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4 Cowboys facing tough choices as 2023 NFL Free Agency looms - Shane Taylor, Inside The Star
Who to keep and who to let go?
The Dallas Cowboys have key decisions to make this off-season with their free agents on both sides of the ball.
As we wait to see what the team will do in the coming months, I wanted to look at the players I think might have the most difficult time deciding on starting in March.
DALTON SCHULTZ
The security blanket of the offensive, Dalton Schultz, appeared in two fewer games this season than he did in 2021, mainly because of fourth-round pick Jake Ferguson and undrafted free agent Peyton Hendershot.
TERENCE STEELE
One of the most important players on the Cowboys is a player with a contract set to expire this year, Terence Steele. Before he tore his ACL in December, he was one of the best players on the Cowboys team.
Open Market: Shopping for Cowboys OTs in 2023 - Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
Big changes ahead at offensive tackle?
Kudos to the front office for rolling the dice on Tyler Smith, and to the rookie for having an outstanding first year despite all of its challenges, but that’s only one [major] question answered at the offensive tackle position and, truth be told, there’s no guarantee just yet that he’ll take the mantle at starting LT when September rolls around — something that can’t possibly be figured out just yet with Terence Steele, Tyron Smith and Jason Peters all being topics of discussion.
What’s Here:
Jason Peters:
The future Hall of Famer turned full heel in the City of Philadelphia in 2022, joining the Dallas Cowboys after having spent the entirety of his illustrious NFL career with the Eagles — instantly becoming one of the biggest headlines and acquisitions of the year. After being granted some time to ramp up in North Texas, the 40-year-old proved he meant what he said after putting pen to paper: he’d do whatever the Cowboys needed him to do on the offensive line.
What’s Out There:
Andre Dillard:
If Jason Peters can do it, so can you, Andre. Dillard is a former first-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles who can begin taking calls in a few weeks, unless he signs an extension in Philly before then, and he’s right up the alley for what the Cowboys would need going into the 2023 season; and weakening the Eagles in the process is truly an added bonus for seeing if this deal can get done.
NFL Draft news: When is the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine? - Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
The scouting combine is getting close and it will be a good time to evaluate this year’s crop of talented college football prospects.
The 2023 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and the Dallas Cowboys are hoping to replicate their showing last year when they landed impact players Tyler Smith, Sam Williams, DaRon Bland, Jake Ferguson, and Damone Clark.
Watching film is ultimately the best way to evaluate prospects, but the NFL Scouting Combine isn’t far behind in that regard.
When is the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine?
The 2023 NFL Combine will commence on Monday, Feb. 27. It runs for a full week (through Monday, March 6.), but the first few days are designated for player registration and medicals. The real fun doesn’t start until mid-week.
Where is the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine?
In keeping with tradition, the Combine will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Colts’ home stadium has hosted the event every year since 1987. There was actually a chance the Combine would relocate for 2023. The host was put up to a bid, but Lucas Oil Stadium ultimately won out.
Who is invited to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine?
Not every draft-eligible prospect gets an invite to Indianapolis. This is why the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl are so important for some prospects. In total, 319 players were invited to participate in the Combine.
Cowboys Ex Coach Adam Henry to Bills? Dallas OUT on OBJ Signing?- Zach Dimmitt, SI.com
Has the Odell Beckham Jr train to Dallas finally departed for good?
Adam Henry sports an impressive resume that is much more than just his connection with a high-profile pupil.
But yes, when the former Dallas Cowboys receivers coach is rumored to be getting hired in the same role, this time with the Buffalo Bills as happened on Wednesday, thoughts naturally turn to ...
Odell Beckham Jr.
First, a note: The reports from national media are/were premature; they occurred at 3:21 p.m. ET, but now hours later, CowboysSI.com is told by sources that the Bills have not finalized the deal with the respected coach.
But assuming this does go down ...
Henry, who has NFL coaching experience with five different teams, was most recently the co-offensive coordinator and receivers at the University of Indiana this past season after leaving Dallas in 2021.
There is a perception that Henry is “buddies’’ with players like OBJ. But as Henry told CowboysSI.com when he worked in Dallas ...
The Cowboys top 10 cap hits for 2023 and how they will handle their contracts going forward - Dan Rogers, Blogging The Boys
How will Dallas manage their cap situation as they into the 2023 season?
Last offseason the Dallas Cowboys did a little housekeeping in the form of trading Amari Cooper, releasing La’el Collins, and re-configuring the contract of DeMarcus Lawrence. All of these moves did wonders to free up cap space last year as well as remove large base salaries from the books in future years.
The front office will once again take a look at their big money makers and determine where changes could be made. To help better understand what could be coming down the pike, we thought we’d examine the team’s ten most expensive cap hits and try to figure out how the Cowboys will proceed with these players going forward.
1. Dak Prescott
2023 cap hit: $49.1 million
After a delay that included a franchise tag in 2020, the Cowboys finally agreed to a four-year, $160 million contract extension in 2021 with their franchise quarterback, Dak Prescott. He is now halfway through that deal and will count $49.1 M and $52.1 M against the cap over the next two years respectively. Prescott’s 2023 guaranteed salary ($31 M) combined with his signing bonus money ($39.5 M) and restructure bonus money ($18.5 M) all equate to a dead-money hit of nearly $90 million if the Cowboys were to suddenly release him, which has no chance of happening. It would drop to just under $60 million in dead money if they worked a trade, but that is also not happening.
What’s next? The Cowboys have two choices here. Either do nothing and let the deal run its course or try to work an extension that frees up cap space now and adds more years to his deal. While it’s unclear how this will play out, look for the front office to make a push for an extension.
2. DeMarcus Lawrence
2023 cap hit: $26 million
The front office worked some contract wizardry convincing DeMarcus Lawrence to reduce his base salary by signing a new three-year, $40 million deal last offseason. In the flick of a pen, Tank went from a pricey commodity to a value asset. His 2023 base salary of $15 million is fully guaranteed and he still has $20 million in bonus money on the books, so he’s clearly not going anywhere ($35 million dead money hit if released).
What’s next? The front office is locked into Lawrence for another year but could revisit what they want to do next year, but if he continues to play as he has, he’ll at the very least play out his deal with Dallas.
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