While I understand the tendencies of many to feel down about the offseason thus far, I can see some positives amidst the rubble. I don't think the offseason and free agency have been a total disaster, and I wanted to point out what I feel have been good moves and some that still have me scratching my head and get some opinions on what others think?
Here are my negatives:
- Trading away Cooper for a bag of magic beans. No sugar-coating it. The Cowboys gave away their best receiver for peanuts, especially when seeing what receivers like Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams fetched in their trades.
- Announcing to the world that you were 'done' with La'el Collins and ultimately cutting him. I know about the cap savings situation, and I also know that the Cowboys themselves created that cap situation too. They released one of the best right tackles in the league and got nothing for him.
- Franchise tagging Dalton Schultz. Sorry, but in no universe is Schultz a franchise player worthy of an $11 million cap hit this year. And he's not worth any big money multi-year contract going forward either. Teams like Buffalo are loading up for a championship run and getting guys like OJ Howard to be their #2 TE for a third of what the Cowboys are paying Schultz.
- Doing nothing thus far to improve a weakened offensive line. They were right to let Williams go, but they should be doing more to potentially upgrade at left guard and possibly center. There are some good options available, stop sitting on your hands!
Here are my positives:
- Swapping out Randy Gregory at $70 million for Dante Fowler for $3 million. Some try to criticize the Cowboys for 'screwing up' the Gregory deal but I think they did the right thing and not making that deal will ultimately turn out to be a blessing. Fowler is a better player on every level, and certainly less of a suspension risk.
- The James Washington deal. The team deserves credit for adding a good young receiver to their trio at a bargain price. He wanted to play close to home and the Cowboys wisely signed him. The guy was a former second round draft pick and highly regarded. For some reason, he got lost in the shuffle in Pittsburgh and hopefully that's not the case here.
- Retaining several defensive players at modest prices. The team was able to keep a good portion of its defense intact with several modest contracts. This is NOT saying that the defense is 'finished' or that it cannot be improved before anyone gets the wrong idea. But continuity is important, especially for a unit in its' first year together in a new system. And the team kept most of what they had, while leaving themselves the option to continue to add and improve in the draft.
- The new contract for Demarcus Lawrence. I see this as a win-win for player and team. And as someone who wanted Lawrence and his bloated contract gone, I've done a complete reversal after seeing both parties get a deal like this done.
I'd like to hear what others think? Are there some that you disagree with? Are there some positives or negatives that I've missed?
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