The Cowboys finally made their offers officially today. They chose to give tender offers to every player on their list of restricted free agents except for Sean Suisham. I'm a little surprised by a few of the offers but I like the strategy they are trying to use in most cases. By making the tender offers the Cowboys are essentially giving themselves a fall back plan in the event that they can't find a better option in free agency or the draft.
The Miles Austin offer was no surprise. The Cowboys are guaranteed the right to match any offer Miles receives and would receive a first and third round pick if any team was able to sign him to a deal the Cowboys wouldn't match. He'll be back next season barring the use of the "poison pill".
I'm a little surprised that the Cowboys didn't do more to protect Marcus Spears. He received a second round tender offer. Spears isn't a dynamic playmaker but he is a great run defender. I'm thinking the Cowboys are letting the market set the terms for a long term deal. I just hope they didn't set the bar too low for Spears.
Sam Hurd also received a second round tender offer. He falls into the category of a guy they are keeping around as insurance. I'm sure they'll explore options in the draft and free agency, but Hurd would be a great fall back option if nothing else pans out.
Gerald Sensabaugh also only received a second round tender offer. I know Gerald was talking about a long term deal after the season ended but I think the Cowboys want to be sure they don't overpay for his services. The tender offer allows the Cowboys to see what the rest of the league thinks of him which will essentially dictate the terms of any multi-year offer the Cowboys might make him.
Jason Hatcher and Stephen Bowen also got second round tenders. I think both of these guys would be happy to make the $1.759 million the offer guarantees them for next season. The odds of losing a backup defensive player at the expense of a second round pick is very slim. It looks like they'll both be back next season.
For some reason the Cowboys continue to hold on to Cory Procter. I don't see it with this guy but I guess the Cowboys just love the fact that he plays guard and center. In my opinion he is a waste at guard but we haven't seen much out of him at center. I guess the coaches know more than the rest of us so there must be something to Procter we aren't seeing in the games.
Overall, I think the Cowboys made the smart play here. They gave themselves protection on 12 of the 13 RFA's. And they didn't mess around with a lower tender offer for Miles Austin. I'm sure Miles will be signed to a long term deal this summer or early in the 2010 season. The Cowboys are going to let the market dictate the terms of any long term deals with the rest of the RFA's. And I'm sure some of these guys will be traded or released either before, during or after the draft is completed.
The Cowboys still have holes to fill on the roster. But it looks like they did a good job preventing new ones from forming. Now they can play the field and determine if there are better options without feeling the desperation most teams have going into the offseason.
Showing posts with label RFA's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RFA's. Show all posts
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
What to Do with the RFA's
The Cowboys have yet to make an offer on any of their 13 restricted free agents. There are some players who will be back without any doubt but there are also some players who might have run out of time to prove they belong on the team. Here is what I am hoping to see for all of the restricted free agents.
Miles Austin - Do I even need to say it? Keep him.
Stephen Bowen - Keep him. The Cowboys need him for depth on the defensive line. He has developed into a solid player over the last few years.
Jason Hatcher - Keep him as long as he is ok with his backup role. There have been times he has voiced some displeasure during games about his lack of playing time. If he still believes he is starting material then let him test the market.
Sean Suisham - Goodbye.
Sam Hurd - This is a tough one. Hurd is a good special teams player and has shown flashes of being a decent receiver when given the chance. Unfortunately he has been jumped in the depth chart by Kevin Ogletree so he is sitting 5th on the list of receivers. I'd like to see the Cowboys keep him because I think he can take over the 3rd or 4th spot if anyone gets injured. But if the Cowboys have any plans to draft a receiver he'll probably be the guy to go.
Cletis Gordan - He was a practice squad player and probably won't be back next season if the Cowboys draft any DB's they decide to keep.
Pat McQuistan - I think his time is up. He had a golden opportunity this season to get on the field but he couldn't beat out Doug Free for playing time. He probably needs to go since Robert Brewster will be back from injury to provide depth at tackle.
Duke Preston - I don't see the Cowboys making a move to keep a guy who couldn't make the active roster last season. He is a big guy but he is 27 and hasn't done anything to show he is worth keeping.
Cory Procter - I was done with this guy after his disastrous 2008 season. But the Cowboys love his ability to play guard and center. The problem is that he is terrible when he gets on the field. I'd like to see him go but I'll bet the Cowboys keep him again.
Gerald Sensabaugh - This is an easy one for me. Sensabaugh proved he is a good player last season. The Cowboys need to get him under contract and consider their options at free safety. I'm not sure Ken Hamlin will be back but I'll be surprised if they don't hold on to Sensabaugh.
Junior Siavii - The Cowboys may need to bring Siavii back to protect themselves in case they can't find a good backup nose tackle in the draft. Siavii is a decent fill in for Jay Ratliff. I think Siavii comes back but may end up traded or cut depending on how the draft goes for the Cowboys.
Marcus Spears - This is another easy one. Spears is great against the run which is his primary role in Wade Phillips' 3-4 scheme. I'll be shocked if the Cowboys don't get Spears under contract for next season.
Pat Watkins - I think Pat is done with the Cowboys. He has been a solid special teams contributor, but Mike Hamlin is waiting in the wings to provide youth and potential at safety. We know what Watkins is at this point in his career and keeping him would limit the progress of Mike Hamlin. I think Watkins will be with a new team next year.
Overall there are a few key players that have to come back. Miles Austin, Marcus Spears, Gerald Sensabaugh, and Stephen Bowen have to be retained in my opinion. The rest of the guys are expendable and the Cowboys could go either way with them depending on what they think of the players from last year's draft and what they plan to do in this years draft. I expect the Cowboys to make offers to the majority of the RFA's to cover their bases in the event that things don't go as planned in the draft. Then some of them may be cut or traded if the Cowboys find better options.
Miles Austin - Do I even need to say it? Keep him.
Stephen Bowen - Keep him. The Cowboys need him for depth on the defensive line. He has developed into a solid player over the last few years.
Jason Hatcher - Keep him as long as he is ok with his backup role. There have been times he has voiced some displeasure during games about his lack of playing time. If he still believes he is starting material then let him test the market.
Sean Suisham - Goodbye.
Sam Hurd - This is a tough one. Hurd is a good special teams player and has shown flashes of being a decent receiver when given the chance. Unfortunately he has been jumped in the depth chart by Kevin Ogletree so he is sitting 5th on the list of receivers. I'd like to see the Cowboys keep him because I think he can take over the 3rd or 4th spot if anyone gets injured. But if the Cowboys have any plans to draft a receiver he'll probably be the guy to go.
Cletis Gordan - He was a practice squad player and probably won't be back next season if the Cowboys draft any DB's they decide to keep.
Pat McQuistan - I think his time is up. He had a golden opportunity this season to get on the field but he couldn't beat out Doug Free for playing time. He probably needs to go since Robert Brewster will be back from injury to provide depth at tackle.
Duke Preston - I don't see the Cowboys making a move to keep a guy who couldn't make the active roster last season. He is a big guy but he is 27 and hasn't done anything to show he is worth keeping.
Cory Procter - I was done with this guy after his disastrous 2008 season. But the Cowboys love his ability to play guard and center. The problem is that he is terrible when he gets on the field. I'd like to see him go but I'll bet the Cowboys keep him again.
Gerald Sensabaugh - This is an easy one for me. Sensabaugh proved he is a good player last season. The Cowboys need to get him under contract and consider their options at free safety. I'm not sure Ken Hamlin will be back but I'll be surprised if they don't hold on to Sensabaugh.
Junior Siavii - The Cowboys may need to bring Siavii back to protect themselves in case they can't find a good backup nose tackle in the draft. Siavii is a decent fill in for Jay Ratliff. I think Siavii comes back but may end up traded or cut depending on how the draft goes for the Cowboys.
Marcus Spears - This is another easy one. Spears is great against the run which is his primary role in Wade Phillips' 3-4 scheme. I'll be shocked if the Cowboys don't get Spears under contract for next season.
Pat Watkins - I think Pat is done with the Cowboys. He has been a solid special teams contributor, but Mike Hamlin is waiting in the wings to provide youth and potential at safety. We know what Watkins is at this point in his career and keeping him would limit the progress of Mike Hamlin. I think Watkins will be with a new team next year.
Overall there are a few key players that have to come back. Miles Austin, Marcus Spears, Gerald Sensabaugh, and Stephen Bowen have to be retained in my opinion. The rest of the guys are expendable and the Cowboys could go either way with them depending on what they think of the players from last year's draft and what they plan to do in this years draft. I expect the Cowboys to make offers to the majority of the RFA's to cover their bases in the event that things don't go as planned in the draft. Then some of them may be cut or traded if the Cowboys find better options.
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