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Cowboys more free to follow draft board now
March, 19, 2015
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' main goal of the offseason was to improve their pass rush in 2015.
The signing of Greg Hardy should certainly do that even if he might miss some games with a possible suspension.
By signing Hardy, the Cowboys have covered one of their major draft needs, but it has not made those needs disappear. A draft isn't just about this year. It's about the next four years.
But what the signing of Hardy has done has allowed the Cowboys to put together a more pure draft board. Without the addition of Hardy, the Cowboys' need for a pass-rusher would have been through the roof and the natural inclination is to inflate a player's ability at a position of need.
This has been the Cowboys' philosophy the last few years. They use free agency to fill holes and follow their board -- mostly -- when it comes to the draft.
At No. 27 in the first round, the Cowboys likely would not have been in position to find an impactful pass-rusher and certainly not a pass-rusher the quality of Hardy. They can still go with a pass-rusher in the first round, especially since Hardy is signed only for 2015.
The addition of Darren McFadden falls in line with the Hardy signing, although the expectations for him are far less than the expectations for Hardy. In a running back heavy draft, the Cowboys could be in position to take the best runners available (Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon) or the wave of runners that will go in the early rounds (Tevin Coleman, Jay Ajayi, T.J. Yeldon) that can form a solid combo with McFadden, Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and/or Ryan Williams.
The other spot of need is cornerback where Brandon Carr's status is up in the air because of a $12.7 million salary-cap figure. The Cowboys want to keep Carr, just not at his $8 million base salary. Based on the size of the contracts some corners have signed in free agency, the Cowboys would be wise to sit back on Carr's deal and wait for the money to dry up. That's how they dealt with right tackle Doug Free two years ago.
The Cowboys claimed Corey White off waivers from the New Orleans Saints and hope that getting him in a simpler system than what Rob Ryan used will allow his athletic ability to shine. But banking solely on White wouldn't be wise.
With the 27th pick, the Cowboys could see a corner like Wake Forest's Kevin Johnson available.
By signing Hardy, the Cowboys have put themselves in position to do something every team professes to want to do but sometimes just can't: take the best player.
March, 19, 2015
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' main goal of the offseason was to improve their pass rush in 2015.
The signing of Greg Hardy should certainly do that even if he might miss some games with a possible suspension.
By signing Hardy, the Cowboys have covered one of their major draft needs, but it has not made those needs disappear. A draft isn't just about this year. It's about the next four years.
But what the signing of Hardy has done has allowed the Cowboys to put together a more pure draft board. Without the addition of Hardy, the Cowboys' need for a pass-rusher would have been through the roof and the natural inclination is to inflate a player's ability at a position of need.
This has been the Cowboys' philosophy the last few years. They use free agency to fill holes and follow their board -- mostly -- when it comes to the draft.
At No. 27 in the first round, the Cowboys likely would not have been in position to find an impactful pass-rusher and certainly not a pass-rusher the quality of Hardy. They can still go with a pass-rusher in the first round, especially since Hardy is signed only for 2015.
The addition of Darren McFadden falls in line with the Hardy signing, although the expectations for him are far less than the expectations for Hardy. In a running back heavy draft, the Cowboys could be in position to take the best runners available (Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon) or the wave of runners that will go in the early rounds (Tevin Coleman, Jay Ajayi, T.J. Yeldon) that can form a solid combo with McFadden, Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and/or Ryan Williams.
The other spot of need is cornerback where Brandon Carr's status is up in the air because of a $12.7 million salary-cap figure. The Cowboys want to keep Carr, just not at his $8 million base salary. Based on the size of the contracts some corners have signed in free agency, the Cowboys would be wise to sit back on Carr's deal and wait for the money to dry up. That's how they dealt with right tackle Doug Free two years ago.
The Cowboys claimed Corey White off waivers from the New Orleans Saints and hope that getting him in a simpler system than what Rob Ryan used will allow his athletic ability to shine. But banking solely on White wouldn't be wise.
With the 27th pick, the Cowboys could see a corner like Wake Forest's Kevin Johnson available.
By signing Hardy, the Cowboys have put themselves in position to do something every team professes to want to do but sometimes just can't: take the best player.
