Top 3 Offseason Needs: Dallas Cowboys

In advance of March 9, the start of free agency in the NFL, Pro Football Rumors will detail each team’s three most glaring roster issues. We’ll continue this year’s series with the Dallas Cowboys, who rode two rookie offensive stars to a 13-3 record and the NFC East title.

Depth Chart (via Roster Resource)

Pending Free Agents:

• Brice Butler, WR
• Brandon Carr, CB
• Barry Church, S
• Morris Claiborne, CB
• Jonathan Cooper, G
• Jack Crawford, DE
• Ryan Davis, DE/LB
• Lance Dunbar, RB
• Justin Durant, LB
• Gavin Escobar, TE
• Andrew Gachkar, LB
• David Irving, DE (ERFA)
• Ronald Leary, G
• Rolando McClain, LB
• Terrell McClain, DT
• Darren McFadden, RB
• Kellen Moore, QB
• Mark Sanchez, QB
• Josh Thomas, CB
• J.J. Wilcox, S
• Terrance Williams, WR

Top 10 Cap Hits for 2017:

1. Tony Romo, QB: $24,700,000
2. Dez Bryant, WR: $17,000,000
3. Sean Lee, LB: $12,450,000
4. Jason Witten, TE: $12,262,000
5. Tyrone Crawford, DL: $10,350,000
6. Tyron Smith, T: $8,820,000
7. Doug Free, T: $7,500,000
8. Ezekiel Elliott, RB: $5,671,895
9. Orlando Scandrick, CB: $5,281,021
10. Travis Frederick, C: $4,531,000

Other:

• Projected cap space (via Over the Cap): $4,236,937
• 28th pick in draft
• Must exercise or decline 2018 fifth-year option for G Zack Martin

Three Needs:

1. Part ways with Tony Romo: The Cowboys cleared a good deal of cap space last week by restructuring the contracts of offensive linemen Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick, but they still have the worst cap situation in the league. That doesn’t account for one move that Dallas will almost assuredly make this offseason, however, as the club can create a bit more financial wiggle room by cutting ties with veteran quarterback Tony Romo, either through trade or release.

Romo’s future figures to be the dominant Cowboys storyline this offseason, and while the team could attempt to trade him in the coming weeks, a deal seems unlikely, particularly for financial reasons. Thanks to multiple contract restructures, nearly $20MM in prorated Romo bonus money is on the Dallas books over the next three seasons. If the Cowboys were to ship Romo to another club, the entirety of that total — $19.6MM, to be exact — would accelerate onto Dallas’ cap, an untenable outcome given the state of team’s salary cap.

Additionally, it’s unclear how much interest Romo would generate on the trade market, and/or what type of draft pick compensation the Cowboys could expect to reap. At least one rival club, the Broncos, seem to have no wish to entertain a trade for Romo, and would only be willing to sign him as a free agent. The theoretical price tag on Romo has varied wildly, as some executives have speculated the Cowboys could acquire a second-round pick for Romo, while other evaluators think a mid- to late-round conditional draft choice is more likely.

One factor working in Dallas’ favor is that a number of teams have already been linked to Romo, which could hypothetically raise the draft cost enough that a trade would make sense from the Cowboys’ perspective. The Chiefs, Bills, Broncos, Redskins, and Texans have all been mentioned as possible suitors for Romo, and if enough members of that list has serious interest, Dallas could start a bidding war and secure a relatively high draft choice. Romo is reportedly open to “massaging” his contract — likely by accepting some sort of paycut or restructure — which could make him even more attractive to interested parties.

From a fiscal standpoint, though, a release of Romo represents a far more palatable situation than a trade. Specifically, the Cowboys would need to designate Romo as a post-June 1 cut, which would allow Romo to hit the market now and only keep the accelerated $19.6MM dead money charge on Dallas’ salary cap until early June, at which point the dead money would be reduced to just $10.7MM. Gaining nearly $9MM in cap space in the summer isn’t going to help the Cowboys ink any marquee free agents, but it would help the club sign its draft class, bring in street free agents, and plan for unexpected financial charges that occur throughout a season.

Romo, for what’s it worth, expects to be cut rather than traded, and it’s possible that his close relationship with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will allow the 13-year pro to secure his release and then choose his next club himself. Speculatively, such an outcome could come with a handshake agreement between Jones and Romo that the latter won’t sign with a rival like Washington.

If and when the Cowboys cut ties with Romo, they’ll need a new backup quarterback to play behind Dak Prescott. Dallas reportedly has mutual interest with former Browns signal-caller Josh McCown, while the Cowboys could also conceivably re-sign either Mark Sanchez or Kellen Moore, both of whom are unrestricted free agents. Other available quarterbacks who may intrigue the Cowboys include Case Keenum, Nick Foles, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Christian Ponder.

2. Improve the pass rush: Under coordinator Rod Marinelli, the Cowboys’ defense has performed much better than was to be expected given the club’s level of talent. Dallas’ front office has consistently invested more resources on the offensive side of the ball, but the Cowboys defense has finished in the middle of the pack in DVOA during Marinelli’s three-year run as coordinator.

The one area of the Dallas defense that hasn’t over-performed in recent years has been the defensive line, but that’s not for lack of trying on the part of the Cowboys. Defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford was signed to a five-year, $45MM extension after only a single season of production, a deal that looks like an overpay in hindsight. Defensive end Demarcus Lawrence was selected at the top of the second round, but has dealt with injuries and a suspension and is now entering the final year of his rookie contract. And just last offseason, the Cowboys signed away defensive lineman Cedric Thornton from the division rival Eagles and inked former Raider Benson Mayowa to a restricted free agent offer sheet that wasn’t matched.

Randy Gregory, like Lawrence, is a former second-round pick, but isn’t part of the Cowboys’ plans after being hit with a yearlong suspension last month. Thornton is a candidate for release after only one season in Dallas, while fellow defensive lineman Terrell McClain, Jack Crawford, and Ryan Davis are all unrestricted free agents. As such, the Cowboys need to add both an impact player and depth along the front four, something Jerry Jones admitted earlier this month by saying he wants to bring in “one of these war daddies that takes two to block.”

The first place the Cowboys can look for pass rushing talent is the free agent market, but given their salary cap troubles, the club doesn’t figure to go after one of the top options such as Chandler Jones, Melvin Ingram, or Jason Pierre-Paul. As Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap wrote yesterday, when a 30-year-old rotational defensive end like Mario Addison lands $7.5MM annually, the game-changing edge defenders are in for a massive payday in a league where the cap is nearing $170MM. Dallas will have to look for bargains on the open market, but luckily there are cost-effective players readily available.

DeMarcus Ware has already been linked to the Cowboys, as the 34-year-old is reportedly “leaving the door open” for a return to Dallas, where he racked up 117 racks from 2005-13. Ware has missed 11 games over the past two seasons, and both fractured his arm and required back surgery in 2016, but he could still offer the Cowboys his pass rushing talent, especially if his snaps are limited. Other veteran defensive lineman that could interest the Cowboys include Julius Peppers, Charles Johnson, Dwight Freeney, Nick Fairley (if his price tag drops), and the recently-released Jared Odrick.

If Dallas does sign an experienced edge rusher, they’ll likely try to pair him with a rookie, and could certainly expend a first-round pick on the position. At pick No. 28, the Cowboys should have a bevy of players to choose from: both Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com and Josh Norris of Rotoworld recently mocked Missouri’s Charles Harris to Dallas, while Todd McShay of ESPN.com sent Tim Williams (Alabama) to Big D. Other pass rushers who could make sense for Dallas on Day 1 or 2 include Michigan’s Taco Charlton, Tennessee’s Derek Barnett, Auburn’s Carl Lawson (whom Rob Rang of CBSSports.com favorably compares to Freeney), Temple’s Haason Reddick, and Wisconsin’s T.J. Watt.

One final area the Cowboys should trawl is the trade market, in which they reportedly made an offer for the Jets’ Sheldon Richardson last year. Richardson, of course, has dealt with motivation, effort, and tardiness issues, but Dallas has been willing to acquire players with off-field concerns in the past. On the field, Richardson wasn’t all that successful, either, but the 26-year-old may see better results by moving into a 4-3 scheme. New York is now aiming for a third-round pick in exchange for Richardson, and if the Cowboys can negotiate that ask down to a fourth- or fifth-rounder, they could take the leap on a troubled but talented player.

3. Sort out the secondary: After addressing the defensive line, the Cowboys need to work on the defensive backfield in order to further limit opposing quarterbacks. That effort will start internally, as four of Dallas’ key secondary players are heading for unrestricted free agency. Cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr and safeties Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox are all scheduled to hit the open market on March 9, meaning the Cowboys will need to line up their priorities.

Church is probably the most obvious candidate to return, as the 29-year-old posted the best season of his career in 2016, grading as the league’s No. 11 safety per Pro Football Focus. Given his age and his limited track record, Church shouldn’t cost too much to retain, and may even be open to some sort of hometown discount. Wilcox, on the other hand, is younger than Church, but as Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated recently tweeted, Wilcox struggles with “coverage discipline” and likely won’t be a primary concern for the Cowboys this offseason.

At corner, Dallas shouldn’t be inclined to re-sign Claiborne, even though he finally lived up to his first-round billing by playing especially well last year. Claiborne had never reached that ceiling before, however, and the Cowboys needn’t simply extend a new contract to the 27-year-old based on one year of production. Given that Claiborne will likely find a larger deal in free agency, the Cowboys should instead focus on retaining Carr, who’s been a steadier presence in the secondary. Dallas also boasts slot corner Orlando Scandrick and surprisingly effective 2016 sixth-rounder Anthony Brown, so the club has depth in the event a free agent or two defects.

If the Cowboys decide to add another cornerback, it will likely be through the draft. Dallas selected defensive back Byron Jones in 2015, but placed him in the back end where he’s since become one of the NFL’s best safeties (and an excellent special teamer). Drafting a more traditional corner could be in the cards this time around, and Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN.com mocked Teez Tabor (Florida) to Dallas in his most recent mock draft. Other options that could be available near the end of the first round include Sidney Jones (Washington), Tre’Davious White (LSU), Quincy Wilson (Florirda), or Gareon Conley (Ohio State). The Cowboys might also target safety depth on Day 2 of the draft, and they’ve already been linked to Texas A&M’s Josh Evans.

Dallas may look the free agent market as it hunts for another corner, but it won’t spend at the top of the market in order to sign someone like A.J. Bouye or Stephon Gilmore. Instead, a pair of veterans stand out as potential Cowboys targets: Terence Newman and Leon Hall. Newman, of course, was drafted by the Cowboys way back in 2003 and spent the first nine years of his career in Dallas. Entering his age-39 season, Newman is still getting it done in the secondary, and though he’ll surely fall off at some point, there’s no indication that decline will come in 2017. Hall, meanwhile, visited the Cowboys last year before signing with the Giants, and could offer Dallas experience at both corner and safety.