Free Agency Maneuverings

I keep hearing about the Jets releases but who do the redskins plan on releasing.

Raf,

Wow, lots of activity and even more speculation about players contracts being reworked and others potentially being traded, and still others being cut outright. I continue to hear very little about the status of either Larry Allen or Laroi Glover. Obviously the Boys will not be putting the franchise or the transition tag on either one so tomorrow’s deadline is of no consequence. I would think though that JJ would want to get something done by the March 3 salary cap deadline to free up money to pursue free agents. What, if anything are you hearing about Allen and Glover? And what are your predictions as to what will happen to each? Thanks!

CKnight:
The skins probably plan on releasing a bunch of people. the web is littered with their cap problems/solutions. check out sportsline or the ranchreport. their problems are even worse if the CBA doesn’t happen. they may even have to keep Arrington b/c cutting him won’t help their cap. The delayed bonuses are killing them. They will have to release a bunch of their players as well as redo a bunch of contracts just to get under the $95 mil cap. I don’t know how they could even trade for a john abraham(as rumored) with their problems. They would have trouble getting another good WR as well. Good news indeed!

J-Man and CKnight,

I read a story last week, I believe on ESPN that quoted a cap expert that Washigton just can’t make the numbers add up without some serious salary surgery.

On a related note, the Jets cut SEVEN players today and may cut more. They’re gonna look like an expansion team next year. If they take Jay Culter, he’ll feel like he never left Vandy.

Thats great news on the skin! I didnt know they were in trouble. When I read up top that they were thinking of getting Abraham, it was all I could do to keep from going and finding somebody to beat up just to relieve a little frustration. The last thing we need is for them to keep their defense intact and add him as a pass rusher!

Raf,

Yea, the skins are very similar to the jets in terms of the cap(jets are a bit worse) except they made the playoffs last year. Even if they make all the necessary changes(which will hamper them for years to come), they will be so thin that one injury will kill them. Hopefully, we can pick up some cheap talent with these purges. Fabiani could be a good stop-gap. I still want Bentley though.

Bentley
Fabiani
Hope
Longwell
happiness!

J man
   Im with u on all points but one. I like that kid from the colts better than Longwell. hes close to adam v on stats. I know he missed the big one, but they all do sometimes.

anyone
     I read someone speculating on us trading glover and ellis for abraham. Any chance of that?

what about drew brees? word is San Diego is going to let him try the free agent market.

any chance the Cowboys get interested in him? will the team that signs him have to give up compensation picks?

Bledsoe isn’t forever. could Brees be the answer?

and it would keep the Drew theme alive – Henson, Bledsoe, and now Brees! ;-)

Sowell became available from the Jets and I think he’d be a good guy to sign. He’s a Parcells guy and the type of FB Parcells likes. Much better blocker than Polite is and probably better ball skills as well. A lot of people like Fabini, but I’m not nuts on bringing in another pricey, over 30 years old O-Lineman into the fold.

Yakuza Rich
Fabini will not be expensive because of his injury and the fact that he played for Parcells. We all know that Parcells former players always want to come back to him and he does fill an important need. He is definitely not our future at RT but he definitely is an improvement and gives Pettiti time to develop.

If this is Christmas, then I’m worred we aren’t getting anything.

I hoped JJ would have re-negotiated LA’s deal by now, or maybe Glover’s too. No such luck I guess.

I want Bentely and a sign and trade for Abraham. Now that would be Christmas, and a couple of birthdays.

I’m with you Rich, we should make a run at Sowell, thats an upgrade over polite

The NFL combine starts this week,

Free agency just around the corner,

The Fart button on the Cowboy Blog webpage to drive the wife nuts, priceless.

I bet things are really hopping at Valley Ranch right now…if Andres Gurode does go out into the free agency pool, it could really affect how the offensive line’s interior develops. At a minimal, the Cowboys would then be in a need position to secure up the depth at center…meaning a day one pick-up at the position…that, I do not want.

That the Cowboys are looking a ton of cap money already in the offensive line category, and the likelihood of adding some additional and sizeable money for right tackle, to hope for Bentley is pushing the potential to the max. That said, the addition of Bentley, the retention of Gurode, and pickup of Ashworth, would give a much longer look to the cap hits…and after this season, the yearly additions of both Larry Allen and Marco Rivera would have to be considered very long and hard…but, with Peterman, Gurode, and Bentley, that transition would be a whole lot easier. It could still have a long term implication, with the offensive tackle picture being improved, with the presence of Flozell, Ashworth, Petitti, and Rogers…

I like Sowell, and the addition of Hope would set the secondary at a top level for almost five years coming up!!

With that backdrop, the Cowboys could be VERY agressive in elevating the play of true difference makers via the draft…such as adding a very strong outside linebacker, a complimentary wide receiver to pair with the skills of Crayton, and a tight end such as Fassano during day one…and in Day Two, getting a very good player to develop at nose tackle, middle linebacker, and to add to the secondary…here, I don’t want to have to add an offensive center in Day One for THIS draft…

BTW, the Jets also send Lance Legree packing, he’s a NT and one that subbed Ferguson before and he won’t cost much.

Could it be possible that we’re headed to assault the Jets roster, again?

I’m so tired of hearing about the damn Redskins being interested in every big name FA. I don’t see anything that tells me Patrick Ramsey is a capable starter, hes a decent backup, but he isnt a starter. The skins think they are going to get some superstar for this guy. They have no #1 pick this year, so where do they think they are going to add Abraham? Synder is more pathetic than I thought, it will be great to see him start hacking the team away. Then we can finally get the media to stop projecting the Redskins in the Super Bowl next year.

FB Jerald Sowell- Jets all time leading special teams tackler. Parcells always raves about him. I give him 85% chance of coming to Dallas.

Raf, when can teams start talking to free agents? Do they start signing or signing and talking to free agents March 3?

The Jets were only a missed field goal away from the AFC Championship game a couple of seasons ago. Their defense and running game was a major reason they got that far. I saw about 6 of their games that year including playoffs, and all I saw from Pennington was dink & dunk.

Sowell and their O-Line were big contributors to CuMart and LaMont Jordan’s success running the ball. Their defense seemed like Vilma, Abraham, and the rest of their front 7 were their strong suit.

If the Cowboys can cherry pick as many of these released former Jets to plug n play into the team that is already here…I am all for it. Sowell and Fabini would be my top choices, but Legree sounds like a possibility too from the way Chandus describes his role.

lou c:

I think the talks and overtures are probably already under way. Last year I recall the Cowboys came right out of the box in the first few days of the FA period with some of their signings. The only difference I can think of about this year is the lingering uncertainty about the CBA extension.

Of course that didn’t stop the Colts from re-signing Reggie Wayne to a monster deal today with a $12 million signing bonus.

“Dallas is still hurting after getting swept by the Redskins in 2005”. This is a quote from Casey Husband of the Redskins webpage. It’s an article on the outlook of the 2006 Redskins schedule. It doesn’t relate to this topic, but it p*ssed me off. The Skins are so pathetic that they have to hold on to any wins they get over the Cowboys. I know the QB situation hasn’t been addressed because Bledsoe is the starter for next year, but the Boys really need to do something about it. We can’t keep putting off finding a future QB. Even if it’s a Charlie Whitehurst or Brady Croyle in the 3rd or 4th round. Just a thought.

lou c.

Teams can’t officially start signing players until March 3rd, a week from Friday. But team brass and agents do have serious “conversations” during the Combine, which started today.

Agents work the lobbys and some handshake deals are always worked out. Nothing firm, cause that could cause an agent his licence and a team picks if they were ever busted, but lots of “be sure to call us first, we’ll really interested in your guy” type stuff.

Dave,
We got a lot more concerns to our team than just sticking it to the redskins. we’re goin for a super bowl run here. granted depth at the QB position for us is not an area of luxury, but I can tell u charlie whitehurst and BRODIE Croyle are not the answers. Talent wise they measure up just as well as drew henson IMO and would be languishing away on the bench for their first couple of years anyways. well spent money i’m sure. we could get a starting free safety in the third easily and u think we should be spending our 3rd rounder for what a 3rd string quarterback at best? thanks but no thanks.

say we do draft a qb, what do we do with him??? if we keep romo and henson, obviously bledsoe, then where would this draft pick go? put him on the practice squad? carry 4 qb. maybe im missing something but what would you do????

It’s like i’ve been suggesting before. I’d really like to see our 6th rounder used on Reggie McNeal. Granted it is sacriligious to even bad mouth Vince Young down here in austin, even some of us longhorns hadn’t put to rest who was the better of the two coming into this season. vince stepped up tho and the rest is history but that doesnt diminish the level of talent this guy has. Can easily translate his game to the WR position. I’d liken his use here in dallas to an early Kordell Stewart. throw him in there for a play or two every so often and lets see if he can develop into the QB of the future for us. Either way we don’t fiddle around with droppin any of our current QB’s (that is unless henson flops in europe)

I mentioned this before but why not atleast look at Michael Robinson from PSU as a late round pick. Granted.. he has little to no chance to play QB in the NFL, but he is an incredible athlete. He can be used as a returner, WR.. and it is said that FS is his best natural position.

boysfan,

Bless you my son. I love the idea of Robinson coming here in a late round and stick him in the FS mix. Like you said, he is an outstanding athlete. He has done whatever JoPa has asked him to do for the good of the team and excelled at each of them. I can understand his reach for a QB job. Can you blame the kid for tryin to go for the big bucks position? Get him in here, twice. The question is, How long can we wait to pick him up? 5th, 6th?

I’d take Reggie McNeill over Michael Robinson, personally. Corey Chavous may have hurt his talent scout credentials on NFL Network the last two days by claiming yesterday that McNeill is the best QB in the draft, and then taking it a step further today by making him his #1 overall player in his draft Top 10. That is not the level of praise I would give McNeill, but I think the guy is a damn good player, an impressive QB in a lot of ways, and an exceptional athelete. Talk is he has 4.3 40 speed.

I’m not for the Cowboys drafting a QB this year, but McNeill or Drew Olsen would be my choices for late round steals for a team opting to do so.

BTW – Marcus Robinson seemed like the only QB in the whole Senior Bowl game who could consistently step on the field and move the offense every time. Cutler, Whitehurst, and Croyle were all streaky and kept stalling drives.

Hey guys quick update, a few posts ago I told you Jacques Reeves and Marcus Spears were coming down to South Texas for autograph signings, well that day is tomorrow February 23, 2006, but it is not Jacques Reeves it is Nate Jones and Marcus Spears. Also, in addition, I was just confirmed today that Terry Glenn will also be doing autographs signings and taking pictures with the fans. Guys if you are from the South Texas region I would really recommended that you come; you canâ€â"¢t get any closer to these players anywhere else. The actual place where these three cowboysâ€â"¢ players will be signing is in the FOUR POINT SHERATON, in McAllen, Texas at 6:00 p.m. till 8:00 p.m. Well if you have any Questions please let me know. Iâ€â"¢ll check back at least one time before I leave to the hotel tomorrow around 5 p.m.
Come and meet: Terry Glenn (Leading Receiver), Marcus Spears (1st round 2005 draft), and Nate Jones
Lilbeast,
The autograph signings is just down your alley.
Rafael,
I am from Edinburg too, Cowboys Country, born and raised, and plan to teach elementary students starting January 2007.

BuckeyeMark,

The reason the Chargers are allowing Brees to test free agency is because Brees suffered a shoulder injury on January 1st, and there is no guarantee that he will be healthy by training camp. Last year the Chargers ‘franchised’ Brees. There was no way they could do that again this year, given the condition of his shoulder. That is also why they are hesitant to offer him a big-money, long-term contract. It is also why other teams will be hesitant to do the same.

I just can’t see the Cowboys taking this step.

Rafael,

Teams can’t officially start signing players until March 3rd …

I don’t believe that is accurate. Players who will become free agents, because they have come to the end of their contracts, may not be approached until then. However, I believe those who have been cut by their teams can be signed at any time. The NFL allows players to be signed to future (2006) contracts at this time of the year. Last year we signed Drew Bledsoe on February 23. If we sign any of these players, we would still have until March 3 to clear any cap space needed.

As for franchise and transition players (who are also part of the free-agency agreement), we would have to wait until March 3 to approach them. The same goes for any potential trade.

The bottom line is that released players are not covered by the CBA free-agency rules. Those rules are only meant to cover players a team might want to keep.

At any rate, we will soon see which of us is correct.

Mr. Bill,

You’re probably right. If Dallas really wants Sowell, for instance, why not sign him tomorrow? I’m happy to be wrong here.

I was wondering earlier if someone in the organization had already made a phone call to Sowell today. Then I remembered they are probably pretty busy with the Combine starting tomorrow.

Sterling,

Other than the McNeil thing, doesn’t Corey Chavous seem like he really knows what hes talking about? I could see a retired NFL player following the draft and scouting close, but he really seems to know some stuff. Sign him and put him in the war room and maybe he could help lol. Did he always do this? Tonight was the first time I saw him, this being really the first time following the draft closely.

lou c:

Yes, he is a very well spoken and intelligent man. That dweeby draft analyst for the NFL Network said something about Chavous being a Vanderbilt grad.

I don’t know how long he has been scouting, but maybe he’s a draftnik like the rest of us. Yesterday he was talking about how he always goes to the showcase bowls and the Combines. Maybe he will become a sports agent when his playing days are over.

I am still not sure about whether he would be worth it in FA to play FS next year. Great guy, seems like a man of character, but there might be some better long term options out there. Something about the situation kind of reminds me when they brought in George Teague and a few years later had to start drafting guys like Dixon and Roy. Might be better for the future to find a younger guy either through FA or later in the draft. I’d take Chavous over Keith Favis again in a heartbeat though.

Dave & clam:

The Redskins are suffering from similar delusions of grandeur that I and some other Cowboys fans were guilty of two seasons ago. After Parcells first year going 10-6, going to the playoffs, and losing to the eventual NFC Super Bowl representative on the road…I thought we were a lot closer than we really were to going back to the Super Bowl.

I couldn’t have foreseen a relatively lackluster free agent offseason, not having a 1st round pick because of trading out of it, having our first pick of that draft injured for much of the first part of his rookie season, and of course so many QB problems. Losing Pete Hunter for the season on that MNF game seemed like it had a domino effect on the whole secondary the rest of the year too. We didn’t win the close ones like we had the year before, and our secondary got lit up against any team with a decent passing attack. We couldn’t get any pass rush going because of the secondary’s weakness, and then the wheels just came off. The only real bright spots for me were Julius Jones and Jason Witten coming on strong.

The Redskins aren’t nearly as bulletproof as they think they are. I can hardly wait to see them fall apart next season. My guess is that they will come out strong playing with confidence the first few games, then fade into oblivion like the Cowboys did in 2004. The hubris the Redskins are displaying now is so comical.

Adrain
I wish I could be there believe me. But i’m in England so it’s just a little too far away for me right now. I just might have to tell my mom to get some signatures for me.

Mr. Bill,

Corey Chavous is a Vandy grad. He played corner and was a special teams demon. A bigtime playmaker. He was acclaimed for always being very dilligent in his film study, even at Vandy.

He was drafted by Arizona around pick #30. He played corner for them for awhile before transitioning to safety. He was never a top athlete at corner but made up for it with smarts. Thats part of why he transitioned to safety. He kept up his strong film study habits during that time and began to dabble in the draft, IIRC.

He signed a FA deal with the Vikings a couple of years ago. He does TV work in the offseason. Has done so for several years.

As a player at this point in his career, he is very experienced and very knowledgeable. No question that his work ethic is very strong. The question now is his physical ability.