The Cowboys are in need of help on the edge after losing Robert Quinn in free agency. However, they’re unlikely to pursue two of the biggest names left: Everson Griffen and Jadeveon Clowney, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com and Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star Telegram (Twitter links).
Griffen, we learned, won’t be back in Minnesota either. On Friday, his agent released a statement to share that the Vikings will not be re-signing him. On paper, he’d be a logical fit for the Cowboys – Griffen has a solid track record of generating pressure and he’s coming off of a strong comeback year. In 2019, the veteran notched eight sacks en route to his fourth career Pro Bowl nomination.
Clowney, meanwhile, is having trouble generating interest. Injuries are likely a factor, but the asking price is a bigger issue. At one point, we heard that the Seahawks free agent is seeking ~$20MM per season. Despite his pedigree as a former No. 1 overall pick and the ever-ballooning market for defensive ends, that’s probably an unrealistic ask.
The Cowboys – who still have multiple needs to address and limited room to fill them – appear poised to take a less splashy route as they look to replace Quinn.
Probably because of all the money cowboys dishing out In contracts. Gonna have to build in the draft
You’re right. That’s how most teams should operate. Draft young guys, get 4 years out of them , then let them walk. Dallas needs help at numerous positions.
Of course they won’t sign anyone significant on Defense and only spend big dollars on offense. Look at where that has gotten them over the years
The Cowboys used to spend money on Defense like Deion and Charles Haley and that resulted in Super Bowl wins
Yep.
It’s not like Griffen is breaking the bank. Smh
Randy Gregory and David Irving
id would be sad if relaxing the recreational drug policies is what the Cowboys need to get over the hump.
They shouldn’t even be testing for that stuff.
#leavemybodyalone…..
They will sign one of these guys they will just do it when the price comes down
LOL. Must be a slooooooow news day again. I think I can (safely) report that neither Clowney or Griffen will be signing with the Steelers, either…and I’m just sitting on my couch!
Stay home!
Price just needs to come down. They know they need a starter opposite Lawrence, and I can’t imagine they are counting on Randy Gregory.
Who cares not like that’ll help yall win a SB! Dis gonna be Baltimore Ravens Year watch!!! Dak is a joke not worth all that money!
And here you are in a Cowboys post, can’t get enough of them huh
Didn’t a joke qb tanahill beat you and your can’t be beat qb limp arm jackson in playoffs ?
well, logic says you need money to sign good players, so…
Headline should be: cowboys won’t pursue…..
Who knows if those players are even interested.
DB, OL, DT, DE, Slot WR, TE
Just a few areas of need. Add QB of the future, bc they clearly aren’t trying to pay Dak ‘stupid money’.
Yeah but the majority of the positions you listed are needed for depth, not starters. Aside from the slot receiver, and a defensive end, they are set for starters.
Well the entire secondary outside of Brown is a FA next season, so they’ll need to retool this draft. They won’t be able to bring back everyone. And on the DL while they signed McCoy – he’s 32 and that’s a bandaid. Woods is average. Hill is a bust. Crawford is going to get cut, 9M cap hit with only 1M dead money. And that’s just DT.
Agreed but how many teams are set at every position and don’t need to retool for next year’s impending FAs? Isn’t that the beauty of a hard salary cap? They’ll be competitive this year and hopefully will not waste talented roster like last year.
That’s fine if they are built to win this year, but they currently are a WC contender. Just little forward planning on the Jones’ part. Cupboard is bare in 1 yrs time.
If were talking about beyond this season, then yeah of course there’s positions that need to be addressed.
DB, OL, WR, DT, LB
Just a few areas of need. Dak has won the same amount of playoff games as Wentz. Eagles were 9-7 last year and won the division by one game. Hardly a juggernaut. Fan of neither team.
Don’t forget to mention DeMarcus “War Daddy” Lawrence who rewarded Jerrah’s generosity (105M contract) with 5 sacks last year. He fits in the bust/avg category as well.
Thank god you’re not the Cowboys GM. Khalil Mack had a down year for sacks. Does that fit him “in the bust/avg category as well”?
Gee, I wonder if Lawrence or Mack are double teamed? Hmmm, is a right DE set-up to produce more sacks than a left DE? I wonder if Robert Quinn’s sacks were a product of the pressure Lawrence was generating from the LDE spot?
While D-Law fell well short of his sack expectations, he was top-3 in pressure rate. Additionally, when looking at all the relevant pass-rush data, Lawrence was much more effective than his paltry sack numbers indicate.
I say we keep him … Anyone who watches the games sees his value.
If I was the GM I’d have traded him and got a haul like Seattle did for Frank Clark, instead of paying him like his name is Mack or Donald. I’m happy to hear he was near the top of the league in “almost sacks” Earm. 6 years in the league double digits in sacks twice, 6 seasons 39 sacks, about 6.5 a year, FACTS! $20M per? He’s a lot like our QB, doesn’t make players around him better, needs help, and is overpaid. I also would have hit your boy Dak with the non-exclusive tag and saved millions in cap room so maybe they could have improved the defense instead of going backwards like they are. 8-8 here we come!
Oh and by the way Earm, Mack has 61.5 sacks in 6 seasons, double teams and all.
Mack plays a different position. He’s the primary pass rusher as the ROLB in a 3-4 defense. Lawrence is the LDE in a 4-3, where the RDE is the pass rusher.
Yeah, that Frank Clark trade netted quite the haul for Seattle. In fact, it won them the Super Bowl. Oh, crap, that was the team that got Frank Clark in the trade. Seattle (or you in the trade you are touting) got LJ Collier (DE) as the first rounder in that trade. LJC played in 11 games, started NONE, was a healthy scratch in several games, had ZERO sacks, and a grand total of 3 tackles. What a stud. The teams swapped third rounders, and Seattle used the third rounder plus a fifth rounder to trade up for Cody Barton (LB). Barton played in all 16 games, started 2 games, had ZERO sacks from his weakside position, and 23 tackles. Too early to tell if he’ll turn into something, but he didn’t set the world on fire. The Seahawks better strike gold with the remaining 2020 second rounder, cause at this point they gave Frank Clark (RDE) away for next to nothing. Frank Clark was hurt for part of the year, but he still managed to make the Pro Bowl, and had 5 sacks in his last 6 games (8 total). FC played 65% of his teams def snaps.
As you either are ignoring, or somehow don’t know, the RDE in a 4-3 defense is the pass rusher. Robert Quinn was able to pin his ears back and rush the passer from his RDE position. Demarcus Lawrence, as the LDE attracted routine double teams. Cause he’s the better player. Sacks are about as valuable an evaluation tool as are RBIs. The two of them totaled the same number of combined hurries and knockdowns and Quinn only had 6 more pressures even though he was the rush DE. Lawrence is the much better player. Lawrence was coming off of shoulder surgery, and then hurt the opposite shoulder during the year. He played 62% of the defensive snaps.
Your “decision” to use the non-exclusive tag on Dak would be as much a disaster as your Frank Clark like trade of Lawrence. The Cowboys are not looking to start a rebuild, nor should they be. Two first round draft choices do us no good, we need and have a quality veteran QB. In your GM world, the Cowboys would be missing their QB and their stud DE, to be replaced by draft choices. Our LT, RG, C, WR, RB, & LBs would be two or three years older before they got solid production from the draft choices. That’s more likely to be an 8-8 outcome, for years to come.
You mentioned Mack in your above post Earm, not me, and thanks for the Seattle draft recap. I’m well aware that Mack/Lawrence play different positions as well.
However Lawrence is making over $20Million per year. He’s paid on par with Aaron Donald and Mack and his production is nowhere near theirs. Donald has 72 sacks Mack 61.5 and Lawrence 39. All have been in the league for 6 years. Now I’m not aware how many “almost sacks” each has but I’d be willing to bet dollars to donuts Donald and Mack have quite a few of those as well. Do you think Aaron Donald is double teamed? I believe he was the most double teamed player in the league last year. How about Mack? I guess I expect more than 5 sacks for 20 million dollars, call me nuts Earm, double teams or not. And I don’t know where you heard that sacks aren’t an important stat, but last time I checked negative plays are important to a defense. Don’t get me wrong, I understand pressure is the next best thing, but a sack is the goal Earm. Chase Young from OSU isn’t getting drafted within the top 3 picks next month because he almost sacks the QB.
That Clark trade is too early to label a bust, but I do think Seattle reached on Collier who many considered a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Do you know how many sacks your boy D-Law had his rookie season? Same amount as Collier! But, hey aren’t you arguing that sacks aren’t an important stat? You failed to mention that Seattle basically shed 20M off their cap by trading instead of resigning Clark.
I’m just a frustrated Dallas Fan who fails to see how the team is improving. They now have around $115 million dollars (approximately 60% of their cap $) committed to just 7 players and that to me is going to be a real problem going forward. New England had about 12-14 players for that same amount of money last season and last time I checked they were the model of NFL success. If Dallas was a legitimate Super Bowl contender I could live with that stat, but in reality we are an 8-8 team with a new HC.
Again I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. Stay safe Earm.
Sign FA’s? We got to thru the draft! It’s been a disappointing free agency, again! As usual we’re getting all the scraps!
Look at how the Pats operate, they rarely spend big money on FA, even their own. They manage the cap and maximize talent. Dallas can’t keep following the massive contracts and league minimum model. It hasn’t worked since the cap was implemented!
The winners in free agency are almost always the losers come the regular season.