What if. Next season

[Verdict]

Like I said.. you could have saved yourself the extra writing when this was merely another bash Dez thread.
You want to cut the guy, duly noted from your other 700 posts.

But FWIW Dez is on pace for about ~75 receptions, 900 yards and 7.5 TDs.
That is mediocre WR1 numbers BUT not something you replace cheaply.

If Dez gets cut he immediately becomes the best WR available by a very large margin.

Your ability to create exceptional Cowboys dialogue is dragged down to the sewer when you get stuck on agenda driven nonsense.

Dallas needs to add WR talent. If they follow the process they've used the past few years they will draft someone.
If you do that you then you likely have a legit Dez replacement in 2019 or so.

Butler is free and likely gone so draft a young guy who is the back up to Dez and TWill day 1. He works into the rotation may even get a full share of those outside WR snaps.

Those who think Dez should be applauded as a great player get tired of him being criticized. Those who see Dez as someone who is sucking good oxygen (and cap space) out of the air that another better player could use view those who don't see it as sticking their heads in the sand.

Both are opinions, right? Give it time. I have a feeling that you will eventually be on the bandwagon too.

 

[Hardline]

We see him entirely differently. Pay attention to his play specifically. It is enlightening. He is living off of reputation only at this point.

And catching everything thrown to him and scoring touchdowns. Witten is one of my favorite all time Cowboys and as a former TE myself I focus on his game like a laser.

 

[Hardline]

Agreed. He is a Cowboys icon. He's a hall of famer. And he is way past his prime.

Stats say otherwise. Even if he is way past his prime, he's still a top 10 TE in this league.
http://www.nfl.com/stats/categoryst...017&seasonType=REG&experience=&tabSeq=1&role=

 

[Verdict]

Now, let’s take a moment to do some math...

<img src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9866605/image_18.png" alt="">
So with the Cowboys three most important offseason transactions taken care of, the team still has over $20 million to work with. Remember, $6 million needs to be saved for rookies, but that won’t come off the books until the summer. It’s important to note that the Cowboys have the funds necessary to pull this off because of the money they’ve saved from passing on re-signing some of their own free agents in seasons past. It’s also important to understand that the Cowboys will retain players they believe are worth the money. Young, talented players that they’ve brought up through the system are the foundation of this team and they won’t let these guys walk...

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/201...hing-stars-in-dallas-cowboys-2018-free-agency

(Lawrence, Irving, Martin, Hitchens, Scandrick)


And then there is Anthony Hitchens who most fans don’t think too much about as a lot of what he does goes under the radar. He had an outstanding training camp as was thought to be a potential breakout player this season, but unfortunately a leg injury in preseason caused him to miss the first four games of the year. Hitchens is healthy now and he is coming off one of the best games in his career with 15 tackles against the Washington Commanders, followed up by a 14 tackle performance on Sunday.

When you look at these free agents, most fans try to rationalize which ones are worth keeping and which ones are expendable. Well, don’t do that. They are all worth keeping. These players aren’t middling performers that the team can afford to lose. These are players that have the talent and the mental know-how to perform well in this defense. It’s on full display and the Cowboys must retain them.

I agree that they are worth keeping. Hitchens is a great example. But there are a lot of Anthony Hitchens out there that we need to keep. Cole Beasley was a lot like Hitchens. He doesn't break the bank but he costs more than a cheap JAG player.

We need those guys for depth, which has been sorely lacking on this team in the past. You can't over pay guys like Dez and Witten etc because with enough of those contracts you end up losing a Hitchens and end up with JAG instead.

Yeah you can argue that we can sign them regardless. We sure can, but the cap is a finite resource. So we extend Lawrence, Martin, and Dez and Witten are making stupid money. You pay Irving. Then all of a sudden you are paying Dak $20M per year and Zeke $15 million per year and the Hitchens of the world start to disappear.

The opportunity cost of keeping Witten and Dez is Leary and Demarco Murray. Some would say that's a good deal. I personally don't see it that way.

 

[Verdict]

And catching everything thrown to him and scoring touchdowns. Witten is one of my favorite all time Cowboys and as a former TE myself I focus on his game like a laser.

I guess you see his great speed and his 6 yard reception when we need 8 yards on 3rd down then too.

 

[CowboyStar88]

And yet here you are, like a moth to the flame. If you don't like them, why participate?

I am a gluten for punishment, but I also enjoy watching you Dez haters head spin considering he won't be cut.

Let's remember your "crew" turns every thread into a bash Dez thread, and you guys post 4 topics a day at least about it.

 

[jterrell]

Those who think Dez should be applauded as a great player get tired of him being criticized. Those who see Dez as someone who is sucking good oxygen (and cap space) out of the air that another better player could use view those who don't see it as sticking their heads in the sand.

Both are opinions, right? Give it time. I have a feeling that you will eventually be on the bandwagon too.

How about the wide swath in the middle that think he's overpaid and declining, but still our best WR by a wide margin and a good Cowboy lifer who should be treated with some respect for his overall Cowboys career?

The team needs to upgrade at the position and you don;t do that by cutting Dez.

You cut Dez, you get zero compensation beyond a nice 8mil dead cap hit.
If you try to sign a facsimile of a replacement you get dinged versus supplemental draft positioning.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but you can bet you are going to get told by that wide swatch of people we are sick of hearing the whining.

 

[jterrell]

Stats say otherwise. Even if he is way past his prime, he's still a top 10 TE in this league.
http://www.nfl.com/stats/categoryst...017&seasonType=REG&experience=&tabSeq=1&role=

That's debatable looking at stats.
He's 8th in receptions and tied for 8th with 3 others for receiving TDs. But his yardage is 14th and 1st down'd is 14th.

He's likely just on that cusp of top 10 which isn't bad, but it also isn't up to his own standards.

As someone who really likes Witten, let the man go be great.
With the very real CTE stuff and all no need to drag him through more seasons to be a middle of the pack starting TE.

 

[Hardline]

That's debatable looking at stats.
He's 8th in receptions and tied for 8th with 3 others for receiving TDs. But his yardage is 14th and 1st down'd is 14th.

He's likely just on that cusp of top 10 which isn't bad, but it also isn't up to his own standards.

As someone who really likes Witten, let the man go be great.
With the very real CTE stuff and all no need to drag him through more seasons to be a middle of the pack starting TE.

It' not up to me when he rides off in the sunset. But I'm not going to run him out the door either.

 

[Verdict]

How about the wide swath in the middle that think he's overpaid and declining, but still our best WR by a wide margin and a good Cowboy lifer who should be treated with some respect for his overall Cowboys career?

The team needs to upgrade at the position and you don;t do that by cutting Dez.

You cut Dez, you get zero compensation beyond a nice 8mil dead cap hit.
If you try to sign a facsimile of a replacement you get dinged versus supplemental draft positioning.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but you can bet you are going to get told by that wide swatch of people we are sick of hearing the whining.

Dez physical and mental limitations make him a moderate player. His cap number detracts from that. Dez' proponsity to melt down detracts from that. Dez' need to get involved early or pout detracts from that.

All of that is bad enough, but then you compound ALL of that with a coaching staff that placates him by forcing the ball to him. This is the straw that breaks the camels back for me personally. Dez isn't worth the cap number or the headache.

For all of you that think Dez is all that and a bag of chips...... if the league has the same opinion of him then there should be a line of teams begging to trade for Dez. It's impossible to prove without putting him on the trading block, but I don't think there are any.

 

[CCBoy]

I agree that they are worth keeping. Hitchens is a great example. But there are a lot of Anthony Hitchens out there that we need to keep. Cole Beasley was a lot like Hitchens. He doesn't break the bank but he costs more than a cheap JAG player.

We need those guys for depth, which has been sorely lacking on this team in the past. You can't over pay guys like Dez and Witten etc because with enough of those contracts you end up losing a Hitchens and end up with JAG instead.

Yeah you can argue that we can sign them regardless. We sure can, but the cap is a finite resource. So we extend Lawrence, Martin, and Dez and Witten are making stupid money. You pay Irving. Then all of a sudden you are paying Dak $20M per year and Zeke $15 million per year and the Hitchens of the world start to disappear.

The opportunity cost of keeping Witten and Dez is Leary and Demarco Murray. Some would say that's a good deal. I personally don't see it that way.

Hey, that is all valid stuff in a discussion. Me, I'm a fan stuck in loyalty for players, who have blood and sweat invested in the Cowboys. A piece of my heart...

 

[xwalker]

Hey, that is all valid stuff in a discussion. Me, I'm a fan stuck in loyalty for players, who have blood and sweat invested in the Cowboys. A piece of my heart...

Loyalty is a good concept for a fan but bad for a GM or coach.

 

[LocimusPrime]

I am a gluten for punishment, but I also enjoy watching you Dez haters head spin considering he won't be cut.

Let's remember your "crew" turns every thread into a bash Dez thread, and you guys post 4 topics a day at least about it.

Woah....who's in the "crew".

Sounds kinda ominous.

 

[Kaiser]

Woah....who's in the "crew".

Sounds kinda ominous.

Not as ominous as a "gluten for punishment". The gluten protein found in wheat becoming super intelligent and posting on the Internet is a scary, Blade Runner kind of Sci Fi novel.

 

[Kaiser]

I agree that they are worth keeping. Hitchens is a great example. But there are a lot of Anthony Hitchens out there that we need to keep. Cole Beasley was a lot like Hitchens. He doesn't break the bank but he costs more than a cheap JAG player.

Totally agree on Hitchens but I disagree on Dez. Going forward the salary cap is way higher than it was in the past, we don't need to pinch pennies any more. We can make any personnel move we want going forward whether Dez's contract is on the books or not. Even when Dak and Zeke get monster deals.

 

[xwalker]

Not as ominous as a "gluten for punishment". The gluten protein found in wheat becoming super intelligent and posting on the Internet is a scary, Blade Runner kind of Sci Fi novel.

Yes, I think he meant glutton...

 

[Verdict]

Totally agree on Hitchens but I disagree on Dez. Going forward the salary cap is way higher than it was in the past, we don't need to pinch pennies any more. We can make any personnel move we want going forward whether Dez's contract is on the books or not. Even when Dak and Zeke get monster deals.

Having availability of cap space does not mean that wasting it is a good idea.

 

[Kaiser]

Having availability of cap space does not mean that wasting it is a good idea.

No, its not a good idea but there is a world of difference in having the cap room to gamble and having no margin for error. There is no downside on the field from having wasted cap space, but you have fewer quality players on the roster when you don't have the cap room in the first place.

 

[jterrell]

Loyalty is a good concept for a fan but bad for a GM or coach.

Last I checked you were the former, not the latter.

 

[xwalker]

Last I checked you were the former, not the latter.

How is that relevant to my post?