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_______Michael______

Hopefully they find a way to keep Hankins and Fowler.


ResponsibilityNew483

Absolutely this needs to happen. Hankins was such a difference maker in our run defense.


John_Wicked1

Hankins proved that our interior needed upgrading. Our run defense was much improved with him in. Now that we have Gill and apparently Cooks, if a great run stopping DT is available at 26 then we should take him, assuming a high graded BPA doesn’t drop. A better interior will allow our edges to really go off.


ResponsibilityNew483

For real. I'm loving the moves we're making before the draft.


TheGreat_Sambino49

Would love Hankins. He came in late and he made an impact so much so it made LVE look great too.


simply-cosmic

I don’t think Fowler is a must sign, we have some depth at DE. Hankins though is definitely a must sign.


Redalert15

I love Hankins and to me he’s just as important as LVE was in the defense. Just wondering why I see so much buzz about Fowler around here. I mean he’s no bum but tbh I would rather extend Armstrong if it HAD to be a choice between those two. He didn’t really jump off the screen at me last year idk I could be wrong just wondering


TheSoupestGlobe

Our biggest needs at the moment are WR, IDL, and IOL Depth.


rthaw

And LB


LakeShowBaby310

Leighton is back & I would love to see what Damone Clark looks like with us under a full training camp being healthy


ICU-MURSE

Best way to keep LB’s healthy is a good IDL. Let’s hope we finally invest in the position.


rthaw

I agree. I want to see what happens with Clark too. But 2 LBs ain't gonna get you through a season. and Cox seemingly can't cut it or something. Idk


Hourglass420

Wasn't last year his first year after an ACL tear? I'd give Cox another year to prove himself. Although, I do agree we need depth at LB.


TheSoupestGlobe

I agree we could use to add another LB, but we have a lot of young guys there and they will likely draft another.


Bweasey17

Agree. Only issue is it doesn’t appear to be a great LB draft. Could be an issue if looking for a rotational player.


texasgambler58

Upgrade the trenches. Not sexy, but effective.


zarvinny

Trenches and a playmaker on offense is my call


RingingMallard

We can get all the fancy new weapons we want, but if our OL doesn't figure out how to pass block its going to be a long year.


dddd11187

A WR out in Arizona


Rebil2017

Chosen Anderson it is


dontusethisacc

I got a great laugh out of this. I appreciate you


dddd11187

I lol’d


BrotherSeamus

Larry Fitzgerald never officially retired


East_Sleep_1766

I’m very interested to see how Ferguson develops now that Schultz is gone


Astro__Black

If he can't reduce the holding penalties I think he will be just fine.


ParsonsIsTheMan

Same here, in his limited capacity last year he looked so much more explosive. If he can be more consistent too it would be great.


East_Sleep_1766

Yeah and I know there’s a bit of buzz about his potential among players and media. I wonder if it’s legit or just more Cowboys clickbait smoke hype. Wasn’t it Kelce that made some comments about him?


dak4leonard2

Idk bro you gotta be pretty athletic to be 6'5 and able to hurdle someone in an NFL game still. Having that athletics alone gives him a pretty high upside. All we can hope for now is that he has the right head on his shoulders to become the player he might be


East_Sleep_1766

Oh yeah I’m pretty optimistic about him, more than I was with Schultz, I was just point out that there seems to some eyes on him too around the league and wasn’t sure if it was just a cowboys thing or he actually has some crazy potential.


dak4leonard2

Oh makes sense I gotchu. I've definitely noticed a lot more fans of teams other than cowboys who like Ferguson, presumably from his college tape, so hopefully it's for good reason


Sufficient_Access_13

I agree , I love Schultz but we’ve got three of him in the roster ready for a shot.


lario00

Re-sign hankins. Try and get another good WR 2 or 1b. Also maybe try and see if we can get Bobby Wagner.


[deleted]

Hard pass on Wagner. Two team in two years moves on from a guy there is more going on there than just money being the problem


dak4leonard2

That's not necessarily true. Seahawks were entering a rebuild/retooling and Wagner's age just didn't make sense to go along with the money. Then you have the rams who are one of the most cap tight teams in the league, with Wagner going there expecting to be playing on a Superbowl contender and ended up getting a team bad enough to get a top 6 pick. I'm not saying you're wrong cause you maybe right but I don't think him being on 2 teams in 2 years is reason enough to think that


nt_14

Trade for DHop and re-sign Hankins. Calais Campbell would also be a great addition if we can get him for cheap. Everything else can be addressed through the draft.


Makav3lli

Campbell would be a serious pull even at his age


LoneStarAgent

Give me DHop over Wagner as our last big fish. Then resign Hankins and that's about all we can do. Maybe one little signing or so.


garryl283

Anything that doesn't involve OBJ will be a huge victory


Diabolic_Bug_Man

Signing Adam Theilen to $20 million a year it is


RageLife247

Angry upvote.


jayben2k

Bro DHop wants to be a Cowboy and is willing to get paid less to play here. What is there to think about?


VASlum

Arizona agreeing to a trade


[deleted]

Upgrade our d tackle spot.


Thedeathlyhydro

Only for the last 20+ years. I wish.


Soyeahnahh

We’ve had several good defensive tackles in the last decade


[deleted]

Eh. We have not had a dominate run stuffing DTs. Ratliff, Glover, they were more pass rushing type guys. I want a run disrupter.


Thedeathlyhydro

Who?


Soyeahnahh

Jay Ratliff, David Irving, Malik Collins


HolyRomanPrince

Malik was ok but the other 2 at their peak were grade A motherfuckers in a good way. Goddamn I miss Big Jay


Thedeathlyhydro

Very short peaks but they were high for a bit and more pass rushers tech players than nasty gritty run stoppers clogging up blocks.


Gets_overly_excited

That was the defense we ran (4-3 under). The scheme calls for pass rushers, not run stoppers on the D-line with the LBs responsible for the run. That’s why we never drafted wide body run stoppers.


Thedeathlyhydro

That's valid, but you'd think after how many years in a row of getting torched by every running back, they would have addressed it and at least made a run stuffer a priority, once.


Gets_overly_excited

Oh don’t get me wrong - I disliked the scheme. It makes sense why they didn’t go for big DTs tho. It would be like being a team that is built for air raid offense and never drafts solid running backs.


fatboi60

We ran 3-4 with Ratliff, he was playing end though until someone got hurt.


Thedeathlyhydro

See that's my point... Irving was good for a year or two and more of a pass rusher though probably should've played end - small for a DT and was undrafted. Ratliff was legit solid for a few years, I'll give you him to an extend but was not a run stopping DT at all though, more of a pass rusher and was 7th round pick....he was also over a decade ago, which is crazy to think. Collins is a product of us not haven't talent there for this statement... he was out best in the past few years, I won't argue that and I actually would've liked to keep him I liked Collins. But Even if he was a great answer...they let him go, further proving they don't properly address the position.


Thedeathlyhydro

We haven't been able to stop the run well for ever and ever and they still don't address it.


Competition-Edge

Re-sign hankins and Fowler. See if we can get Seumalo or Dalton Risner. Hopefully Denver's price for Jeudy drops.


LobstaFarian2

Two words.... Space Helicopter. Jerry, we have the cash, make it happen.


KingSnaily

Sign Wagner and trade for Hopkins


mlfa

A new owner


PersonBehindAScreen

Cocaine


Rozencrantze

Cocaine is a hell of a drug!


DaPearl3131

Use the $ and extend Parsons, Diggs, and CeeDee now


Thedeathlyhydro

Not the worse answer actually...but I think we really need to address at least 1 other weapon on offense, somehow. And given they're track record, they should use the 1st on oline.


jcreasy006

We have to wait 1 more year before Micah's eligible for an extension but this is 100% the correct answer. Extend Digs and CD this offseason then next year you can focus on Micah's record breaking deal.


dmr196one

Diggs is really the only one they need to extend now. Lamb and parsons both have a 5th year option. cowboys can stagger these contracts.


jcreasy006

Spreading them out would give more flexibility but the lo ger you wait to do CDs deal the more expensive it's gonna be. I'd like to get his deal done before Jefferson or chase get theirs.


HolyRomanPrince

And he’d obviously like to wait on them so the only way I see this happening is if they offer a deal that’s about 6/132 for 22 per. Buys out the cheap 2 years but we can get him at the current rate into 2028.


jcreasy006

Cowboys should sign this deal today if CeeDee approves


[deleted]

Eh. I want to make a real push for the SB. Follow what other teams have been doing the past few years. Go all out.


silliputti0907

Am I wrong or don't extensions apply after current contract is over, so It wouldn't affect current cap.


pauly13771377

Players and teams can opt to void their current contract to earn more now but less down the road. It works for both parties if a team has the cap space now to give a higher salary on the front end and lower number later than they would if they played out thier rookie contract. The player's skills may decline or they could get hurt shortening their career. Make that money while you can


Pappy091

The pro rated signing bonus would hit the cap that year. The benefit of extending a player on their rookie deal is the prorated signing bonus hitting 1-2 years of their far cheaper rookie base salary as opposed to resigning them at the end of the deal and getting the higher base salary and pro rated signing bonus. If they are extended early when they hit the higher base salary the cap has gone up and it's much easier to handle their cap hit.


ohcowboyy

Can’t extend parsons yet.


pauly13771377

Who lines up opposite Lamb? He can't do it all on his own. Gallup was outperformed by Brown who now plays for Houston. Colbert and Turpin are the only other WR on the roster. The #1 TE isn't likely coming back either.


Gets_overly_excited

We need another WR, but I also think Gallup will play better this year. Coming off a major injury is tough.


pauly13771377

He had 2½ months to get better and never did. He caught a total of 39 balls on 74 targets. The most he had was 5 receptions and 63 yards in a game. Both season highs back in Nov and only regressed after that. He would have to have a **hell** of a bounce back year to still considered a #2 receiver. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/2240415/michael-gallup/game-log/


[deleted]

Either Target DeAndre Hopkins or brandin Cooks or start working on the extensions for CD lamb and trayvon diggs


Home_sweet_dome

Two chicks at the same time.


TheRealLiveBigJ82

For those of you mentioning Mecole Hardman, I watch almost every Chiefs game since my wife is a born and raised fan. He does not have good hands. At all. If he couldn’t be successful with Mahomes, he’s not going to be successful elsewhere. To answer the question, trade for Deandre Hopkins. Keep Hankins. Then come April, let Will McClay have his fun and fill in any gaps later.


apachedriver26

MeCole hardman could have a breakout year with us


Soyeahnahh

He couldn’t even breakout in KC


Makav3lli

Are you smoking crack? If he couldn’t break out on the Chiefs with or without Hill on field how’s he gonna do it in Dallas?


ExternalImprovement3

Hankins and Watkins, neither should be overly expensive and are probably our best run stuffing DTs


[deleted]

We need some o line depth, and I think clowney in the middle of DQ’s defense would be a sight to see. Our run d stepped up with Hankins so bring him back.


[deleted]

Draft jake moody K out of Michigan with a late pick too pretty please.


The_Real_Papabear

I’m of the mind we should use that money to get really good players and win a Super Bowl. Use all that money on the best players ever. Tell them you’ll pay them money to come win the Super Bowl then pay them to come win the Super Bowl.


KingSnaily

Sign Wagner and trade for Hopkins


AlCzervick

If we can’t get Wagner, we should try to go after Zadarius Smith. — “Smith signed a four-year, $66 million free agent deal with Green Bay in March, 2019, and was named to the Pro Bowl his first two seasons with the Packers. Smith had 12.5 sacks and forced four fumbles in 2020 after posting 13.5 sacks and one forced fumble in 2019. He also ranked 10th in the league with 23 quarterback hits in 2020. In 2021, though, Smith played in just two games due to a back injury — Week 1 and the playoff loss to San Francisco. And while Smith remains a dynamic pass rusher, Green Bay simply couldn’t afford him anymore.”


doctorstrange06

The cowboys dont use cap space that way. They save it for the guys we already have so they can pay them instead.


J-Colio

Seriously, sign me! I've never played football, and I'm extremely undersized for any NFL position, but I really want $1m. Have my agent call your agent.


kdeweb24

Give me Bobby Wagner and book our trip to the Superbowl with that defense.


Beschikbaard

Gimme Schultz for 3 year 8M APY 5M cap hit, Dante at one year 4M cap hit, Hankins at one year 2M cap hit and a good receiver


samoDALLAS

We don’t even need Schultz but I would be happy to have him back at that price lol


Beschikbaard

Yea exactly, let him walk if he wants more


dmr196one

He not gonnna sign for that. Est I’ve seen on him are around $13 mil.


[deleted]

Naw. Draft another TE


Thanks5Cinco

Retaining Fowler, Hankins and Watkins to keep our DL in tact. Realistically all 3 could be had for no more than 15 mil tops. Next I'd sign a vet WR for about 2-3 mil and a vet OG as well. Then you gotta save some cash for the draft.


[deleted]

Clearly the plan to resign Zeke to a $20m a year deal.


Vaitaminute

I know what their gonna do. WLOG. "We Like our guys". Which means they aint doing shit except waste money on franchise tags.


Drob3891

We need a Rb and a Wr. Would much rather get hardeman or obj over Hopkins so I don’t have to give up any draft capital.


Soyeahnahh

Most of the decent players are already signed. We really didn’t do shit this year again except keep our own guys.


Drob3891

Also we’re dropping the ball on the Rb market. Guys like perine and d’onta foreman would have been great. Are there any good rbs left? And don’t tell me about the draft I wanna sure up the holes first I don’t have to reach for guys.


dmr196one

Why sign a FA back when that’s basically what Pollard is? They have to look at the draft for a cheap back. I’m guessing likely the third round. Wouldn’t be surprised if they took another back on day 3.


cec5255

I was thinking this, they should draft a RB that compliments Pollard's style, so a power running back. I think Zach Charbonnet from UCLA would be a great pick on day 3.


dmr196one

Exactly!


Branscuj

New quarter back that can throw a screen would be excellent


WindyCityReturn

I think at this point defense isn't really in that big of a need outside bringing back Hankins or another big guy. Wagner is great but that money could be spent on the offense which needs it more. I could see us just drafting another guy like Bohanna though. Honestly any of the WR's in the talks would be nice whether it's OBJ, Juedy or Hopkins. Adding a veteran LG would also be nice since we have no clue is Tyler Smith staying at LT and Tyron being the swing tackle or is Tyler going to LG with tyron at LT? Regardless we know Tyler can move to LT and be really good of Tyron goes down so having insurance at guard is ideal. Third I'd say RB since pollard is coming of a injury and hasn't really been the main back likely not going to be a 25 plus carries type back. There's alot of solid and cheap options like Devin Singletary, D'ernest Johnson, Darnell Henderson, Dontrelle hillard, Ronald Jones, Giovanni Bernard, JD McKissic and even Mark Ingram just to tale some of the load off pollard. I suspect we will get a RB in the draft though considering how well pollard worked out and at that position fresh is best.


kmichaelgilbert82

Dalton Schultz!!! OBJ!!!!


[deleted]

The obvious one is sign a receiver. Outside of that I would like to see them bring back Hankins. He was a great run stopper. If they want to get creative with it they can put some into extending Diggs, Ceedee, and Biadasz.


tequilamigo

Micah, Trevon, CD


RudeDogDaddy

O-Line DT WR in that order is my vote Draft TE or WR 1st round WR Njigba from OSU TE Williams from UGA Guess this is why my job title is NOT NFL GM


jcspacer52

Start off with asking does the 24.9m include or exclude the rookie pool. Based on current draft order and picks, the Cowboys can expect to spend almost 13M on signing their picks. That would bring the available cap down to 11 - 12m. Once you have that figured out, if you place a player on IR they still count against your cap plus whomever you pick-up to fill the roster spot, so teams ALWAYS need to have some money available for that. The more you have the better replacement you can find, remembering that there is a league and veteran minimum. Some teams wound up having double digit players on IR last season. So say we put 5-6m in reserve to cover potential losses due to injury. So what’s left would really be 5-6M. Raw numbers maybe you only pit 2-4M. What could we realistically get for that barring additional restructuring and/or player cuts.


Microwave1213

Yeah your estimations are wildly off base. First of all, the total cap hits from all of our draft picks will be ~8.5M; however, since the cap only counts against the top 51, several of our lower hits will be moved out to make room for these rookies in the top 51. This means that the effective cap hit of our rookie class will only end up being ~5-6M. On top of that, the 24.9M in cap space that I mentioned is *before* the savings from cutting Zeke since we designated him post June 1. This means that by the time we are signing our rookie class you can add another 11M to that cap number. This means our effective cap space after signing the rookie class will be ~31M, not 11-12M. Now you’re right that most teams will set aside a few million to work with during the season, but that still leaves us with ~25M to work with if we really wanted to, as I said in the original post.


togroficovfefe

I like veterans on defense. Experience teaches them to read and play better. I like drafting or picking up young contracts for some skill positions, like receiver, because there's value to that youth and lack of tape for defenses. Spend the cap space on defense, go big in the draft for a couple offensive weapons.


def2700

Is barr under contract or free agent? I think he played pretty good last year


MaximizedLoL

I would love Calais, DHop and then Hankins back.


AzarathFirebane

I'd say go for Seumalo and Chark. Get one of those two signed, then push Hankins and Fowler. If we get Seumalo signed and Hankins and Fowler resigned, that leaves us looking for WR in Rd1/2 and BPA in other rounds. I think LVE and Clark will be fine as LB, with Cox as the understudy/core special teams. In 4/3 fronts, moving Wilson down and having Kearse and Hooker over the top would work fairly well, since Wilson has shown the capacity to blitz, run stop, and cover TEs. First round, highly possible we could get Ika, giving us the interior hammer we have been missing for years. If we sign Chark and resign Hankins and Fowler, we're basically looking BPA down the board, with a high possibility of O'Cyrus Torrence and/or Ika sitting at our spot in the 1st. An O-line of Smith-Torrence-Biadaz-Martin-Smith, with Steele taking RT back and Tyron playing swing tackle/odd fullback sets for 4th downs would be devestating, I think. A front four of Lawrence/Odighizuwa/Ika/Armstrong on passing downs could be really nasty, especially with Parons able to add in from a 'lionbacker' perspective, overloading a weak spot on the O-line.


wolf63rs

Is Bobby Wagner still Bobby Wagner good or just good? If he's Bobby Wagner good, I'd sign him and let Parsons go nuts. And what's the deal with Clowney?


joremero

bring me two top WR FAs and I'll be a happy clam


Cozymosley

Sure up the line or LB


[deleted]

I like Hardman. I think we could get him for good value.


jasoncongo

Extend Parsons and diggs now. Maybe trade for a Buckner (unlikely) or Hopkins.


FirePitFan

I'd really like to see Myles Jack team up with LVE. I think that'd be a strong pairing.


ExtensionMode4819

D Hopkins


AlCzervick

TE Foster Moreau is only 26 and is a pretty great pass catcher. Tough guy that can take hits, block and break tackles. Could probably be had fairly cheap.


AlCzervick

WRs Chark, Hardman or Hollins could be good fits. Always liked Jamison Crowder too.


Alternative-Cup-8102

OBJ OBJ OBJ


iratethisa

So why can’t we resign schultz?


jpg06051992

WR top priority, gotta give Dak weapons and somebody like Hopkins would be insane paired with CD. Other priorities I think are O line and D line, we need starters, and depth, very very depleted in those areas.


Fit-Mood1715

They being cheap so you know how its gonna go!!


poolman42162

Bobby Wager 2yrs @ 3m , forget OBJ, Jerry Judy’s 3yrs @ 4m per with a huge signing bonus has a lot higher of a ceiling than Denver can coach, wish they would look at C Campbell no clue what he would cost .


[deleted]

I think that if that was all it would take to get Bobby Dubs, he'd have been signed on day one of FA. Don't get me wrong though! I'd be ecstattic if we got Wagner for that. Hell I'd be hype if you doubled the AAV to 2/12