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Dallas Cowboys: Assessing the Cheaper Solutions at CB

By Reid Hanson

November 15, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Terence Newman (23) intercepts the football intended for Oakland Raiders wide receiver Andre Holmes (18) during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Vikings defeated the Raiders 30-14. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 15, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Terence Newman (23) intercepts the football intended for Oakland Raiders wide receiver Andre Holmes (18) during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Vikings defeated the Raiders 30-14. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Cowboys may be wise to look at a cheaper (and familiar) options like Terence Newman and/or Sterling Moore to man the corner in 2016.

The Dallas Cowboys have issues in the secondary, no matter what the end of season rankings look like. Career underachiever, Brandon Carr, is on the books to make $13.817M in the final year of his deal and first round bust, Morris Claiborne, is set to become a free agent.

It’s entirely likely neither player will return to Dallas in 2016 and the Cowboys will be in market for their replacements in free agency. Monday we looked at Sean Smith as a potential replacement for Carr. Today, we look at some less-flashy, budget friendly players that may serve the Cowboys nearly as well – and for a fraction of the price.

Let’s clear something up right off the bat – Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne are not completely out of the picture yet and both have a chance at returning in 2016. But both players also rate near the bottom of the league in “cornerbacking” and both players performances are easy to replace/upgrade at a much lower price.

The Cadillac of free agent options is Carolina Panthers shut-down corner, Josh Norman. Logic tells us after breaking out this season, Norman is unlikely to hit the open market, and even if he does, he’ll probably be out of Dallas’ price range.

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Second tier CB, Sean Smith is an attractive option, but he’ll likely cost the same on a per annual basis than Brandon Carr did. Is Smith going to be considerably better than Carr was? I certainly think so, but at CB, there are no guarantees and the Dallas Cowboys have a poor track record on assessing talent at the position.

Consider this…

Before the Cowboys drafted Byron Jones they defied odds with their poor drafting of cornerbacks, only hitting on 1 of 9 of their picks. Add in the massive misjudgment on signing Brandon Carr in 2012 and you have a team that shouldn’t be trusted with investing money at the cornerback position.

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Perhaps the smartest way to attack the CB position this offseason is to invest minimal dollars that carry with them smaller and more realistic expectations. If a cheaper and less exciting player comes at 25% of the cost and nearly gives you the same quality of play, it’s a move worth considering. Especially since the money saved the money would be much better spent elsewhere.

Players like Terence Newman and Sterling Moore may not be any better than the Claiborne/Carr tandem, but they would come at roughly 15%-25% of the cost. Any savings discovered at CB could be used to bolster the pass-rush and/or upgrade at safety. And those moves could make the CBs better as a reasonable byproduct.

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Terence Newman, former first round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, quietly had a strong year in Minnesota. The 37-year-old cornerback started every game last season, collecting 62 tackles, 12 breakups, and three interceptions.

Newman earned a 76.3 overall rating from Pro Football Focus, ranking him 39th in the NFL last season (considerably better than the 73rd ranked Carr and the 106th ranked Claiborne)and Newman even won an NFC Defensive Player of the Week award in November.

Sterling Moore is another former Cowboy who could jump right into a starting role without much (if any) falloff. In a curious move, the Cowboys allowed Moore to leave in free agency last offseason, opting instead to bring in a cornerback with slot experience, Corey White.

That didn’t work out well for the Cowboys, who not only cut White for something as petty as attire, but had to face the motivated Sterling Moore in Tampa last season. Moore spent most of the day matched up on Dez Bryant and stepped up to challenge. In all, Moore was targeted nine times, giving up 5 catches for 50 yards. Those are numbers you can live with when a CB is making 10% of what Brandon Carr earns.

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Moore had a strong 2014 in Dallas, starting seven games, collecting 49 tackles, and 14 breakups. At 25, Moore’s best years are still ahead of him, so while Terence Newman would be a one-year deal, Moore could be someone inexpensive to develop.

Both Moore and Newman bring with them strong open field tackling and scheme versatility. They aren’t going to be Pro Bowlers but they are extraordinary value buys, that would free up significant money. The savings of which could be used to upgrade at pass-rusher, safety (Eric Weddle or Eric Berry), or RB (Marshawn Lynch).

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Flushing the toilet on the Carr and Claiborne regime is an aggressive but necessary move. If the Cowboys are weary of reinvesting big money and/or a top draft pick, players like Terence Newman and Sterling Moore may be excellent pick-ups.

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