Which of Jerry Jones Free Agent Signing was the Best?
Dallas Cowboy Owner and GM Jerry Jones has signed more free agents this year than in any other year since modern free agency began. As always, some of Jerry’s signings are being lauded as shrewd and surely to improve the team, while others deals are being judged as horrible deals that will financially cripple the franchise.
Our reader question this week comes all the way from England.
If you have questions for the Dallas Cowboys writers at The Landry Hat and SportDFW, please email them to cjlandryhat@hotmail.com.
"David Wellesly, London, England: Other than Brandon Carr, which free agent signing do you think was the best for the Cowboys?"
Greyson Jones: Dan Connor probably. If he gets the job, Bruce Carter was a wasted pick, but there is then an upgrade at ILB. Click here to read Greyson’s individual grades for all the free agent signings.
Johnathan Barger: Carr is definitely the cream of the crop, but in terms of 2nd best… Orton is the best signing because he has a good skill set and will give the Boys’ a chance if Romo goes down (sorry McGee). But, Orton will not have the biggest impact. We saw last season how tough Romo is, and he won’t be missing many snaps. I think that Brodney Pool is going to have the biggest impact as a day 1 starter. We may still draft a SS, (Mark Barron anyone?) but Abe Elam was brought in as a communication stop-gap and ended as a failed experiment. Brodney Pool is a younger, more physical version and more competent in the passing game. Click here to see Johnathan’s work at TLH.
Todd Toombs: The answer to this one in my opinion is easy. Kyle Orton gives the Cowboys a veteran, somewhat proven backup QB. If Romo goes down at any point this coming season, I would not be very comfortable if Stephen McGee was our only option. Signing Orton is going to pay big dividends over the next few seasons I believe. Click here to see Todd’s recent’s articles at The Landry Hat.
Mark Contreras: I hate to take the “cop out” but I have to say the way they handled bringing in all the guards they did via Free Agency. The Cowboys lacked ANY depth on the OL last year and it showed. I know the pick-ups were unpopular, but fans have to be patient and understand that Gene Upshaw isn’t available via Free Agency (and if a player of that caliber was, we couldn’t afford him). Garrett’s doing a fine job in FA so far and it showed in his willingness to bring in guys to compete for two very important positions. Click here to take a look at Mark’s recent articles at TLH.
Seth Jones: Nate Livings! Not only does his name suggest that he is the opposite of death, but he represents an acknowledgement that our offensive line needs help! Look for our running game to be a top 10 offense next season. Write it down. ….Or type it down. Click here to peruse Seth’s recent articles at TLH.
Brad Austin: All depends upon how we’re viewing it. Are we comparing it to upgrades from last year or upgrades filling empty roster spots? If we’re considering who was the next best FA added to the open roster spots just before free agency, I’d have to say Lawrence Vickers. The Cowboys must field a competent running game in 2012, to build upon what they began to develop last year with the addition of Fiammetta. However, Dallas still only had 5 total rushing TD’s last year. That number needs to be doubled next season at the very least. Vickers has excelled in two power rushing offenses featuring power backs. He led the way from Jamal Lewis in Cleveland and Arian Foster/Ben Tate in Houston. In my opinion he’ll give Dallas a more potent power push than Fiammetta provided last year. Slight upgrade at a very key position. Check out Brad’s recent posts at TLH here.
Steven Phillips: Other than the signing of Brandon Carr, the most important free agent addition this offseason was fullback Lawrence Vickers. The addition of a true fullback to the roster was key to getting the running game up to par. When Tony Fiammetta was in the lineup last season DeMarco Murray was producing at his best. When he was out of the lineup the running game struggled. Because of the struggling of the running game the offense became one-dimensional. Vickers is an upgrade over Fiammetta and should help the running backs run wild along with adding an additional pass blocker to help cover Tony Romo in the passing game. Click here to see Steven’s recent posts at The Landry Hat.
C. Joseph Wright: I agree with Stephen completely. I don’t know much about Vickers, other than he blocked for a very successful Arian Foster. Some of the media describe him as “one of the best blocking FB’s in the NFL”, and no one seems to be challenging that assessment. As Stephen intimated above, people tend to overlook how good the OL looked when both Murray and Fiammetta were both healthy. The threat of a real running attack changes everything, including the way Garrett calls and manages a game. It was the only time that Garrett called a truly balanced game. When defenses have to respect the run, it slows down the pass-rush, holds the LB’s in close to the line of scrimmage for longer, and eventually draws a safety up into the box; all of those things make the combination of Romo, Austin, Bryant, and Witten pretty difficult to stop. If Vickers can help Murray, or the DM EXpress as he has been called, pick up 5 and 6 yards a carry like he did last season, the Cowbys should be able to score enough points to beat most NFL teams.
Erasmus: Lawrence Vickers is 6 feet tall and 250 pounds. I can’t wait to see this guy block. DeMarco Murray is going to have the best year by a Dallas Cowboys RB since Emmitt Smith played.
If you have questions for the Dallas Cowboys writers at The Landry Hat and SportDFW, please email them to cjlandryhat@hotmail.com.