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DallasCowboys.com Writers Weigh In On Cowboys' Top Offseason Priority - Dallas Cowboys Staff
The NFL opens for 2017 business on March 9, when all teams must be under the salary cap and ready for free agency, and the four writers at the mothership share their opinions on what will happen till then. Here's Dave Helman:
The odds are good that Romo will either be released or he’ll be traded for modest compensation. Despite all that, I just feel like the Cowboys can’t really move forward with their game plan until they ultimately make that decision.
In Tony Romo, Cowboys face now or later cap decision - Todd Archer, ESPN
Releasing Tony Romo is easier and potentially cleaner for the Cowboys. The timing of the release has salary-cap ramifications, as well.
A trade is not impossible, but Romo’s contract complicates matters. Romo is set to make $14 million in 2017. He is scheduled to make $19.5 million in 2018 and $20.5 million in 2019. Would a team want to take on that kind of salary in 2017 knowing he has played in parts of five games the past two seasons?
What you really need to know about the Dallas Cowboys' situation with QB Tony Romo - David Moore, SportsDay
The Romo situation is seemingly far from being solved anytime soon but what is the timetable to expect a decision?
A release is the most likely option given the size of Romo's contract and the need to determine a sliding scale of compensation. But why would the Cowboys hand over that control now? What if a team is brought to the table in the final hour because it doesn't want Romo to hit the free agent market?
Opinion: Tony Romo’s career finale should be in Texas - Mac Engel, The Star-Telegram
The best option for Tony Romo to extend his career is with the Houston Texans, and if he can’t make that happen he should retire, Engel writes.
Houston deserves a good quarterback, and a Romo/Texans marriage makes the most sense for all parties. A Romo Texans’ team can win a divisional round game, something neither has ever achieved.
Tony Romo: Houston, Kansas City and trade in mix for reporters - Vince Langford, The Star-Telegram
The best fit for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is the Houston Texans, writes SI.com’s Peter King, but CBSsports.com’s Jason La Canfora says Romo isn’t trying to force the Cowboys’ hand for a release over a trade. And Romo is working out "like a demon."
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid wants to break out of the final eight of the NFL playoffs and get into the final two, and Romo could take them there, is King’s thinking, and incumbent starter Alex Smith would be a team guy about it.
Cowboys Gain Cap Room By Restructuring Tyron Smith & Travis Frederick - Dave Halprin, Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys are getting around to juggling some finances to get under the cap for 2017.
The Dallas Cowboys are finally getting around to what everybody knew they would do - create cap space by restructuring contracts. As had been noted many times on these pages and others, the contracts of offensive linemen Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick lent themselves to restructuring.
Restructures Of All-Pro Linemen’s Contracts Create Cap Space - Rob Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
To create salary cap room ahead of the 2017 league year, the Cowboys have restructured the contracts of All-Pro offensive linemen Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick.
In recent years the Cowboys have restructured contracts of franchise cornerstones to create cap space by converting a portion of a player’s scheduled base salary into signing bonus money. Doing such with the Smith and Frederick deals will reportedly create about $17 million in cap space this year.
If the Cowboys choose to draft replacements for free agents they lose, here’s a few to know.
This is a team over the past several years that has spent their resources on re-signing their own and drafting replacements. It makes you think about certain key areas such as in the secondary or defensive line that must be addressed. We know that they will try and bring back some of their own but what if they end up having to replace guys with rookies?
Dallas Cowboys have to find juice from the return game in 2017 - Todd Archer, ESPN
The Cowboys received solid play from their special teams in 2016, but to be among the elite they need more big plays from their return units.
The not so good: the kickoff and punt return games ranked 23rd, averaging 20.5 and 7.1 yards per return, respectively. Though the Cowboys did not allow any returns for a touchdown, they did not return any kicks or punts for touchdowns.
The stats Cowboys fans should really pay attention to at the NFL combine - Bob Sturm, SportsDay
Here's what you should be paying attention to as the Cowboys get ready for this year's Combine in just over a week.
The question then becomes, "what size is ideal for pass rushers?" And when we are saying that so-and-so looks like an OLB in a 3-4 or this guy might be too small to play DE in a Marinelli defense, why do we say that?