Cowboys news: Free agent players that Dallas should avoid this offseason

Cowboys’ Top Players to Avoid in 2023 NFL Free Agency - Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report

Wide receiver is still one of the Cowboys’ most pressing needs, but they’ll need players that fit Mike McCarthy’s new offense.

WR Jarvis Landry

Dallas’ search for a reliable complementary led them to veteran T.Y. Hilton during the season. It kicked the tires on Odell Beckham Jr., who was recovering from a torn ACL, but ultimately decided he wouldn’t help the team make a postseason push.

“That’s not dismissing (signing Beckham in) the future, but it is dismissing, for the most part, the reality of him getting in here and helping us in the playoffs,” franchise owner Jerry Jones told reporters.

If the price is reasonable, OBJ could wind up back on Dallas’ radar.

With both Hilton and Brown headed to free agency, the Cowboys will likely look at other receivers, too. They could be tempted to add Beckham’s former LSU and Cleveland Browns teammate, Jarvis Landry, perhaps in a bid to lure the three-time Pro Bowler to Dallas—but they shouldn’t.

The 30-year-old isn’t the same dominant slot receiver he was early in his career. He’s struggled to stay healthy in each of the past two seasons and was a flat-out flop with the New Orleans Saints in 2022.

Landry appeared in nine games and caught 25 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown. When targeted, he provided a passer rating of only 71.7.

While there’s always a chance that the five-time Pro Bowler could return to form, his recent injury history and inefficiency make him just too risky for a Cowboys team looking to get into the championship mix.

WHAT WILL MIKE MCCARTHY’S COWBOYS OFFENSE LOOK LIKE? - Shane Taylor, Inside The Star

This might be the most important question of the offseason for Dallas.

WEST COAST

The good ol’ west coast offense. The style we should see next year from the Dallas offense.

This scheme is based on short, quick passes to try and stretch the opponents’ defense horizontally, which should open up for big plays down the field.

The offense heavily utilized the quarterback under center instead of the shotgun set we see running around the NFL today. It is play-calling that entailed a significant amount of three-and five-step drops out of primarily 21 personnel, which featured a running back and a fullback aligned as a split back.

During his time with the Packers, McCarthy’s offense with Rodgers was second in the league from 2010-2014 in early down pass rate. Look, I am not big into all these metrics and all that stuff, but we all know numbers don’t lie.

While the Cowboys don’t have Rodgers, plenty of talent is in place with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Tony Pollard, Ezekiel Elliott, Dalton Schultz, and more if they bring everyone back for the 2023 campaign.

Eagles fans sink to new low by booing Walter Payton award winner Dak Prescott - Amy Kaplan, The Landry Hat

This was not a good look for Eagles fans in Arizona.

Ahead of Super 57 where the Philadelphia Eagles were set to face the Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL presented a humanitarian award to Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, but he wasn’t well-received by the fans.

Prescott took it in stride and laughed the moment away (what else could he have done) and you can watch the moment below.

The award was given to Prescott for his philanthropy and community impact, which has been massive and should have been respected by the fans, rivalries aside. According to the NFL official site the Walter Payton Man of the Year award “recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. The award was established in 1970. It was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton. Each team nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community.”

He officially accepted the award at the NFL Honors earlier this week.

Cowboys QB Cooper Rush: Help Dak Prescott or Sign with Kellen Moore’s Chargers? - Mike Fisher, CowboysSI.com

Rush helped keep the Cowboys playoff hopes alive early in the season, and would leave a void at backup QB if he follows Kellen Moore to the Chargers.

Said coming free agent Rush: “I’ve never been a free agent before and we’ll see what’s happens. It’s uncharted territory we’ll get there when we get there.”

Actually, Rush has been a “street free agent” often. But a “coveted free agent” as NFL business opens in March?

That’s new.

Rush hits free agency after a fine stint as the caddie of Dak Prescott. Rush threw for 1,051 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions as a starter, going 4-1 in those games while Dak rehabbed from thumb surgery.

Amid speculation that Rush will be coveted as a starter - which we’re not sure we can envision - the Chargers are going to be in the market for a backup.

NFL Power Rankings (post Super Bowl) have the Cowboys among the top 10 teams - Dave Halprin, Blogging The Boys

What do the Cowboys have to do to climb from sixth to first in the power rankings this offseason?

McCarthy is heading into what feels like a make-or-break season for him. He technically has two years left on his contract, but no one likes to have a lame duck coach. Jerry Jones will probably need to decide whether to continue on with the McCarthy Experiment after 2023, or cut bait and move in a new direction.

That puts the pressure squarely on McCarthy’s shoulders, and in the new ESPN Power Rankings, that is exactly how they describe it.

6. Dallas Cowboys

2022 record: 12-5

Offseason in three or fewer words: Pressure on McCarthy

This was the case in 2022 as well. But now Mike McCarthy enters a season in which he will call plays and have more say in the offense than he ever has. He will have a retooled offensive staff and potential changes in personnel on that side of the ball. He has won 24 games in the past two seasons and took the Cowboys a step further in the 2022 playoffs, but heading into the second-to-last year of his contract, McCarthy will need to have his best season, and that work starts in the offseason. — Todd Archer

The Cowboys are still thought of as one of the top contenders in the NFL at this point, before we’ve seen what happens in free agency and the draft. Those two events can definitely alter the perception of a team, but as of now the Cowboys are a comfortable #6 in the rankings.

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