Cowboys: Why cutting Terrance Williams isn’t so easy
By Reid Hanson
It’s cheaper for the Cowboys to keep Terrance Williams than it is to cut him, so would they be willing to burn cash to rid themselves?
It’s impossible to have any Terrance Williams conversation without discussing his financial situation on the Cowboys. That’s because Williams is in one of those rare situations in which it is more expensive to cut him than it is to keep him.
That’s why you can’t solely focus on his on-field output when discussing his worthiness to remain on the roster. Paying someone extra money to go away is a tough sell. The addition by subtraction argument has plenty of appropriate applications but that’s usually in cancerous situations.
The finances
Terrance Williams has a guaranteed base salary of $3,500,000 this season. According to Spotrac, he’s on the books to count $4,750,000 against the cap. If the Cowboys cut him, rather than save money they will actually spend more. That’s because he just began his new deal last season so the signing bonus has yet to be accounted for.
Cutting him now will cost the Cowboys $7,250,000. That’s $2,500,000 more to cut him than to keep him.
That’s why you can’t just point to his uninspiring play, illegal behavior off-the-field, or endless body-catches as reasons to cut bait, without addressing the financials of the situation.
Cutting him now isn’t just calling him a waste of space, it’s saying he’s negative presence on the club. You could say he is since he was just arrested this weekend for public intoxication, but let’s be real, it’s more about our displeasure in his play than his off-the-field behavior.
Demotion?
You may not like Terrance Williams as a No. 2 receiver but what about a No. 4? If it’s cheaper to keep T-dub on the team, then maybe the Cowboys would be wise to keep him as depth. In 2019, Terrance Williams will again cost $4,750,000 but only $2,500,000 in dead money to cut. Because of this, it makes considerably more sense (and cents) to cut him next year.
Progress Blocker
The biggest issue is that of being a progress blocker. The Cowboys loaded up on receiver depth this offseason and will have to cut loose one of two players who could have a future in this league. Is holding onto Terrance Williams for one year worth losing out on the future of someone like Noah Brown or Cedric Wilson?
I think you know my thoughts on the matter:
Related Story: Why Noah Brown must make the Cowboys
Cutting Williams now may cost more money and make the Cowboys less talented at the position overall, but it could be best for the long-term future of the club if it lets Dallas keep and develop their young pass-catchers.
Without Jason Witten and Dez Bryant, it’s likely the Cowboys will struggle in the passing game this season. Perhaps the wise move is to just rip the Band-Aid off and cut Williams as well. The Cowboys did it with the secondary last season, maybe they will with the receiving corps this season.
Next: Are the Cowboys being realistic with Tavon Austin's role?
It’s no secret Cowboys Nation is sick and tired of Terrance Williams. But it’s going to take more than “sick and tired” to make his release worth it. Maybe we’re there, maybe we’re not. But since it costs more to cut him than to keep him, this is not your typical roster-building debate.