Watkins: Cowboys need to make decision about Doug Free

Cotton

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Cowboys need to make decision about Doug Free
April, 12, 2013

By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com

The Doug Free watch continues with no news in sight.

Maybe no news is good news for the Cowboys right tackle. Or maybe it's bad news.

Listen Free struggled last season, and now it appears his status is under closer evaluation as we approach the NFL draft.

The Cowboys' front office knows it has to do something with Free, especially after he split playing time with Jermey Parnell during the 2012 season. When you compare Free to other tackles across the league, his financial numbers don't match the quality of play.

He's got the fourth-highest salary cap number for 2013 at $10.02 million. In 2014, if he's still around, his cap number jumps to $11.020 million, second-highest in the league at his position.

The Cowboys haven't said how they will rectify Free's status. However, the Cowboys could release Free, making him a post-June 1 cut and save $7 million. The team did this with defensive end Marcus Spears and saved $2 million that won't be on the books until June 1. However, if Free is released, the Cowboys will have $7 million in dead money to carry on their salary cap for 2014.

It's a high price to get rid of an underachieving player.

The flip side to keeping Free is to offer him a cut in pay, something he could accept to salvage his time with the franchise. Free could decline the paycut and enter a free-agent market that has been slow for veterans who hope to find new teams and big money.

"I think there's more to it without trying to talk in riddles," Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said at the NFL owners meetings recently. "There's more to it. That implies a decision after the draft on Free, and we may be doing things there with our offensive line before the draft, relative to Free."

The Cowboys had a discussion regarding free agent tackle Eric Winston but no visits or contract talks have occurred. Winston said recently on Sirius/XM radio he's looking for a contract worth $3 million to $4 million annually.

If that's the case, you might as well keep Free for that amount of money.

Of course, the Cowboys could wait until the draft and see if they can find someone willing to compete for a starting job with Parnell. There's nothing wrong with using young talent at the right tackle spot. The Cowboys are doing this now with Tyron Smith on the left side.

But at some point, a decision has to be made regarding Free.

"His skill is left tackle, as far as a lot of his value is concerned," Jones said of Free. "I could see us staying with him at his (salary cap) number. It’s not impossible, but I could see us staying at his number and sitting there with him or Parnell penciled in as the swing with Smith at left tackle and then going on out from there with the rest of the offensive line."
 

ravidubey

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"His skill is left tackle, as far as a lot of his value is concerned," Jones said of Free. "I could see us staying with him at his (salary cap) number. It’s not impossible, but I could see us staying at his number and sitting there with him or Parnell penciled in as the swing with Smith at left tackle and then going on out from there with the rest of the offensive line."
So, you could stay exactly the same... except pay Doug Free more money. Gotcha.

As for "going on out from there with the rest of the OL"... does that mean they draft an OG or sign Brandon Moore? Or convert Free to guard and sign or draft a tackle?

What seems lost on the Cowboys is just how terrible Free was last year. There's not other word for it. Noncompetitive, weak, routinely beaten... terrible. Winston and Clabo were clearly better by comparison and at half the money.

Why not sign Moore and Clabo and be done with it? Guess that's too simple.
 

Cujo

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The correct thing to do is make him take a pay cut and if he won't, shitcan him. Regardless of how it affects the cap, it sends a message to the rest of the team. And that is, either live up to your contract or hit the bricks.
 

Genghis Khan

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No, the correct thing to do is to cut him. No offers, no paycut, no dicking around.

The only message that needs to be sent is that if you do not perform, you will be gone. Your contract is irrelevant. Play well or play elsewhere.
 

Cotton

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No, the correct thing to do is to cut him. No offers, no paycut, no dicking around.

The only message that needs to be sent is that if you do not perform, you will be gone. Your contract is irrelevant. Play well or play elsewhere.
+1 billion
 

Cowboysrock55

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No, the correct thing to do is to cut him. No offers, no paycut, no dicking around.

The only message that needs to be sent is that if you do not perform, you will be gone. Your contract is irrelevant. Play well or play elsewhere.
That's exactly it. Do you want this guy starting on your team or believe he would be a valuable backup? If your answer is no to both of those questions then why would you keep him around even at a discounted rate.

Now if you think that Free can be a quality starting RT then certainly you should ask him to take a paycut so that his pay at least matches his production. If it doesn't then you should still cut him.
 

p1_

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can the guy possibly play guard? He sucks as a tackle, but salvageable as a guard?
 

Cotton

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Donpingon

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It's becoming obvious we'll emphasize DT/G/S in the draft. Free/Parnell is your likely RT next season, folks.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Too tall, too weak, too passive.
Strength is my main concern. 6'6" is tall for a guard but not unheard of. I've never heard of Free's attitude being a concern at all. It's strength that concerns me. Usually you move an unathletic but very powerful RT in to guard. I wouldn't classify Free as powerful in any way though. I actually think Free is fairly athletic or he at least use to be but the last couple of years guys have basically been running right over him.

The only reason he might work at guard is because it is just a lot easier position to play. Free is pretty good at blocking down field and blocking while pulling. His technique has gone to shit the last couple of years but the technique at guard is much simpler. I still think best case scenario he is a serviceable guard. We don't need a serviceable guard, we already have guys like that. We need some actual studs on the O-line.
 

Plan9Misfit

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The correct thing to do is make him take a pay cut and if he won't, shitcan him. Regardless of how it affects the cap, it sends a message to the rest of the team. And that is, either live up to your contract or hit the bricks.
Wrong. The only correct thing to do is to cut him. What will a pay cut do to improve his play? Will that make him perform better on the field? I'd bet not. The only thing a pay cut does is allow a shitty player to remain on the team, continue to play like shit, but at a cheaper price. Why not dump the shitty player and attempt to replace him with a better one?
 

Cujo

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Wrong. The only correct thing to do is to cut him. What will a pay cut do to improve his play? Will that make him perform better on the field? I'd bet not. The only thing a pay cut does is allow a shitty player to remain on the team, continue to play like shit, but at a cheaper price. Why not dump the shitty player and attempt to replace him with a better one?

I'm talking about from a fiscal perspective. Btw, you can all go fuck yourselves.
 

Plan9Misfit

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I'm talking about from a fiscal perspective. Btw, you can all go fuck yourselves.
And how will "the fiscal perspective" improve the team? That "perspective" stinks because you're asking the team to keep a bad player.
 

Cujo

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And how will "the fiscal perspective" improve the team? That "perspective" stinks because you're asking the team to keep a bad player.

If we make him take a pay cut doesn't that minimize his cap figure? The one that balloons up next year if we release him this year? That's my point. If we could bring him back at 2 mill per season and not take such a huge cap hit, wouldn't that be more preferable? That would free up some money to go after someone else and we could use him for depth at that point. Just a hypothetical.
 

Cowboysrock55

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If we make him take a pay cut doesn't that minimize his cap figure? The one that balloons up next year if we release him this year? That's my point. If we could bring him back at 2 mill per season and not take such a huge cap hit, wouldn't that be more preferable?
Not really, you are just delaying the inevitable. That huge cap hit will come due eventually. It's just whether you spread it out over a few years or deal with it now and have cap room in the future. Ultimately if you keep him on the roster you will be using more cap room on Free then you would if you cut him.
 
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