You’re a Free Agent, and You’re a Free Agent, and …

[DaBoys]

Our whole team is entering FA in 2024.  The following players are some of the guys entering a contract year in 2023. Some position groups are being hit hard. 
 

Tyron Smith

Terrence Steele

Tyler Biadasz

Chuma Edoga

 

Tony Pollard

Rico Dowdle *

Malik Davis *

Ronald Jones

(Duece Vaughn is the only RB under contract after this year)

* = restricted 
 

Stephon Gilmore

Trevon Diggs 

Jordan Lewis 

Jayron Kearse

Malik Hooker

 

Dorance Armstrong 

Dante Fowler

Jonathan Hankins

Neville Galimore

How would you approach these contracts considering there are several big names and key players? Granted performance in the 2023 season will impact valuations. 

And does the prospect of Dak entering a contract year in 2024 scare you away from bringing some of these guys back?

 

[D82]

* Tyron Smith - I'd let walk, unless he's willing to come back on a cheaper deal. Though he could just opt to retire. 
* Terrence Steele - Assuming he comes back from injury just fine with no lingering effects...I'd re-sign. He's developed into a nice starter. 
* Tyler Biadasz - Eh...he's not bad, but he's not a world-beater either. I wouldn't be opposed to re-signing if the money was right. 
* Chuma Edoga - He's likely just a one-year guy anyway...those guys are a dime a dozen. I'd let walk. 

The entire RB group I'd let walk. You don't pay RBs big money. 

* Stephon Gilmore - If he plays well enough, I'd give him an extension. Again, money would be a factor given his age. 
* Trevon Diggs - This is a tough one. Diggs has come along during his time here. He's a gambler, makes big plays...but can give up big yards here and there. I'd give an extension. 
* Jourdan Lewis - He's a great slot corner...but we've got lots of talent at the position now. If Scott can turn into another Bland...I'd probably let him go. 
* Jayron Kearse - If you can get him on a decent contract, bring him back. 
* Malik Hooker - same as above. For the first time in a long time, safety isn't an issue and I'd keep it that way if I could. 

* Dorance Armstrong - I'd definitely extend if I could. 
* Dante Fowler - Walk.
* Jonathan Hankins - Eh....bring on a cheap deal.
* Neville Gallimore - I had really hoped he'd turn into something. But I'd let walk.

I'd also extend Dak now, rather than waiting on the market to set even higher. Herbert, Burrow, Lawrence are all guys who could get extensions this year so rather than repeat the approach they took a few years back, I'd get it done now. 

Contrary to the Jones's approach, the cap isn't limiting you from doing anything if you're smart in how you allocate your resources.

[quiller]

It is interesting that all of our core DB group is up after this year.  I hope they keep 4 of the 5.   To me Smith is probably gone but we need Steele and Biaz back unless Steel crashes and burns this year coming off injury.   I hope they are not too attached to Lollard after this year.  If we get positive production from Duece then that Maugham convince them to let Pollard go

i guess Armstrong but we would probably not notice his absence too much unless DLaw has dropped even more.  Gali more is a steady but also not as critical as in the past adding Smith as a DT

[matt79511]

Dak will probably be extended again to kick that $59M hit down the road. Diggs, Lamb have a chance to be as well.

Honestly the FA list doesn’t seem that much worse than most years, maybe a little more extensive with all the OL and DBs. I would call Diggs and probably Steele must haves- Biadasz is close, center obviously becomes a huge need without him. Everyone else you either keep affordably or let go

[The_Slamman]

Sign diggs now.  There’s never going to be a time when nfl teams won’t overpay for a playmaking corner.  You either lock him up or try to trade him for a first.

[DaBoys]

Is S. Gilmore locked into being a 1 year rental or is there a situation where plays himself into an extension?

Is Tyron Smith a no brainer to let walk? Or like Gilmore is there a scenario available for him to earn another deal? Tyron has the nuance that he was drafted by us, and has recently been open to team friendly moves(reworking his contract, approaching the coaching staff about moving to RT) the fact that he can play both OT spots at a high level is valuable. Would you have him back for another 2 years at his average of $12.2M aav? Or is this your out no matter how 2023 plays out? 
 

 

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

On 5/14/2023 at 7:17 AM, DaBoys said:

Our whole team is entering FA in 2024.  The following players are some of the guys entering a contract year in 2023. Some position groups are being hit hard. 
 

Tyron Smith

Terrence Steele

Tyler Biadasz

Chuma Edoga

 

Tony Pollard

Rico Dowdle *

Malik Davis *

Ronald Jones

(Duece Vaughn is the only RB under contract after this year)

* = restricted 
 

Stephon Gilmore

Trevon Diggs 

Jordan Lewis 

Jayron Kearse

Malik Hooker

 

Dorance Armstrong 

Dante Fowler

Jonathan Hankins

Neville Galimore

How would you approach these contracts considering there are several big names and key players? Granted performance in the 2023 season will impact valuations. 

And does the prospect of Dak entering a contract year in 2024 scare you away from bringing some of these guys back?

 

The DL, those guys are mostly replacement level players. That’s normal turnover, and we have the young bodies to run the show.

RB just doesn’t concern me much, easy to replace production there. Maybe you get a cheap, short extension with TP.

CB, as long as you re-sign Diggs, is a tenable situation. Can address depth in FA or middle of draft. I’m not too worried about safety. Maybe you can re-sign Kearse/Hooker, but you have promising young guys in Mukuamu, Bell, Overshown to take over a lot of that duty in 2024.

The main group that worries me is the OL. Tyler Smith is the only guy you can feel really confident will be here. I imagine ZM still has quite a few years in him. I don’t feel confident that Steele or Biadasz get re-signed, and the young guys aren’t overly promising. Development from Asom or Waletzko that made you feel good about RT would be pretty nice. But a lot of work to do, and not a ton of great answers. Would have really been great to draft a guy this year.

[Dallas94Ware]

On 5/14/2023 at 8:17 AM, DaBoys said:

Our whole team is entering FA in 2024.  The following players are some of the guys entering a contract year in 2023. Some position groups are being hit hard. 
 

Tyron Smith

Terrence Steele

Tyler Biadasz

Chuma Edoga

 

Tony Pollard

Rico Dowdle *

Malik Davis *

Ronald Jones

(Duece Vaughn is the only RB under contract after this year)

* = restricted 
 

Stephon Gilmore

Trevon Diggs 

Jordan Lewis 

Jayron Kearse

Malik Hooker

 

Dorance Armstrong 

Dante Fowler

Jonathan Hankins

Neville Galimore

How would you approach these contracts considering there are several big names and key players? Granted performance in the 2023 season will impact valuations. 

And does the prospect of Dak entering a contract year in 2024 scare you away from bringing some of these guys back?

 

Very good question @Da Boyz ... So I apologize in advance for the "TL;DR" level of response.

offensive line:

Tyron I don't bring back. Hall of Fame level career. But with the injury track record and price tag, coupled with the development of Steele (even if he doesn't come right back to form this year, he should be by years end/next season) and Tyler, make him expendable - unless he would be willing to take an extensive, even massive, pay cut. Which he would be foolish to do, because he will get 12mil+ from someone within a day or two on the market.

Steele I'd franchise tag if need be, it's a high price point, but I'd want to see him back to his full self before committing long term money. I don't think this guy gets enough credit for how good he really was this past year before his injury, even the year prior his development into a damn good blocker was evident. He is the kind of guy you can pay mid level/above mid level money to, and while he may never be an all pro, perennial pro bowl, HoF level guy...he is the kind of guy you can feel comfortable paying and putting out there every week for the next 6, 7 seasons without worry. 

Biadasz I would make a decent offer, cap friendly but fair. If he chose a higher pay to play elsewhere, that wouldn't bother me. Center is a position where the transition from college to pros is typically not a hard one to make, as playing in such a short area limits the need for top end athletic ability and it is very rare they are asked to make a splash play isolated one on one. So you find a guy in the draft and you let him compete with Farniok and the other options, and see what develops.

Running back:

I think Vaughn has the ability to truly shock the nation with how good he will flash the potential of being, and have a true shot going into the following season of being the lead back, if even with an investment of some sort with a guy capable of sharing the workload as to not risk Vaughns health by letting him do the heavy lifting alone.

Which would mean ... I would not pay Pollard. He is a game changing ability kind of guy. But perhaps not the year in, year out workhorse type. Maybe he is. I'm not sure and no one else truly is, either - because it's something he has never done. So paying him a big cap number as if we are certain he is something he has never shown himself to be would just not be smart. And history, recent history, has shown that outside of those premier, generational talents, you can find quality players and production at the position in the second day of the draft pretty often. 

There is also the potential of Malik Davis being tendered for cheap and competing with Vaughn, Dowdle, and a potential draft pick for positioning in the depth chart and playing time. Davis showed he can be productive, with good vision and reliable balance, following the blocks and taking the right lanes. Maybe he won't be a 1500 yard stud - but, and the same goes with Dowdle who showed some potential also, in a shared work load and fresh legs, he can be part of a productive ground game.

And if the opportunity presents itself in the draft to select one of those premier guys at running back, I think you would have to consider it, depending on what else is available, what Vaughn truly shows this season regardless of what I think he will show, and how close the team looks to be to taking another step forward. Obviously you don't make that investment if the team wins only 7, 8,9 games and looks horrid in the playoffs if they even get there. But you pull the trigger if you make it far and just need that one last big weapon to really put you over.

DB: 

Diggs will be the highest paid cornerback in the NFL whether it is in Dallas or somewhere else. Like it or not, Dallas hasn't had a real play maker at corner since Primetime, and you can't risk him leaving. Pony up and cut the corners needed to pay him from someplace else. 

Lewis likely will be paid to stay, and I would agree to it if it were my call. He isn't a great corner, but he is consistent and you know you can put him out there knowing he can compete with most receivers. His price tag shouldn't be all that high either, and he is definitely the kind of guy whos contract, if you find better players, shouldn't kill your cap to cut him if you needed to.

Gilmore .. that would depend on what you're getting. Are you getting the Gilmore of 5 years ago, still capable of dominating receivers with physical play and the field awareness to out smart them to boot? Or the Gilmore that has been largely inconsistent and at times overlooked, playing with a sloppy and lazy back pedal and looking unwilling to break in his zone for a confident and assertive PBU/INT attempt? If you're getting that dominant version, or something close to it, I'd offer a short term but overpaid contract that might sting to see the cap numbers, but know that in two years he is completely off the books. An all in for the ring, sort of deal. 

Kearse and Hooker have been huge for this D. But safety is one of those positions that, when you have a great one, it's a huge bonus...but When you have just a pretty good one, it's not always as noticeable a difference as when you just have a fairly decent one. So I have always been against paying big bucks for a safety. The elite ones can break a game wide open with their big play potential. But that is neither of these guys. They are pretty good and it's been amazing to finally have good safety play. But with Wilson still on board and the sometimes irrelevance of the position as a whole it's just not wise to invest there. If Kearse were willing to play for the kind of money he has now or even a bit more I'd be willing. But he is going to look for more than that if he puts up another good year.

d Line:

Let them all walk. Too many draft picks spent, too many young guys going into that all important third and fourth season, to start doling out money to veterans who's impact is notable, but not all that commendable. I would consider paying Armstrong, but he is en route to one of those wildly unfavorable (to the team, not to him) deals that makes him not nearly worth retaining.

As for Dak:

Clearly it isn't my choice, cause if it were, this team would already have his replacement slotted in on the depth chart in the form of Will Levis or Hendon Hooker, or even Malik Willis (whom I think still has a bright future if he is given a proper chance with the proper system - Tennessee forcing him to play pocket QB and making no changes to their game plan when he was both a rookie AND just simply not a pocket guy was just bad work on their offensive staff). But since they didn't draft a talent capable of competing in a year or two, and making Dak an expendable cap casualty (I still say Dak is quite underrated on this forum, but for the price he can go play someplace else)...I bite the bullet this year and offer a short term extension. If he won't take another short deal, he plays out this year and next and I double down on efforts to find a future starter. 

What I do not do for certain, is let the unknown of his future contract situation dictate to me what I do with the other players coming up on contract. He is not an "all time" level of QB like, say, Rodgers, where cutting corners to pay him is a gamble you can be confident in working out favorably for you. Those corners you would cut are corners Dak needs to succeed; and certainly still corners any rookie, sophomore or even third year but first time starter at QB would need to aidnin their development.

If the team allows Daks contract situation to dictate their decisions on core players - like Diggs, Lamb - or even quality players with the ability to be good long term starters - like Steele, Lewis and potentially Pollard - they would be making a grave error.

 

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Dallas94Ware