Dallas Cowboys: One player they wish they could cut

As the Dallas Cowboys evaluate and skim down their roster to just 53 players, this is one man they wish they could cut.

The Dallas Cowboys have some tough decisions these coming days as they cut the roster down from 90 players to just 53 players. It would be nice if we could honestly say the best players will always get the job but we know that’s not always the case.

Draft status will always play a part in the final roster selection process. If it’s a close race between a fourth round pick and an undrafted free agent, the draft pick will win nearly every time. It’s a fight against sunk costs and the influence they make on future decisions.

Younger, cheaper options are also preferred to older, costlier players. That’s just an inevitable consequence of the salary cap.

Thornton counts $4.25 million against the cap this season making him the second highest paid d-linemen on the roster

All of these situations hurt to some regard when an otherwise worthy player loses his job to reasons outside of performance. But nothing is worse than when guaranteed money makes an undeserving player uncuttable. And that’s exactly what we have in Cedric Thornton.

Cedric Thornton

In 2016, Cedric Thornton signed a four-year, $17 million dollar deal (according to spotrac). Coming from Philadelphia where he often played the extremely uncommon 4-technique position, he was asked to make a significant position switch inside to the 1-technique.

His 4-technique background (which indicates that he lines up directly over the tackle) indicates Thornton has the ability to anchor and play a read-and-react 2-gap game. Often times this is exactly what a 1-technique tackle is asked to do in 4-3 defense. So it really makes sense the Cowboys thought he could handle the job.

Unfortunately for Cedric Thornton the job description doesn’t end there. Rod Marinelli calls his defensive linemen “Rushmen” for a reason. He expects everyone to be a pass rusher when called upon, and given Rod’s resistance to use a blitz, he calls upon his front four often.

Stephen Paea

Outperforming Thornton at 1-technique defensive tackle is free agent find, Stephen Paea. Playing on a 1-year, $2 million contract Paea is reunited with the coach and the system in which he once thrived. Through training camp he’s show the skills to explode off the ball and penetrate the backfield on a consistent basis.

More from Dallas Cowboys

How Paea holds up against the run down after down remains to be seen but his motor indicates he’s up to any and all challenges set in front of him. While Cedric Thornton represents the biggest rip-off on th roster, Stephen Paea represents the biggest bargain.

Uncuttable

Thornton counts $4.25 million against the cap this season making him the second highest paid D-linemen on the roster (let that sink in).

It’s disappointing to say the least that he’s no better than a rotational backup and that his play is far behind that of the expected starter, Stephen Paea.

As the title of the article bluntly states, Cedric Thornton is a “player they wish they could cut”. Cutting Thornton now would result is a $6.75 million hit in dead money, meaning he’s too costly to cut. Deserving or not, Cedric Thornton is going to make the team. Worse yet, keeping him on the 53-man roster will likely result in the loss of promising young players like Lewis Neal, Jordan Carrell, and/or Joey Ivie.

Next: How high is the ceiling for Rico Gathers this season?

Cedric Thornton isn’t a terrible player but he’s underperforming his contract and can effectively be replaced by younger, cheaper, and more promising options. He’s not only a progress stopper but could ultimate force players off the Cowboys’ roster and onto someone else’s.

Home/Dallas Cowboys