next year (and defer CAP until 2024).

 

[john van brocklin]

.....and there's and why we were in CAP Hell, we cut/traded/restructured and lost to Free Agency over $70m. We've signed a group of (just above) JAGS, Kearse and Gallup and we've still only got $14m (after draft considerations) to spend.

The problem with the quality free agent is that we could structure to defer large payments to 2023.....unfortunately we've only got $1m to spend (and that's taking into account the annual increase).

The light at the end of the tunnel is 2024, but im sure with restructuring to Tyron and DLaw and Zeke/Schultz gone we could make a splash signing in FA next year (and defer CAP until 2024).

Thanks for your reply

 

[Cboyfan4ever]

Positives: Dan Quinn still here
Negatives: Jerry and Stephen still here

 

[bigE79]

While I understand the tendencies of many to feel down about the offseason thus far, I can see some positives amidst the rubble. I don't think the offseason and free agency have been a total disaster, and I wanted to point out what I feel have been good moves and some that still have me scratching my head and get some opinions on what others think?

Here are my negatives:

1. Trading away Cooper for a bag of magic beans. No sugar-coating it. The Cowboys gave away their best receiver for peanuts, especially when seeing what receivers like Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams fetched in their trades.
2. Announcing to the world that you were 'done' with La'el Collins and ultimately cutting him. I know about the cap savings situation, and I also know that the Cowboys themselves created that cap situation too. They released one of the best right tackles in the league and got nothing for him.
3. Franchise tagging Dalton Schultz. Sorry, but in no universe is Schultz a franchise player worthy of an $11 million cap hit this year. And he's not worth any big money multi-year contract going forward either. Teams like Buffalo are loading up for a championship run and getting guys like OJ Howard to be their #2 TE for a third of what the Cowboys are paying Schultz.
4. Doing nothing thus far to improve a weakened offensive line. They were right to let Williams go, but they should be doing more to potentially upgrade at left guard and possibly center. There are some good options available, stop sitting on your hands!

Here are my positives:

1. Swapping out Randy Gregory at $70 million for Dante Fowler for $3 million. Some try to criticize the Cowboys for 'screwing up' the Gregory deal but I think they did the right thing and not making that deal will ultimately turn out to be a blessing. Fowler is a better player on every level, and certainly less of a suspension risk.
2. The James Washington deal. The team deserves credit for adding a good young receiver to their trio at a bargain price. He wanted to play close to home and the Cowboys wisely signed him. The guy was a former second round draft pick and highly regarded. For some reason, he got lost in the shuffle in Pittsburgh and hopefully that's not the case here.
3. Retaining several defensive players at modest prices. The team was able to keep a good portion of its defense intact with several modest contracts. This is NOT saying that the defense is 'finished' or that it cannot be improved before anyone gets the wrong idea. But continuity is important, especially for a unit in its' first year together in a new system. And the team kept most of what they had, while leaving themselves the option to continue to add and improve in the draft.
4. The new contract for Demarcus Lawrence. I see this as a win-win for player and team. And as someone who wanted Lawrence and his bloated contract gone, I've done a complete reversal after seeing both parties get a deal like this done.

I'd like to hear what others think? Are there some that you disagree with? Are there some positives or negatives that I've missed?

Pluses,Martin, Parsons, kearse,hooker, Digg's,Tsmith... everyone else,meh

 

[offlimits]

While I understand the tendencies of many to feel down about the offseason thus far, I can see some positives amidst the rubble. I don't think the offseason and free agency have been a total disaster, and I wanted to point out what I feel have been good moves and some that still have me scratching my head and get some opinions on what others think?

Here are my negatives:

1. Trading away Cooper for a bag of magic beans. No sugar-coating it. The Cowboys gave away their best receiver for peanuts, especially when seeing what receivers like Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams fetched in their trades.
2. Announcing to the world that you were 'done' with La'el Collins and ultimately cutting him. I know about the cap savings situation, and I also know that the Cowboys themselves created that cap situation too. They released one of the best right tackles in the league and got nothing for him.
3. Franchise tagging Dalton Schultz. Sorry, but in no universe is Schultz a franchise player worthy of an $11 million cap hit this year. And he's not worth any big money multi-year contract going forward either. Teams like Buffalo are loading up for a championship run and getting guys like OJ Howard to be their #2 TE for a third of what the Cowboys are paying Schultz.
4. Doing nothing thus far to improve a weakened offensive line. They were right to let Williams go, but they should be doing more to potentially upgrade at left guard and possibly center. There are some good options available, stop sitting on your hands!

Here are my positives:

1. Swapping out Randy Gregory at $70 million for Dante Fowler for $3 million. Some try to criticize the Cowboys for 'screwing up' the Gregory deal but I think they did the right thing and not making that deal will ultimately turn out to be a blessing. Fowler is a better player on every level, and certainly less of a suspension risk.
2. The James Washington deal. The team deserves credit for adding a good young receiver to their trio at a bargain price. He wanted to play close to home and the Cowboys wisely signed him. The guy was a former second round draft pick and highly regarded. For some reason, he got lost in the shuffle in Pittsburgh and hopefully that's not the case here.
3. Retaining several defensive players at modest prices. The team was able to keep a good portion of its defense intact with several modest contracts. This is NOT saying that the defense is 'finished' or that it cannot be improved before anyone gets the wrong idea. But continuity is important, especially for a unit in its' first year together in a new system. And the team kept most of what they had, while leaving themselves the option to continue to add and improve in the draft.
4. The new contract for Demarcus Lawrence. I see this as a win-win for player and team. And as someone who wanted Lawrence and his bloated contract gone, I've done a complete reversal after seeing both parties get a deal like this done.

I'd like to hear what others think? Are there some that you disagree with? Are there some positives or negatives that I've missed?

Another "glass half full" post but TBH we will not know the results until the games are played. I'd love to give the FO the benefit of the doubt but why would I?

 

[birdwells1]

My positives

• Huge cap savings from Collins and Cooper. That extra $20 million the next two years is massive
• We got rid of three guys who motors ran hot and cold. But I feel like you just couldn't count on any of them in crunch time
• I feel Fowler / Armstrong can equal Gregory's production
• Keeping the defense together (minus Gregory)
• I feel we are not as talented today. But this means this team in 2-3 years has potential to become a powerhouse

My negatives

• Team seems less talented on paper
• Can Dak play well without Cooper?
• Letting other teams dictate our moves. A 5th for Cooper? Releasing Collins? Missing out on Gregory?
• Having $27 million in cap ... yet literally signing ONLY two guys to one year deals
• A team full of one year deals = same mass flux of free agents next offseason

In 2 or 3 years? Man teams are trying to win every year, their not out here with a 3 year plan. Especially with the talent the Cowboys had last year, you're talking like we're rhe Texans.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

While I understand the tendencies of many to feel down about the offseason thus far, I can see some positives amidst the rubble. I don't think the offseason and free agency have been a total disaster, and I wanted to point out what I feel have been good moves and some that still have me scratching my head and get some opinions on what others think?

Here are my negatives:

1. Trading away Cooper for a bag of magic beans. No sugar-coating it. The Cowboys gave away their best receiver for peanuts, especially when seeing what receivers like Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams fetched in their trades.
2. Announcing to the world that you were 'done' with La'el Collins and ultimately cutting him. I know about the cap savings situation, and I also know that the Cowboys themselves created that cap situation too. They released one of the best right tackles in the league and got nothing for him.
3. Franchise tagging Dalton Schultz. Sorry, but in no universe is Schultz a franchise player worthy of an $11 million cap hit this year. And he's not worth any big money multi-year contract going forward either. Teams like Buffalo are loading up for a championship run and getting guys like OJ Howard to be their #2 TE for a third of what the Cowboys are paying Schultz.
4. Doing nothing thus far to improve a weakened offensive line. They were right to let Williams go, but they should be doing more to potentially upgrade at left guard and possibly center. There are some good options available, stop sitting on your hands!

Here are my positives:

1. Swapping out Randy Gregory at $70 million for Dante Fowler for $3 million. Some try to criticize the Cowboys for 'screwing up' the Gregory deal but I think they did the right thing and not making that deal will ultimately turn out to be a blessing. Fowler is a better player on every level, and certainly less of a suspension risk.
2. The James Washington deal. The team deserves credit for adding a good young receiver to their trio at a bargain price. He wanted to play close to home and the Cowboys wisely signed him. The guy was a former second round draft pick and highly regarded. For some reason, he got lost in the shuffle in Pittsburgh and hopefully that's not the case here.
3. Retaining several defensive players at modest prices. The team was able to keep a good portion of its defense intact with several modest contracts. This is NOT saying that the defense is 'finished' or that it cannot be improved before anyone gets the wrong idea. But continuity is important, especially for a unit in its' first year together in a new system. And the team kept most of what they had, while leaving themselves the option to continue to add and improve in the draft.
4. The new contract for Demarcus Lawrence. I see this as a win-win for player and team. And as someone who wanted Lawrence and his bloated contract gone, I've done a complete reversal after seeing both parties get a deal like this done.

I'd like to hear what others think? Are there some that you disagree with? Are there some positives or negatives that I've missed?

on the negatives
1- I agree. we signed cooper. gave him a large contract. gave up a 1st round pick. paid over 40M and then got a 5th back, because he didn't want to vaccinate!? and missed a couple of games. so did Martin, etc. and they were all vaccinated. this is not a vaccinated or not vaccinate comment. but if the cause of him being traded was because he missed a couple of games, then we are stupid.

2- yes, 100% agreement. go into off season with plans to move him to guard. announce that. and if he doesn't like it, then tell him to seek a trade....we are idiots.

3- I agree that he may not be a franchise player, but 3 of the TEs in FA got franchised this off season, so for whatever reason each team tried to hold what they have. if some of the other FA TEs would hit the market, then I wouldn't have mind moving on, although I think Schultz is a good, not great recieving TE. but because of no other options, then it was the only move we have, specially that Jarwin is injured and we haven't drafted anyone yet, so it would create a huge need and force our hand in the draft.

4- I agree. we haven't gone after one of the available centers, knowing Biadasz sucks and we lost Penalty Williams who was unseated by McGovern, but McGovern sucked so much we put Penalty Williams back in there. its going to force our hand in the draft and we may reach as a result.

on the positives.
1 - I think this is a negative as we down graded there, but hope not by a lot. and its decieving to say 70M, where you should say 14M vs. 3M. its a one year deal, so 2023 it will be a need again. Fowler is not long term answer. so now with center, guard and RDE, TE we have 4 needs in the draft to address. we botched the negotiation with Gregory.

2- I think this is also a negative as that's a huge down grade. he is our 3rd WR and he is not as good as Wilson, who was our 4th WR. he is also on a one year prove it deal, which tells me they are not sold on him. I wish we would have kept Wilson.

3- agreed. we kept the JAGs at JAGS prices. that's the only positive, as some of them weren't that good.

4- I think this is also a negative..7 years guaranteed contracts so far for Lawrence, for about 6 sacks per year, if that. plus all the time he misses. I wished we would have made him post June 1 designee and moved on.

3-

 

[Stash]

on the negatives
1- I agree. we signed cooper. gave him a large contract. gave up a 1st round pick. paid over 40M and then got a 5th back, because he didn't want to vaccinate!? and missed a couple of games. so did Martin, etc. and they were all vaccinated. this is not a vaccinated or not vaccinate comment. but if the cause of him being traded was because he missed a couple of games, then we are stupid.

2- yes, 100% agreement. go into off season with plans to move him to guard. announce that. and if he doesn't like it, then tell him to seek a trade....we are idiots.

3- I agree that he may not be a franchise player, but 3 of the TEs in FA got franchised this off season, so for whatever reason each team tried to hold what they have. if some of the other FA TEs would hit the market, then I wouldn't have mind moving on, although I think Schultz is a good, not great recieving TE. but because of no other options, then it was the only move we have, specially that Jarwin is injured and we haven't drafted anyone yet, so it would create a huge need and force our hand in the draft.

4- I agree. we haven't gone after one of the available centers, knowing Biadasz sucks and we lost Penalty Williams who was unseated by McGovern, but McGovern sucked so much we put Penalty Williams back in there. its going to force our hand in the draft and we may reach as a result.

on the positives.
1 - I think this is a negative as we down graded there, but hope not by a lot. and its decieving to say 70M, where you should say 14M vs. 3M. its a one year deal, so 2023 it will be a need again. Fowler is not long term answer. so now with center, guard and RDE, TE we have 4 needs in the draft to address. we botched the negotiation with Gregory.

2- I think this is also a negative as that's a huge down grade. he is our 3rd WR and he is not as good as Wilson, who was our 4th WR. he is also on a one year prove it deal, which tells me they are not sold on him. I wish we would have kept Wilson.

3- agreed. we kept the JAGs at JAGS prices. that's the only positive, as some of them weren't that good.

4- I think this is also a negative..7 years guaranteed contracts so far for Lawrence, for about 6 sacks per year, if that. plus all the time he misses. I wished we would have made him post June 1 designee and moved on.

3-

You’re right. I should have said $14 million vs $3 million. An unintentional error on my part.

I stand by the TE position comment. They could have pulled that tag and signed one or even two available options.

As for Wilson vs Washington, I looked them up and Washington has had the better career to this point.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

You’re right. I should have said $14 million vs $3 million. An unintentional error on my part.

I stand by the TE position comment. They could have pulled that tag and signed one or even two available options.

As for Wilson vs Washington, I looked them up and Washington has had the better career to this point.

that's ok, we all make small mistakes. trust me I am guilty of many. there are many who would argue they were right and spin it some how.

schultz was rated as the top availabled TE and two others were tagged. the other options weren't as attractive or potential options (ala gronkowski, who would never come to dallas)

I think Wilson always had potential, but couldn't stay healthy. he stayed healthy last year and showed what he can do....washington is a JAG WR. IMHO. but I don't consider that a huge down grade.

 

[DuncanIso]

Coop not worth 60 million.

LCollins is washed up and not worth 30 million.

 

[Batman1980]

Coop not worth 60 million.

LCollins is washed up and not worth 30 million.

Current offensive line is Martin, maybe Steele and a bunch of trash. Desperately need to upgrade, at least at LT and LG to make Biadasz' job easier.

 

[Captain-Crash]

While I understand the tendencies of many to feel down about the offseason thus far, I can see some positives amidst the rubble. I don't think the offseason and free agency have been a total disaster, and I wanted to point out what I feel have been good moves and some that still have me scratching my head and get some opinions on what others think?

Here are my negatives:

1. Trading away Cooper for a bag of magic beans. No sugar-coating it. The Cowboys gave away their best receiver for peanuts, especially when seeing what receivers like Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams fetched in their trades.
2. Announcing to the world that you were 'done' with La'el Collins and ultimately cutting him. I know about the cap savings situation, and I also know that the Cowboys themselves created that cap situation too. They released one of the best right tackles in the league and got nothing for him.
3. Franchise tagging Dalton Schultz. Sorry, but in no universe is Schultz a franchise player worthy of an $11 million cap hit this year. And he's not worth any big money multi-year contract going forward either. Teams like Buffalo are loading up for a championship run and getting guys like OJ Howard to be their #2 TE for a third of what the Cowboys are paying Schultz.
4. Doing nothing thus far to improve a weakened offensive line. They were right to let Williams go, but they should be doing more to potentially upgrade at left guard and possibly center. There are some good options available, stop sitting on your hands!

Here are my positives:

1. Swapping out Randy Gregory at $70 million for Dante Fowler for $3 million. Some try to criticize the Cowboys for 'screwing up' the Gregory deal but I think they did the right thing and not making that deal will ultimately turn out to be a blessing. Fowler is a better player on every level, and certainly less of a suspension risk.
2. The James Washington deal. The team deserves credit for adding a good young receiver to their trio at a bargain price. He wanted to play close to home and the Cowboys wisely signed him. The guy was a former second round draft pick and highly regarded. For some reason, he got lost in the shuffle in Pittsburgh and hopefully that's not the case here.
3. Retaining several defensive players at modest prices. The team was able to keep a good portion of its defense intact with several modest contracts. This is NOT saying that the defense is 'finished' or that it cannot be improved before anyone gets the wrong idea. But continuity is important, especially for a unit in its' first year together in a new system. And the team kept most of what they had, while leaving themselves the option to continue to add and improve in the draft.
4. The new contract for Demarcus Lawrence. I see this as a win-win for player and team. And as someone who wanted Lawrence and his bloated contract gone, I've done a complete reversal after seeing both parties get a deal like this done.

I'd like to hear what others think? Are there some that you disagree with? Are there some positives or negatives that I've missed?

nice post sums it up well. good job.