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Cowboys Tidbits: Is Signing A Big Fish The Better Long Term Strategy?
by KD Drummond
As we get closer and closer to the onset of the new NFL season, it becomes clear how difficult the road ahead will be to traverse for Jason Garrett, Stephen Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. The Scouting Combine gets underway today, and the drills to come in the next couple of days will probably be used to finalize the order of the hundreds of prospects that Dallas has on their big board. Free agency kicks off in earnest two weeks after, and the slow grind to improving the franchise begins.
One of the leading areas where the Cowboys need improvement is the secondary; that's no secret. Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick are penciled in as the starters for 2012 and the Cowboys will need to bring in at least three bodies to supplement the cornerback position. They could go in a multitude of directions; big ticket free agent, draft picks from any of seven rounds or inexpensive vet. None would be surprising. About the only move the Cowboys could make that would shock people would be if they didn't release veteran Terence Newman.
When the Oakland Raiders released Stanford Routt, he was quickly connected to the Cowboys under false pretenses. He has now signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, which led to this "domino chain" wonderment from ESPN's Dan Graziano.
The Cowboys had some interest in cornerback Stanford Routt, but not as much as some other teams did, and Routt signed Monday with the Chiefs. What this means, however, is that the Chiefs are likely to let talented 25-year-old cornerback Brandon Carr leave via free agency, and that adds Carr to the mix of available cornerbacks for the Cowboys to target. Carr is better than Routt, but with star wide receiver Dwayne Bowe still to worry about, the Chiefs appear to have decided to go with a cheaper option.
I'm on the fence between Carr and Falcons FA Brent Grimes. I like both players a lot and want one to have a star on his helmet. The question is whether or not Dallas would enter, or win, a bidding war for either. Even as Dallas has $20 million in cap space, there are plenty of other teams that have more, and Dallas has multiple holes to fill, as Rabble pointed out.
Are they going to use up 40-50% of their 2012 cap space on one player?
To me, that's a question of long-term philosophy, and it might just differ from conventional wisdom.
If Dallas does spend a large part of it's cap on a premiere free agent, to me that indicates that they aren't just trying to win now. The cap is expected to increase significantly when the new television contracts are locked in. The club has already publicly committed to a BPA approach to the draft. In my eyes, a big free agent splash means Dallas wants top tier talent and is willing to play with lesser players at certain positions in 2012, with hopes to replace them with draft picks and free agents in future years. I am so on board with this strategy, you'd think I was planking.
Get the big fish, draft BPAPN (best player at a position of need, since we have so many) and then see which players develop within your organization. I'd much rather do that than sign six average free agents to two, three or four year contracts; and end up with zero impact newbies. Obviously, it has to be at the positions of the highest need, meaning the secondary. We could survive with what we have on the defensive line, and in my humble opinion the linebackers as well. Even without Anthony Spencer returning. I'm in the school of thought that he is rather easily replaced, although I've been proven wrong before. I think it was 1989 or so.
Of course I want to compete for a championship every season. However, a team needs elite talent to win, and Dallas needs more of it. The draft is one way to get it, and a financially preferred model, but sometimes you must use free agency to do more than just tread water.
by KD Drummond
As we get closer and closer to the onset of the new NFL season, it becomes clear how difficult the road ahead will be to traverse for Jason Garrett, Stephen Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. The Scouting Combine gets underway today, and the drills to come in the next couple of days will probably be used to finalize the order of the hundreds of prospects that Dallas has on their big board. Free agency kicks off in earnest two weeks after, and the slow grind to improving the franchise begins.
One of the leading areas where the Cowboys need improvement is the secondary; that's no secret. Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick are penciled in as the starters for 2012 and the Cowboys will need to bring in at least three bodies to supplement the cornerback position. They could go in a multitude of directions; big ticket free agent, draft picks from any of seven rounds or inexpensive vet. None would be surprising. About the only move the Cowboys could make that would shock people would be if they didn't release veteran Terence Newman.
When the Oakland Raiders released Stanford Routt, he was quickly connected to the Cowboys under false pretenses. He has now signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, which led to this "domino chain" wonderment from ESPN's Dan Graziano.
The Cowboys had some interest in cornerback Stanford Routt, but not as much as some other teams did, and Routt signed Monday with the Chiefs. What this means, however, is that the Chiefs are likely to let talented 25-year-old cornerback Brandon Carr leave via free agency, and that adds Carr to the mix of available cornerbacks for the Cowboys to target. Carr is better than Routt, but with star wide receiver Dwayne Bowe still to worry about, the Chiefs appear to have decided to go with a cheaper option.
I'm on the fence between Carr and Falcons FA Brent Grimes. I like both players a lot and want one to have a star on his helmet. The question is whether or not Dallas would enter, or win, a bidding war for either. Even as Dallas has $20 million in cap space, there are plenty of other teams that have more, and Dallas has multiple holes to fill, as Rabble pointed out.
Are they going to use up 40-50% of their 2012 cap space on one player?
To me, that's a question of long-term philosophy, and it might just differ from conventional wisdom.
If Dallas does spend a large part of it's cap on a premiere free agent, to me that indicates that they aren't just trying to win now. The cap is expected to increase significantly when the new television contracts are locked in. The club has already publicly committed to a BPA approach to the draft. In my eyes, a big free agent splash means Dallas wants top tier talent and is willing to play with lesser players at certain positions in 2012, with hopes to replace them with draft picks and free agents in future years. I am so on board with this strategy, you'd think I was planking.
Get the big fish, draft BPAPN (best player at a position of need, since we have so many) and then see which players develop within your organization. I'd much rather do that than sign six average free agents to two, three or four year contracts; and end up with zero impact newbies. Obviously, it has to be at the positions of the highest need, meaning the secondary. We could survive with what we have on the defensive line, and in my humble opinion the linebackers as well. Even without Anthony Spencer returning. I'm in the school of thought that he is rather easily replaced, although I've been proven wrong before. I think it was 1989 or so.
Of course I want to compete for a championship every season. However, a team needs elite talent to win, and Dallas needs more of it. The draft is one way to get it, and a financially preferred model, but sometimes you must use free agency to do more than just tread water.