Fixing our team through free agency

Mock drafts seem to be all the rage around here now that our season is over, but free agency can be just as important to a teams success as the draft. Obviously things need to change around here for us to have a real shot and winning something next year and the draft will help but a couple of savvy free agent moves could go a long way. Look at the Patriots signing veteran defensive end Andre Carter for just over 2 million dollars and him being their best pass rusher without a doubt. How bout the Saints signing running back Darren Sproles and him instantly becoming one of the most electrifying backs in the league. The 49ers signed seemingly disappointing veteran corner Carlos Rogers and he went on to have his best season of his long career totaling six interceptions. All of these signings were overshadowed by moves made by the "Dream Team" or the drama surrounding Kevin Kolb and Carson Palmer but those less known moves made a much bigger impact. The Cowboys need to strike gold eventually in free agency and hopefully I could give a couple ideas to Jerry. Now remember, I'm not going to say the Cowboys need to sign Mario Williams to solidify their pass rush, and Cortland Finnegan to replace Newman, also maybe Carl Nicks to make us an elite rushing team. These will be under the radar free agents who could be low risk high reward. I think our needs in order would be CB, OLB, DE/DTC, G, C, S, QB.

The first signing made by Jerry Jones in the 2012 offseason will not be one that will excite the average Cowboy fan, but for us die hards here at BTB, we should all be excited to welcome our new backup quarterback Shaun Hill! We all are expecting Jon Kitna to retire this year so signing another veteran backup from the Lions would be a good idea. I do not feel comfortable putting Stephen Mcgee out on the field if Romo breaks his collarbone or something. Hill is a serviceable backup who in eleven games in 2010 had a 81 QB rating, 61 completion percentage, 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. If we sign Hill to a small veteran contract we wont have to worry about drafting a QB just yet and focus on the defense in the draft. I would not feel like all hope is lost if Hill is forced to come in and be our quarterback for the rest of the season. Will Replace- Jon Kitna

Next up Jerry wants to keep his new free agent "prize" upright while also improving his run game so he agrees to sign offensive guard and former Redskin nemesis Kory Lichtensteiger! Kory was one of the most improved offensive lineman in the league last year before tearing his ACL and MCL. He wouldve been a hot ticket for a team needing a guard this offseason had he stayed healthy and kept up his high level of play throughout the season but his injury should bode well for a team trying to get a good guard on the cheap. He should be ready for OTA's, just in time to battle with Kyle Kosier, and newly resigned guard Montrae Holland. He is versatile and can play both guard and center. Unfortunately it looks like their is a mutual interest for him to resign with the Redskins but come on, who would willingly choose the skins over the star? coughStephenBowencough... Will Replace- Derrick Dockery

The offense has been officially fixed after adding Hill and Lichtensteiger, so now Jerry moves on to the defense. The defensive line had a hard time getting to the QB this season with the exception of Jason Hatcher and Sean Lissemore a couple times. I think one way to fix that is to sign a prototypical nose tackle and slide Rat to the outside. This is a strategy that us bloggers have been flirting with for years now but after another disappointing year by this defensive line it might be time to try it out. So Jerry goes out and signs 325 pound nose tackle Sione Pouha! Pouha is a veteran and will be 32 years old next season but he still has a lot left in the tank. He is humongous and will clog up the middle immediately improving our rush defense. Rat and a rotation of Hatcher, Lissemore, and a little Spears at the end spots should produce more then 8 sacks. The Jets have incredible depth in their front seven so letting Pouha go is a definite possibility even though he an extremely valuable part of their defense. Transitioning from Rex Ryan's defensive scheme to Rob Ryan's defensive scheme should be no problem for the big guy. Will Replace- Kenyon Coleman

Hopefully our pass rush is much improved after this savvy move and their wont be as much pressure on our corners to cover all day anymore, with that being said it is already to late for Terrence Newman to salvage his career as a Cowboy though. If Jerry decides to go with a pass rusher in the first round I think we need to sign a corner to play opposite Jenkins with Scandrick in the slot. So after years of watching him closely in a Giants uniform Jerry persuades cornerback Terrell Thomas to switch sides. Thomas is extremely tough and physical but he missed the entire 2011 season due to injury. The injury will obviously hurt his value despite him being constantly productive. After he went down, Giants cornerbacks Aaron Ross and Corey Webster stepped up and proved to be serviceable starters, with Prince Amukamara also in the mix it is unlikely that Thomas is a top priority for the Giants this offseason. Thomas would be a huge improvement over 2011 Terrence Newman, in 2010 Thomas had over 100 tackles, 5 interceptions, and 4 forced fumbles. He might be the most expensive and most well known player on this list but we gotta spend money somewhere. Will Replace- Terrence Newman

Adding Thomas would greatly help our pass coverage but I do think we need to add another quality safety to pair with Sensi. Elam was underwhelming this year, especially since a lot of people expected him to be the savior of this defense. Jerry needs to go find a new toy for Rob Ryan at the safety position if we dont snag Mark Barron in the second round of the draft. So the final piece added to this defense is safety Thomas Decoud! Decoud is naturally a free safety so Sensi could easily slide over and play strong safety. Decoud is constantly around the ball and is an extremely smart player. He had 86 tackles last year with the falcons and also had 4 picks, as opposed to Elam's 68 tackles and zero interceptions. Decoud would be a leader in our secondary and he truly has a nose for the ball. Decoud is a perfect fit for this secondary, he will be everything we hoped Elam would be an offseason ago. Will Replace- Abram Elam

So how did Jerry do? These might not be the most exciting guys signing this offseason but all of them could have a huge impact on our new look 2012 team.