Money won’t be an issue for the Dallas Cowboys when free agency begins, but don’t look for them to go after any big-ticket items early.
The Cowboys haven’t spent big since they signed cornerback Brandon Carr to a five-year, $50.1 million contract in 2012. Suffice it to say, they have learned their lesson.
With a lot of needs, look for the Cowboys to be bargain shoppers on the second wave of free agency. They will be idle early when the big money is likely to flow.
“We still need to keep responsibility and not blow things out for us in years to come,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. “Just to say that we’ve got enough money, that we can have a free-spending year is not the case. Within a plan that we have of how to maintain some cap flexibility year in and year out, we can go do what we want to do.”
The NFL free-agency negotiating period begins at 11 a.m. Monday. No contracts can be executed yet. Free agency officially begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday, allowing teams to sign unrestricted free agents.
What will the Cowboys do with Carr?
Carr has a base salary of $9.1 million and counts $13.8 million against the cap. Those numbers are too high for a cornerback with no interceptions in more than two years. Will he finally be a cap casualty? The Cowboys blinked last year. They are unlikely to go this offseason without addressing Carr. “The big issue here is the price,” Jones said. “He’s a good player. It’s the price.”
Which free agents will the Cowboys keep?
The Cowboys have a lot of free agents, but none of the big-money variety such as Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray of a year ago. Jerry Jones said he would like to keep middle linebacker Rolando McClain. Consider defensive end Jack Crawford a priority sign as well because of the lack of depth on the line. Nick Hayden, Lance Dunbar and James Hanna shouldn’t cost much to retain. Morris Claiborne and Greg Hardy won’t be pursued.
Will the Cowboys sign a veteran backup quarterback?
The Cowboys are saying all the right things about Kellen Moore publicly. But the facts are they will likely draft a quarterback and need a veteran they can count on to bridge the gap and win games behind Tony Romo in the interim. Colt McCoy and Chase Daniel are proven free agent options to come in and compete with Moore to be Romo’s primary backup.
Could DeMarco Murray return to Dallas?
There has been a lot of speculation about running back DeMarco Murray being unhappy in Philadelphia and wanting to return to Dallas. There is no way the Eagles will simply cut Murray and let him walk back to the Cowboys. Murray’s price still might be too high for the Cowboys even if he is let go, at least that is the feeling from his camp. Murray would love to return to Dallas and the Cowboys would love to have him at the right price.
Whom should the Cowboys target?
Former San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle would be a terrific pickup if the Cowboys can get him at the right price. His agent thinks he will have a big market, but this could be a wait-and-see prospect. Green Bay cornerback Casey Haywood is a young option to replace either Morris Claiborne or Brandon Carr. Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams or Carolina Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson could come to Dallas and revive their careers as DeMarcus Ware did in Denver.