Why the Dallas Cowboys stopped signing free agents (but only temporarily)

Gone are the days when the Dallas Cowboys are relentlessly competing for the offseason’s top free agents. La’Roi Glover, Brandon Carr, and Terrell Owens are signings of the past. These days the Cowboys focus on patience and value. They look for retreads and gambles in hope they’ll develop into something big.

And you know what?

Sometimes it works out. Last year they hit big on Jayron Kearse, Malik Hooker, Tarell Basham, and Carlos Watkins. So much so they kept them around again this year. Never mind for every hit they seem to have two or three misses. The misses are part of the new formula and comes with that low-risk/high-reward territory the Dallas Cowboys now employ.

Compensatory picks are big part of the Dallas Cowboys team building strategy and as such, a major influencer in free agency.

Compensatory picks (or comp picks) have been around since the dawn of free agency. They are extra draft picks awarded to teams who suffered more losses on the open market than additions. It’s a way for teams who are up against the cap to build a roster with cheap mid-level rookie talent.

Comp picks were designed to be a consolation prize for free agency losers but teams like the Dallas Cowboys made comp picks a strategy to claim “free money” by way of cheap rookie talent.

This process has netted the Cowboys boatloads of free picks over the years. Dallas is among lead leaders in awarded comp picks the past decade, and it’s all according to plan (now ask me how many conference championships they’ve been in over that period time…I digress…).

Comp picks were designed to be a consolation prize for free agency losers but teams like the Dallas Cowboys made comp picks a strategy to claim “free money” by way of cheap rookie talent.

Simply put, the Cowboys are focused on losing more than they gain in free agency this offseason because that will translate into comp picks in 2023. That’s why, despite there being several attractive free agents on the market right now, Dallas is showing little-to-no interest. They don’t want to screw up their comp picks.

But after the 2022 NFL Draft this all changes.

After the draft the comp pick formula closes and teams can sign free agents without fear of disrupting their free picks. That’s what Stephen Jones and the Dallas Cowboys are waiting on.

Smart strategy? Nothing the Cowboys seem to be doing this offseason qualifies as smart, but at least it’s a strategy we can identify and accept.

What we want to see as fans is as few free agent signings as possible right now across the league. We want as many players as possible to be on the market when Dallas reenters the sales floor.

It makes the days immediately preceding the draft all the more critical. The Dallas Cowboys won’t be alone in their quest to scoop up veteran free agents. Other teams do the same thing and will be competing with Dallas. There will also be teams who saw their needs go unfulfilled in the draft who will be competing on the market. So it won’t just be those comp pick chasers but also the other teams scrambling to fill out their rosters.

This is the calm before the storm. Draft weekend and the days following it are going to be a wild and critical time for the Cowboys. Let’s hope some desirable free agents are out there because the draft alone can’t fix this team.

• Published on 04/09/2022 at 11:01 AM
• Last updated at 04/08/2022 at 14:02 PM