Cowboys Chat: Which Internal Free Agents Should Stay?

In this Cowboys Chat we discuss which internal free agents the Cowboys should keep and which internal free agents should go.

For the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL, there is no offseason. Where the games once were, roster management now resides.

In this Cowboys Chat, we’ll discuss the many internal free agents of the Cowboys and what may become of them.

Are the Cowboys going to re-sign all of their starters or are we going to see some surprises?

The Cowboys are not going to re-sign all of their starters that should NOT be surprising. Ronald Leary, Terrance Williams, Terrell McClain, Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, and Barry Church are all 2016 starters who are facing free agency this offseason. I would be surprised if the Cowboys didn’t let most of them go.

I think someone out there is going to throw a lot of money at Mo Claiborne and that team won’t be the Cowboys.

Ronald Leary played so good he priced himself right out of the Cowboys price range. Terrance Williams has been disappointing to many of us in Cowboys Nation but his numbers are respectable and he’s liable to demand $8 million per season on the open market (as per Spotrac). That’s far too much for Dallas to invest in their #4 option so I expect Williams to hit the road as well.

McClain, on the other hand, had his best season with Dallas. After two injury plagued seasons, McClain was the most consistently performing defensive linemen on the team last year. He won’t break the bank to re-sign so his return is a possibility.

Barry Church is also a possibility to return. He’s been one of the NFL’s best run-stoppers over the years and has a well-defined role on the Rod Marinelli’s defense. At this point, he’s the best bet to return but even that’s not a sure thing.

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What about Claiborne and Carr?

I think someone out there is going to throw a lot of money at Mo Claiborne and that team won’t be the Cowboys. Mo played well in 2016 but he’s far too unreliable to bring back for more than $3M. And he’s going to go for way more than $3M next month. Mid-level #1 cornerbacks are demanding close to $10M per season these days and Mo will probably get close to that.

Look for Dallas to go cheap at CB. As much as it pains me to say it, Brandon Carr may be that man. He’s an average No. 2 CB these days but he’s never missed a game and that has tremendous value.

Which Free Agents SHOULD the Dallas Cowboys keep?

For my money I’d work to re-sign Barry Church and Brandon Carr the most. Both will be relatively inexpensive and both fill a major need. McClain and Brice Butler would be welcomed back as long as it was on the cheap (like $1-2M per season) but everyone else can hit the road.

Next: Don't Expect a Trade for Tony Romo

This is a fun offseason for the Dallas Cowboys. They are expected to have a ton of churn based on this free agent list but should earn maximum compensatory picks next season as a result.

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