Dallas Cowboys: Smart Money, Smart Moves, and Bad Decisions

The Dallas Cowboys are frustrating a lot of fans by not making moves early in free agency, but this is smart money and smart moves, not bad decisions.

Yes, Dallas Cowboys’ fans I agree with you, we need an upgrade at safety. I also agree we need some help on the defensive line and at wide receiver. I would even agree we need running back depth, offensive line depth, and even with Witten more at tight end.

All of the above can be true, and none of this means the Cowboys have to throw big money around for a few players. You can improve the team, without dropping huge cash.

The narrative by a lot of people out there is the Cowboys just HAVE to get Earl Thomas at any cost. Do they? I am all for Thomas at the right price but $14 million a season is not the right price. It was, or at least paying him like the top safety in the league, about four or five years ago.

Now that he is 30, coming off a broken leg, and three straight seasons not playing a full season, maybe not. I get it, this is Earl Thomas, but this is not the same Earl Thomas. I’m not saying he isn’t an upgrade, I’m saying he is not $14 million a year worth of upgrade.

This is just the start of the annual freak out for the Dallas Cowboys free agency. I’m not saying the Cowboys don’t need to be a tad more aggressive, but they don’t need to be the Dallas Cowboys of old. Being smart with your money and making smart moves, allows for players like DeMarcus Lawrence or Amari Cooper to even potentially be re-signed or extended. We won’t get into the dollars and cents or why I think you need to pay Lawrence, but suffice to say if you blew through your cap, you wouldn’t even have the chance at either.

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But this is about the money being thrown around at this time of the year. We have watched Tyrann Mathieu and Landon Collins each get about $14 million a year already. Adam Humphries and Jamison Crowder each got about $9 million a year. Of the signings so far only one has been a playoff team, be patient, this is a team that made the playoffs. Sure it might need to make some moves, but smart moves.

If the Cowboys wait names like, Adrian Amos and Adrian Phillips will still be an upgrade at a much cheaper price. That would leave money for most of the upcoming and current internal free agents and still have money for a slot receiver or defensive tackle. Maybe, just maybe enough for some line depth, who knows.

Remember, you are paying for what you think they will give to the team from the point you sign them, not for what they did before you signed them. This is a hard point for fans to remember, we remember players longer than they can play. Moves will be made, just smart ones, with smart money.

• Published on 03/12/2019 at 11:29 AM
• Last updated at 03/12/2019 at 11:29 AM