2015 Dallas Cowboys Free Agency: An Early Guide to the Market: Although the Dallas Cowboys concluded their 2014-15 season on a bitter note, the NFL calendar is always full of excitement. On Tuesday, the Cowboys locked up head coach Jason Garrett and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli with new multiyear contracts. Scott Linehan is the final piece of the puzzle to the coaching staff. Dallas’ front office is currently in negotiations with the passing game coordinator. With the same staff in place to build on the successful year, the attention can be turned to free agency. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they will not be able to bring in many outside names for financial reasons. However, there are many significant players on their own roster who the team must take care of in order to compete again next season. Let’s take an early look at what the Cowboys plan for free agency will be in 2015. Dallas won’t need to add outside free agents because of all the players scattered around its own roster who are available to leave. The most important names Jerry Jones needs to focus on are offensive superstars Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray. The duo combined for more than 58 percent of the Cowboys total offense (3,581 yards) this season. Even though Dallas should be willing to please both players to retain their services, Dez Bryant should be the priority. The receiver has become one of the most consistent in the NFL and is a big-play threat every touch. Bryant has had at least 88 receptions, 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons. Players of Bryant’s caliber don’t come around very often. Dallas shouldn’t mess around and should give him the money and contract he deserves. Currently, Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are the only receivers under contracts exceeding $100 million. Bryant should be the third and make upward of $13 million a season. Murray is also a top concern because of what he accomplished in 2014. He ran away with the NFL rushing title and set the Cowboys’ team record with 1,845 rushing yards. The problem with signing Murray long term is how much the front office is willing to invest in a guy who just finished the year with 449 touches. Most running backs never recover from such a heavy workload and typically see their production decrease. Murray definitely has several good years left in him, but exactly how many, and how much are they worth? The Cowboys should attempt to bring back the Pro Bowler, but not at a price that will limit their spending elsewhere. Unfortunately for Murray, running backs in the NFL are consistently being recycled in today’s game. Normally a statistical year like the running back just had would mean a huge payday. Not anymore. The most recent Dallas offer was a four-year deal worth around $16 million. That price would keep Murray out of the top 10 for highest-paid backs. Hopefully, the two sides can find a fair number to land on. Even though the Cowboys want to reward their best players, they have plenty of others to re-sign after taking care of Bryant and Murray. Some of the most impactful players who are free agents this offseason are Jeremy Parnell, Doug Free, Rolando McClain, Bruce Carter, Justin Durant, Anthony Spencer, George Selvie, Nick Hayden, Sterling Moore and Dwayne Harris. All of these guys played a significant role this season, and most of them occupied a starting spot for many games. Dallas needs to bring back as many of these contributors as possible. The most important of the group are McClain and Free. Both of these players started the majority of the year at very important positions. Free started 11 games this year at right tackle, and the line was noticeably weaker without his presence. McClain started 12 games at middle linebacker and was a huge surprise. He allowed the defense to continue as if Sean Lee were available. Both players shouldn’t require huge contracts. Free is 30 years old and has a history of sustaining injuries. McClain is still young at 25; however, he doesn’t have a proven track record and should be able to give Dallas a favorable discount. The next man up would have to be linebacker Bruce Carter. He had a resurgent year and was one of Dallas’ better defenders down the stretch. Despite the fact that the season isn’t over yet, Dallas needs to move quickly because it’s clear that it has plenty of work to do this offseason. Adding a few cheap free agents isn’t out of the question, but the Cowboys must address their own roster first. Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #Football #NFL #NFCEast #DallasCowboys
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 12:02:34 +0000
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