Stoney Posted January 29, 2023 Share Posted January 29, 2023 2023 Free Agents Salary Cap Space- $5,103,002.00 Cowboys head into the offseason with small cap space but that is very to increase. We’ll deal with that in a future post. Right now we’re going to look at our free agents and decide who to bring back. Bold- player Dallas should bring back QB- Cooper Rush Cooper Rush went 4-1 after Dak went down with his thumb injury. He is what he is as a QB2 in this league. A cheap price tag will keep him him on this team until they find a replacement. RB- Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle Tony Pollard took over as the RB1 from Zeke. His speed and athleticism brought a different aspect to the Cowboys rushing attack. You don’t pay RBs but when they are low mileage backs like this, heading into a 2nd contract, if the price is right then you do. Rico Dowdle has been RB3 and a practice squad player. Malik Davis has replaced him. WR- TY Hilton, Noah Brown Dallas could use upgrades at the WR position. Trading Amari Cooper for a 5th and trying to replace him with Michael Gallup, James Washington, TY Hilton, Noah Brown was a mistake. Hilton is most likely a one and done. Noah Brown is another veteran who you look for a younger, talented player to beat out. TE- Dalton Schultz Playing on the franchise tag last year, Schultz had a solid year but not worth that huge price. Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot showed flashes. Schultz’s replacement is already on the team. OT- Terence Steele, Jason Peters Terence Steele has really impressed as a UDFA. The ACL injury hurt a kid heading into his free agent year. The kid will be a priority signing for Dallas. Jason Peters was a veteran stop gap presence along the line. He’s at the end of a possible Hall of Fame career. OG/FB- Connor McGovern McGovern is an interesting player. More likely to line up in the backfield at FB as he is LG or C. That versatility plus some questions about the future of the LT position will make him a welcome addition to the o-line room. C- Alec Lindstrom A UDFA who spent time on the practice squad. Should compete with McGovern, Matt Farniok for the backup center spot behind Tyler Biadasz. DE- Dante Fowler Veteran defensive end who got 6 sacks on the year. Dorance Armstrong’s emergence makes him expendable. DT- Johnathan Hankins, Carlos Watkins Dallas traded for Hankins during the season to add some run stuffing ability. Carlos Watkins had a very good, very underrated year. One of the better DTs against the run. If the price is right you could see both back but if price is an issue Watkins would be the pick. LB- Leighton Vander Esch, Anthony Barr, Luke Gifford LVE playing on a 1 year prove it deal had a solid year. Solid enough that he’s probably earned an extension with Dallas. Dallas needs to find someone to play with him. Gifford and Barr are replaceable as a special teams guy and rotation LBer. CB- Anthony Brown, CJ Goodwin, Trayvon Mullen Anthony Brown has been a solid CB but the time to move on has probably come. Same with special teams stalwart CJ Goodwin and injury replacement Trayvon Mullen. Cornerback will be a position of need for Dallas in the offseason. S- Donovan Wilson, Juanyeh Thomas Donovan Wilson has been a solid piece of the safety rotation. A solid tackler and good against the run. Might command more than Dallas can afford on the open market. Thomas is a practice squad guy. K- Brett Maher Maher’s Jekyll and Hyde continues. Can boot a 60 yarder and miss an extra point. He’ll be back but Dallas could use some competition for him. LS- Jake McQuaide, Matt Overton The sign of a good long snapper is you have no idea who he is. Not hearing his name means he’s getting his job done. No bad snaps. McQuaide will be back for that reason. Matt Overton is a spare at a position you don’t need a spare. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted January 30, 2023 Author Share Posted January 30, 2023 Previous post we showed you what Cowboys are free agents and having $5m in cap space to sign them and make some additions. Now let’s look at how we can increase the ‘23 cap room. Zeke Elliott Do you post June 1st cut him or restructure him? You can save $10.9m if you post June 1st cut him but you won’t get the full effect of that until ‘24. You cut him today you save $4.8m. You have him locked up for 3 more years. A restructure could open up $7m. Does Stephen Jones see him or Pollard as the engine that makes the run game go. If it was Stoney I would do the one year restructure and cut Zeke after the ‘23 season. Tyron Smith One of the best LTs to ever play for Dallas. Injuries have made him an unreliable part of the team. The question here is does he retire or come back? Retirement would save Dallas $13m in cap. A post June 1st cut would save the same. Jourdan Lewis How much of a new look does Dallas want to go with at cornerback? If they want to open $4.7m in cap space Dallas could Post June 1st cut him. Let’s restructure Zeke, Tyron retires and we cut Lewis. Dallas has created $24.7m in cap space. If you want more money we can do that. Dak Prescott $49.1m cap hit in ‘23. A restructure would open up $22m in cap space. An extension could bring in $23m. Tank Lawrence You can’t afford to cut Tank. A simple restructure would open up $9.2m in space. Do the simple restructures and Dallas adds another $31.2m in cap space. Add that to our previous number and Dallas is sitting on $55.9m in cap space. That gives Dallas enough room to sign rookies, keep their free agents, add some pieces in free agency if they want and extend some other contracts which would open up more money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobo97 Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 I don’t care what Cooper Rush’s ‘record’ was. That was due in large part to the defense. Rush can go. Do not restructure Zeke, get rid of him. LVE had a great year, he’s still injury prone. If he’s willing to resign for cheap, then do it. Otherwise, bye. I like Dante Fowler, but I think Sam Williams will be better, and cheaper. Maher should’ve been fired at halftime of the TB game. I don’t care how far he can kick a FG. You miss 4 XP’s in one game, you’re gone…as should be the person who kept sending him out there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirtFalcon Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 1 minute ago, Lobo97 said: I don’t care what Cooper Rush’s ‘record’ was. That was due in large part to the defense. Rush can go. Do not restructure Zeke, get rid of him. LVE had a great year, he’s still injury prone. If he’s willing to resign for cheap, then do it. Otherwise, bye. I like Dante Fowler, but I think Sam Williams will be better, and cheaper. Maher should’ve been fired at halftime of the TB game. I don’t care how far he can kick a FG. You miss 4 XP’s in one game, you’re gone…as should be the person who kept sending him out there too. What about Prescott? ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobo97 Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 Just now, KirtFalcon said: What about Prescott? ... I would love to get rid of Prescott, but I’m also focusing on what I believe to be realistic. JJ isn’t getting rid of Dak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirtFalcon Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 Just now, Lobo97 said: I would love to get rid of Prescott, but I’m also focusing on what I believe to be realistic. JJ isn’t getting rid of Dak. Bingo ... give that man a cigar! .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 On 1/29/2023 at 6:01 PM, Stoney said: Previous post we showed you what Cowboys are free agents and having $5m in cap space to sign them and make some additions. Now let’s look at how we can increase the ‘23 cap room. Zeke Elliott Do you post June 1st cut him or restructure him? You can save $10.9m if you post June 1st cut him but you won’t get the full effect of that until ‘24. You cut him today you save $4.8m. You have him locked up for 3 more years. A restructure could open up $7m. Does Stephen Jones see him or Pollard as the engine that makes the run game go. If it was Stoney I would do the one year restructure and cut Zeke after the ‘23 season. Tyron Smith One of the best LTs to ever play for Dallas. Injuries have made him an unreliable part of the team. The question here is does he retire or come back? Retirement would save Dallas $13m in cap. A post June 1st cut would save the same. Jourdan Lewis How much of a new look does Dallas want to go with at cornerback? If they want to open $4.7m in cap space Dallas could Post June 1st cut him. Let’s restructure Zeke, Tyron retires and we cut Lewis. Dallas has created $24.7m in cap space. If you want more money we can do that. Dak Prescott $49.1m cap hit in ‘23. A restructure would open up $22m in cap space. An extension could bring in $23m. Tank Lawrence You can’t afford to cut Tank. A simple restructure would open up $9.2m in space. Do the simple restructures and Dallas adds another $31.2m in cap space. Add that to our previous number and Dallas is sitting on $55.9m in cap space. That gives Dallas enough room to sign rookies, keep their free agents, add some pieces in free agency if they want and extend some other contracts which would open up more money. Cut Zeke and hope Mel Kiper finally got one right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted January 31, 2023 Author Share Posted January 31, 2023 22 hours ago, Lobo97 said: I don’t care what Cooper Rush’s ‘record’ was. That was due in large part to the defense. Rush can go. Do not restructure Zeke, get rid of him. LVE had a great year, he’s still injury prone. If he’s willing to resign for cheap, then do it. Otherwise, bye. I like Dante Fowler, but I think Sam Williams will be better, and cheaper. Maher should’ve been fired at halftime of the TB game. I don’t care how far he can kick a FG. You miss 4 XP’s in one game, you’re gone…as should be the person who kept sending him out there too. 15 minutes ago, Baron said: Cut Zeke and hope Mel Kiper finally got one right. I was going to say I can’t believe they extended Zeke in the first place let alone make him the highest paid RB but then I realized it’s the Joneses’ running this thing. If you can do some cap maneuvering (and I think they can) Zeke could/should/would be cut. I just don’t think Cap Boy and Jerry will do it. I hope I’m wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobo97 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 26 minutes ago, Stoney said: I was going to say I can’t believe they extended Zeke in the first place let alone make him the highest paid RB but then I realized it’s the Joneses’ running this thing. If you can do some cap maneuvering (and I think they can) Zeke could/should/would be cut. I just don’t think Cap Boy and Jerry will do it. I hope I’m wrong. I would love to see them replace Zeke with Bijan. But, as you pointed out, the Joneses are making decisions, so it won’t happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted January 31, 2023 Author Share Posted January 31, 2023 16 minutes ago, Lobo97 said: I would love to see them replace Zeke with Bijan. But, as you pointed out, the Joneses are making decisions, so it won’t happen. With the way RB has become devalued, I could see a way Bijan could be there at 26 for Dallas. I’m not a fan of spending a top 10, let alone a top 5 pick on a RB. I’m not a fan of paying them a big extension. I wouldn’t have a problem making that pick. Bijan and Pollard would be one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted January 31, 2023 Author Share Posted January 31, 2023 Dallas’ Off-season Needs 1. Figure out the coaching staff. Dallas needs to replace Kellen Moore at OC and Joe Philbin as OL coach. Rumors have McCarthy taking over playcaling duties. Dallas would still need to hire or promote someone to handle OC duties, basically the day to day stuff. Brian Schottenheimer is a name to watch. If Dallas wants to money whip and get the best available OL coach, Mike Munchack would be near the top of the list. 2. Salary cap now and future. Figure out what Zeke’s future is. Do you want to extend or restructure Dak Prescott. That’s two of your biggest ways to create cap space. 3. Add playmakers to this offense. Tony Pollard. Ceedee Lamb. Who is the other game changer in this offense? Zeke can get you 3 or 4 yards but his days of being an electrifying RB are over. Dallas didn’t replace Amari Cooper. Michael Gallup coming off an ACL injury showed he isn’t a WR2 but still could be an option as WR3. Jalen Tolbert was basically redshirted. Noah Brown, Ty Hilton are more depth than difference makers. Dalton Schultz is solid but the price tag could be better spent elsewhere. Pair a young RB (Bijan Robinson?) with Pollard. Dallas could use a WR2(Addison, Hiatt) and a slot option(Hunter Renfrow?). Fergushot could be Schultz for cheaper or a Michael Meyer/Dalton Kincaid in the draft. 4. Figure out the LT situation. Will Tyron Smith be back or not? The answer to that question will set up the future of the Cowboys o-line. Tyler Smith had a much better rookie season than expected. Is it his time to takeover as Tyron’s heir or slide into the LG spot? If Tyron retires, Tyler shores up LT, then Dallas will need to address the LG spot. Connor McGovern isn’t that guy. Tyron comes back, Tyler slides into LG and you can decide how to handle the future later in the draft. 5. Address the CB spot. Diggs has one corner spot locked up. The other one has been a revolving door. Anthony Brown’s better days are behind him. Jourdan Lewis is better as a nickel back/ rotation guy. DaRon Bland showed flashes as a rookie and should be expected to have a bigger role. Israel Mukuamu had some moments late in the season/playoffs where he flashed. Dallas needs to upgrade here to help this defense take another step up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirtFalcon Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 If Prescott isn't willing to take a huge pay cut/restructure I'd unload him and go with Rush Cooper and draft another QB ... I surely wouldn't mortgage the next 4 or 5 years on him with the kind of unreal money that starts this coming season .... Prescott has to be the most over paid player in the NFL .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirtFalcon Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Jerruh got to cough up $31 million base salary and $13 million signing bonus for Dax .... in 2023 .... that's a good case of heartburn right there .... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion7000 Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyZuco Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 On 1/30/2023 at 9:22 PM, KirtFalcon said: If Prescott isn't willing to take a huge pay cut/restructure I'd unload him and go with Rush Cooper and draft another QB ... I surely wouldn't mortgage the next 4 or 5 years on him with the kind of unreal money that starts this coming season .... Prescott has to be the most over paid player in the NFL .... I think Jerry should be talking to the Ravens, do a sign and trade for Lamar Jackson w/Dak.....Cut Zeke or trade him for some late round draft capital......Draft yourself a 2-3 round offensive lineman, draft a 1-2 round DT/DE.....get a 4th round LB.....or better yet, Jerry should call TB12....see if he will come out of retirement.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirtFalcon Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomer Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Thinkn old Jerruh old enough he will be looking to the shorter term success and might sell out the future to get any respect he can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirtFalcon Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Jerruh's only hope is to bow out and find a competent GM .... maybe Stephen will be wise enough to do what Jerruh can't bring himself to do, or will he be as stubborn as pops? .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomer Posted February 8, 2023 Share Posted February 8, 2023 Well AP says Cooper Rush may follow old Kellen Moore to the Chargers. So there's that there ya know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion7000 Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 On 2/8/2023 at 9:00 AM, Doomer said: Well AP says Cooper Rush may follow old Kellen Moore to the Chargers. So there's that there ya know? Probably best for him. He still won’t be a starter especially with a better starter , but Moore the familiarity with the offensive scheme will be at his benefit. Dallas would be good to draft one of these QB . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveTV1 Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 Larry Fitzgerald is a nut. I wouldn't make this trade if Dak was still the backup. Cowboys Trade for Rodgers Means 'Ready-Made' Champ, Says Fitzgerald (msn.com) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirtFalcon Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 Jerruh needs to draft a young dual threat QB and get him ready to play by his second year .... another year of overpaid Prescott and Jerruh will be ready to cut him loose .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion7000 Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 16 hours ago, KirtFalcon said: Jerruh needs to draft a young dual threat QB and get him ready to play by his second year .... another year of overpaid Prescott and Jerruh will be ready to cut him loose .... Exactly what needs to be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion7000 Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 17 hours ago, DaveTV1 said: Larry Fitzgerald is a nut. I wouldn't make this trade if Dak was still the backup. Cowboys Trade for Rodgers Means 'Ready-Made' Champ, Says Fitzgerald (msn.com) . I gotta disagree. Rodgers instantly makes Dallas better. Dak can’t control the football to save his life. I also believe Rodgers best destination is San Francisco assuming they get rid of Jimmy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion7000 Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 Do you get a new kicker or see where he stands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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