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GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
The NFL and the National Football League Players Association agreed Friday for a week-long extension for the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement. As talks drag on during the next seven days, teams cannot make transactions.
In other words, all clubs must be like the Cowboys.
Crickets can be heard chirping at Valley Ranch, just as they were throughout last year’s do-nothing off-season. For the first two months of the off-season, the Cowboys have not acted with the urgency expected of a club coming off a disappointing 6-10 season.
No one has been released, much to the surprise of running back Marion Barber. Only two players have been added: fringe linebackers Mike Balogun and Isaiah Greenhouse, both of whom appeared in two games with other clubs last season.
The Cowboys’ inactivity reached a peak, or a nadir, on Thursday.
The Cowboys need help at both safety spots. Inconsistent play from Alan Ball and Gerald Sensabaugh was a major reason the Cowboys allowed 57 completions of 20-plus yards, fourth-highest total in the league last season.
Two potential solutions hit the market in February, when veteran safeties O.J. Atogwe and Bob Sanders were released. Because the players were released, teams did not have to wait for the delayed free-agent season to move on them.
The situation was ripe for a quick strike by owner-general manager Jerry Jones. Instead, he was uncharacteristically passive.
Sanders, a strong safety, accepted an incentive-laden one-year deal with San Diego. Sanders has been hobbled by injuries in recent seasons, but he was worth the low-risk gamble that San Diego took.
Atogwe, a free safety, went to NFC East rival Washington on a five-year, $26 million contract. The deal will probably end up being closer to $15 million over three years, a reasonable arrangement for a top-flight player.
Of the two available safeties, Atogwe would have been more helpful to the Cowboys. He has the speed and intelligence to cover, the heart to tackle and the knack of creating turnovers. In the last five seasons, he has 37 combined interceptions and forced fumbles. Cornerback Terence Newman leads the Cowboys’ secondary in that span with 21 interceptions and forced fumbles.
The Cowboys’ refusal to get involved is mystifying.
They cannot expect help from the draft, which is thin for safeties. If there is a lockout, clubs cannot count on rookies being ready after abbreviated training camps.
Jones overrated the club’s talent last season. He could be teetering on the edge of that trap again, basing optimism on the staff of coach Jason Garrett.
“I don’t mind telling you a lot of the enthusiasm is about next year with these coaches that have joined our staff,” Jones said during the combine.
Or perhaps the Cowboys want safety Abram Elam , a potential unrestricted free agent who played in Cleveland for new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
The Cowboys have been out of free agency for a while. They were the only team that did not add a restricted or unrestricted free agent last season. They have added only three free agents — defensive end Igor Olshansky , linebacker Keith Brooking and Sensabaugh — in the last three years.
The lack of free-agent activity coincides with Cowboys Stadium coming to life. Naming rights have not been sold, and the debt service is heavy. Is the heavy financial obligation forcing Jones to cut back in areas such as free agency? Something has made it unnaturally quiet at Valley Ranch.
The NFL and the National Football League Players Association agreed Friday for a week-long extension for the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement. As talks drag on during the next seven days, teams cannot make transactions.
In other words, all clubs must be like the Cowboys.
Crickets can be heard chirping at Valley Ranch, just as they were throughout last year’s do-nothing off-season. For the first two months of the off-season, the Cowboys have not acted with the urgency expected of a club coming off a disappointing 6-10 season.
No one has been released, much to the surprise of running back Marion Barber. Only two players have been added: fringe linebackers Mike Balogun and Isaiah Greenhouse, both of whom appeared in two games with other clubs last season.
The Cowboys’ inactivity reached a peak, or a nadir, on Thursday.
The Cowboys need help at both safety spots. Inconsistent play from Alan Ball and Gerald Sensabaugh was a major reason the Cowboys allowed 57 completions of 20-plus yards, fourth-highest total in the league last season.
Two potential solutions hit the market in February, when veteran safeties O.J. Atogwe and Bob Sanders were released. Because the players were released, teams did not have to wait for the delayed free-agent season to move on them.
The situation was ripe for a quick strike by owner-general manager Jerry Jones. Instead, he was uncharacteristically passive.
Sanders, a strong safety, accepted an incentive-laden one-year deal with San Diego. Sanders has been hobbled by injuries in recent seasons, but he was worth the low-risk gamble that San Diego took.
Atogwe, a free safety, went to NFC East rival Washington on a five-year, $26 million contract. The deal will probably end up being closer to $15 million over three years, a reasonable arrangement for a top-flight player.
Of the two available safeties, Atogwe would have been more helpful to the Cowboys. He has the speed and intelligence to cover, the heart to tackle and the knack of creating turnovers. In the last five seasons, he has 37 combined interceptions and forced fumbles. Cornerback Terence Newman leads the Cowboys’ secondary in that span with 21 interceptions and forced fumbles.
The Cowboys’ refusal to get involved is mystifying.
They cannot expect help from the draft, which is thin for safeties. If there is a lockout, clubs cannot count on rookies being ready after abbreviated training camps.
Jones overrated the club’s talent last season. He could be teetering on the edge of that trap again, basing optimism on the staff of coach Jason Garrett.
“I don’t mind telling you a lot of the enthusiasm is about next year with these coaches that have joined our staff,” Jones said during the combine.
Or perhaps the Cowboys want safety Abram Elam , a potential unrestricted free agent who played in Cleveland for new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
The Cowboys have been out of free agency for a while. They were the only team that did not add a restricted or unrestricted free agent last season. They have added only three free agents — defensive end Igor Olshansky , linebacker Keith Brooking and Sensabaugh — in the last three years.
The lack of free-agent activity coincides with Cowboys Stadium coming to life. Naming rights have not been sold, and the debt service is heavy. Is the heavy financial obligation forcing Jones to cut back in areas such as free agency? Something has made it unnaturally quiet at Valley Ranch.
