What's going on with the Cowboys?
It's the offseason, but there's still a lot brewing... We have the draft coming up, free agency, and the possibility of picking up Packman Jones.
Free Agency
In free agency we protected our tackle Flozel Adams and put a franchise tag on safety Ken Hamlin, but that used up most of the salary cap. We lost 3 non-starting defensive backs, Keith Davis a safety, Reeves and Jones two backup cornerbacks. We traded Jason Fergason for a late round pick - he was injured last year and we have too many Defensive Tackles now that we picked up Tank. The big loss this year was Julius Jones our starting running back. I'll miss Julius, I never thought he quite got a fair shake, although I have to admit he didn't live up to his potential over the past two years.
Interestingly, we picked up Zach Thomas from Miami. Zach's an experienced inside linebacker and tough run stopper. Unless we are going to keep 8 linebackers on the team this year, I think this is bad news for Bobby Carpenter. Bobby was our 1st pick two years ago, but hasn't done much yet. He was kinda just buried in the depth chart and now there will be another layer between him and the field. Maybe they will just keep 8 linebackers as it would be a shame not to give Carpenter a shot out on the field.
Draft
Free agency leaves us with depth concerns at cornerback and running back. Add the fact that Owens and Glenn are getting up their in age and I would say those three positions round out the primary needs. In the latter rounds we could use interior offensive linemen, a safety and possibly a backup quarterback.
The one thing we don't need is a front 7 defensive players. All of our recent first round picks have gone to either defensive linemen and linebackers, so we should be set. Now they just need to get the most out of the talent they have.
We have two first round picks this year:#22 from Cleavland and 28. This of course opens up all kinds of trade talks, including trading one of them for a veteran wide receiver or possibly trading both of them and moving up in the draft to get a top running back like McFadden or Mendenhall. If they stick with their picks, there unlikely to take a running back in the first round. Instead they will probably hope one of those good cornerbacks like Talib falls to that that spot. If not they could grab a receiver. Given Jerry's history, I do think a trade is likely.
Packman Jones
Packman sat out last year for fighting in strip clubs, so naturally the cowboys are interested in picking him up.
The risks our obvious, he's not cleared to play yet by the commissioner and even if he was he may not have learned his lesson yet. Further, there's no telling if the guy can take hits after sitting out for a year. The upsides are clear too, he's cheap (guys on their last shot in the NFL usually don't have bargaining power) and he's talented. He's a good cornerback and punt returner.
The cowboys do have somewhat of a track record for "reforming troubled players", given Owens improvements and Tank Johnsons recent anonymity. They also have Calvin Hill and crew who provide good mentorship and solid lockeroom guys that anchor the team. But it's still a risk. I would give it a try, but I also wouldn't let that stop me from taking a cornerback in the draft.
Free Agency
In free agency we protected our tackle Flozel Adams and put a franchise tag on safety Ken Hamlin, but that used up most of the salary cap. We lost 3 non-starting defensive backs, Keith Davis a safety, Reeves and Jones two backup cornerbacks. We traded Jason Fergason for a late round pick - he was injured last year and we have too many Defensive Tackles now that we picked up Tank. The big loss this year was Julius Jones our starting running back. I'll miss Julius, I never thought he quite got a fair shake, although I have to admit he didn't live up to his potential over the past two years.
So long Julius!!!
Interestingly, we picked up Zach Thomas from Miami. Zach's an experienced inside linebacker and tough run stopper. Unless we are going to keep 8 linebackers on the team this year, I think this is bad news for Bobby Carpenter. Bobby was our 1st pick two years ago, but hasn't done much yet. He was kinda just buried in the depth chart and now there will be another layer between him and the field. Maybe they will just keep 8 linebackers as it would be a shame not to give Carpenter a shot out on the field.
Draft
Free agency leaves us with depth concerns at cornerback and running back. Add the fact that Owens and Glenn are getting up their in age and I would say those three positions round out the primary needs. In the latter rounds we could use interior offensive linemen, a safety and possibly a backup quarterback.
The one thing we don't need is a front 7 defensive players. All of our recent first round picks have gone to either defensive linemen and linebackers, so we should be set. Now they just need to get the most out of the talent they have.
We have two first round picks this year:#22 from Cleavland and 28. This of course opens up all kinds of trade talks, including trading one of them for a veteran wide receiver or possibly trading both of them and moving up in the draft to get a top running back like McFadden or Mendenhall. If they stick with their picks, there unlikely to take a running back in the first round. Instead they will probably hope one of those good cornerbacks like Talib falls to that that spot. If not they could grab a receiver. Given Jerry's history, I do think a trade is likely.
Packman Jones
Packman sat out last year for fighting in strip clubs, so naturally the cowboys are interested in picking him up.
The risks our obvious, he's not cleared to play yet by the commissioner and even if he was he may not have learned his lesson yet. Further, there's no telling if the guy can take hits after sitting out for a year. The upsides are clear too, he's cheap (guys on their last shot in the NFL usually don't have bargaining power) and he's talented. He's a good cornerback and punt returner.
The cowboys do have somewhat of a track record for "reforming troubled players", given Owens improvements and Tank Johnsons recent anonymity. They also have Calvin Hill and crew who provide good mentorship and solid lockeroom guys that anchor the team. But it's still a risk. I would give it a try, but I also wouldn't let that stop me from taking a cornerback in the draft.
Comments
What did you think of the draft?
Dan
I mean, Ayodele was your starting inside linebacker for the last two years and Fasano is a young talanted tight end. They have to be worth more than a 4th round pick.
As for Mendenhall, I think we passed up on a good one.
Dan