Cowboys free agency: The latest buzz around Dallas before legal tampering period
Dallas can begin negotiations with other players in the league after 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday.
In recent history, the Dallas Cowboys avoided the first wave of free agency, aside from signing their own. Jerry Jones and company wait for the big deals to be handed before picking up the pieces that flew under the radar.
Some of their most important signings of the Mike McCarthy era came after the early days. Safety Jayron Kearse was signed eight days into free agency in 2021, and punter Bryan Anger signed almost a month later.
A safety man and a punter aren’t the most critical positions on a football team, but for the Cowboys, spending free-hand money is meant to plug holes in good talent jobs that don’t cost much.
Dallas freed up Cap space earlier in the week by restructuring contracts for Dak Prescott and Zack Martin. Other moves may offer financial flexibility, but it appears the money will be used alone before going to outside free agents. David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports.
The move is about making room to retain some of their own players more than making a splash after free agency opens next week.
So who would get all the money?
It’s time to sign a long-term renewal with Donovan Wilson
One name to watch within the Cowboys organization is safety, Donovan Wilson. No. 6 comes from a career year in which he played in every game, recorded 101 tackles, five sacks, seven tackles for loss, one interception and nine quarterback hits.
Wilson was labeled by Dan Quinn as someone who would break out in 2022 and he couldn’t have been more correct. As a sixth-round draft pick, Wilson is looking for a payday considering he earned just over $3.5 million in four seasons at Dallas.
Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News tweeted that Stephen Jones and Will McClay met with Wilson’s representatives at the Senior Bowl in February. In an interview, Stephen Jones spoke of wanting to keep the security group together as much as possible.
Another insider echoes the same sentiment, with the Cowboys trying to focus on Wilson with top priority before the free agency window opens. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.
Strongest retention efforts
Defender Jonathan Jones is an ideal patriot, so New England could make a difference out there in a short amount of time. And be aware that Dallas is trying to find out something for sure Donovan Wilsona valuable player for Dan Quinn’s defence.
In Fowler’s article, co-written with Dan Graziano, he talks about all the scenarios surrounding free agents and where players could end up. The cowboys aren’t named in the article, but mentioning it means something is cooking behind the scenes.
A contract extension for Tony Pollard could be on hold
The Cowboys used their franchise tag to hold Tony Pollard back for another season. after all The team would like to work out a long-term extensionbut the tag allows negotiations to continue into July without other teams bidding for Pollard.
Dallas has used the franchise tag in the past and waited until the last minute to get an extension. When wide receiver Dez Bryant was tagged in March 2015, the two sides didn’t agree to a new deal until July 15, just before the deadline.
Fowler reports that the Cowboys could wait for the running back market to iron itself out and sidestep a long-term deal with the numbers handed out to free agents.
As for leadback guys, the Bears’ Montgomery is probably the best one left. But it’s not a position teams are happy to pay for, and a flooded market doesn’t help. Look for the Raiders, Giants and Cowboys to help this RB free agent market settle, and finalize pricing for Jacobs, Barkley and Pollard in renewal talks this summer.
The running back market isn’t what it used to be, and it’s a position that’s statistically depreciating rapidly. Dallas is one of the few teams that invested heavily in the position. She Nearly $27 million is currently tied to Ezekiel Elliott and Pollard.
The number will drop significantly if they decide to release Elliott or restructure his deal. If the Cowboys could negotiate a three-year deal with Pollard where his average salary is under $10 million per season, that would help, too.
Dallas has until July 17, 2023 to negotiate a new deal with Pollard.
Continue reading