DC.Com - What Direction Should Cowboys Take At Right Tackle?

10 Free-Agent Questions: What Direction Should Cowboys Take At Right Tackle?


Wednesday, March 04, 2015 10:19 AM CST

By DallasCowboys.com Report


IRVING, Texas - With so many expected free agents, including two of the best offensive players in football, the Cowboys have plenty of questions to answer here this offseason.

Some of them will be answered here before the start of the free-agent signing period on March 10. Others might take a few more weeks, and perhaps after the draft.

For now, DallasCowboys.com has come up with 10 pressing questions the Cowboys are facing this offseason and writers Bryan Broaddus, David Helman and Nick Eatman will try their best to answer them, giving a forecast of what could happen here in what should be an entertaining offseason.

Today’s question focuses on the Cowboys’ decision at right tackle.

What Should Cowboys Do At Right Tackle Position?

Bryan: Of all the free agent questions we have answered here on DallasCowboys.com this one is by far the easiest for me to handle, there is no question it's Doug Free. You can talk about age and the potential upside with Parnell but that does nothing for me right now. Where Free helps me is not only what he does on the field but in that offensive line meeting room. Those young players look to him for his leadership and direction. He sets the tone for the group and as a unit they feed off that. I recall a stretch of games this season starting in St Louis and ending at home against the Giants where they faced some serious fronts and not only were they able hold things together but also to play at a very high level in the process. Free is at the point of his career where he can give this club two to three more years of productive football which can allow this front office to consider other options than what they current have with Parnell. As crazy as this might sound, I would rank the re-signing of Doug Free as the second most important off season move for how it affects this offense.

Nick: As talented as the offensive line with three first-round picks, leadership is always needed and that’s why re-signing Doug Free would be approach for the Cowboys. We’ve already seen that Free is willing to take less money to be here in Dallas so he’s probably going to stay as long as the contract offer is fair. Even though he’s got a few more years on him than Jermey Parnell, Free is not only the better overall player but better leader. Parnell will get a good contract for another team considering how bad some of the right tackles are around the league. But I’d re-sign Free but still look for some depth in the draft considering his age and the fact backup Darrion Weems is coming off a season-long shoulder injury.

David: How does this strike you for a crazy idea? In an ideal world, the Cowboys will be able to bring Doug Free back on an affordable contract. I honestly think Jermey Parnell will command too big of an offer because of his athleticism and his upside. But what if the cost of keeping Free is too high, too? It’s not unreasonable to think both veteran tackles will try to maximize their paydays, though I’m sure they both understand the benefit of working with such a talented line. Would it be crazy to see the Cowboys go back to the same well and draft a new tackle in the first round, though? If you’re following the ongoing draft coverage, you’ve probably heard names like Miami’s Ereck Flowers and Pittsburgh’s T.J. Clemmings. The Cowboys could potentially draft another Day 1 starter, and they’d be free to play on the right side of the line, with Tyron Smith holding down the all-important left tackle spot. I can’t think of a better group of guys to guide a first-round pick than Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin – all of whom have been through the process. Free is the best-case scenario for 2015, but I’d be fine with continuing to build through the draft.
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Free catches grief, but I believe in the concept of his leadership.

We may lose him if some team wants him, but if we deliberately choose a guy like Parnell, it will be a horrid mistake.

To me it is simple...if they don't get Free back, draft a RT. Don't pay Parnell, let some other stupid team do that.

I don't think you can just do nothing and then head into the draft needing an OT. Suddenly now RB is a draft priority, OT is a draft priority. Hell you might not even address the defense until the third round. A defense that could lose one of its top player in free agency in Rolando.

You have to do something. If you're not resigning your own you sure as hell better be signing some guys in free agency.

Cowboysrock55 said:

You have to do something. If you're not resigning your own you sure as hell better be signing some guys in free agency.

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Overpaying Parnell just to "do something" is not smart either. He's going to get offered money from another team that needs a RT. We don't need to get into that.

To me, the safest thing is to sign Free. If the alternative is overpaying Parnell and regretting it in two years, I bite the bullet and draft a right tackle or sign a low cost FA like Byron Bell for a year.

Parnell had a pretty good shot at the end of the year to earn a contract and failed, imo.

boozeman said:

Overpaying Parnell just to "do something" is not smart either. He's going to get offered money from another team that needs a RT. We don't need to get into that.

To me, the safest thing is to sign Free. If the alternative is overpaying Parnell and regretting it in two years, I bite the bullet and draft a right tackle or sign a low cost FA like Byron Bell for a year.

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Certainly I want to just resign Free. It makes the most sense for everyone including Free.

I'm not sure why you automatically assume we would have to overpay for Parnell. If we lose Free, my next man up would be Parnell. He knows the system, he knows the coaches and he know the players that will be playing around him. There is no adjustment period. I can't imagine he would get much more then Beasley for example.

Cowboysrock55 said:

Certainly I want to just resign Free. It makes the most sense for everyone including Free.

I'm not sure why you automatically assume we would have to overpay for Parnell. If we lose Free, my next man up would be Parnell. He knows the system, he knows the coaches and he know the players that will be playing around him. There is no adjustment period. I can't imagine he would get much more then Beasley for example.

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Parnell is a JAG. A decent/good backup, but not somebody I want to count on as a starter. He will look great on one block, then like crap on the next. Too inconsistent for my liking. As such, I'd hate to pay him starters money. Let somebody else do that.

NoDak said:

Parnell is a JAG. A decent/good backup, but not somebody I want to count on as a starter. He will look great on one block, then like crap on the next. Too inconsistent for my liking. As such, I'd hate to pay him starters money. Let somebody else do that.

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He is better then you make him sound. He is what I'd call servicable as a starter. What I'm afraid of is having a total liability at RT.

Cowboysrock55 said:

He is better then you make him sound. He is what I'd call servicable as a starter. What I'm afraid of is having a total liability at RT.

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Yep. Been through that way too many times the last two decades.

ravidubey said:

Yep. Been through that way too many times the last two decades.

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I can't think of too many times we committed to starting an OT worse than Parnell. Petitti? Who else?

Parnell would be in the bottom tier of starters around the league... not acceptable just because he's not a constant revolving door.

Yeah, I definitely re-sign Free to a reasonable deal. Question, though, cause I honestly don't know, what is available in FA in terms of RT?

mschmidt64 said:

Parnell would be in the bottom tier of starters around the league... not acceptable just because he's not a constant revolving door.

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I don't know if he'd be bottom tier for RTs. I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. Regardless I would categorize RT's into three categories. There are RT's that are dominant run blockers and I'd put those in the elite category. After that you have a bunch of serviceable guys. Guys that won't give up a ton of sacks but maybe won't get a ton of push in the run game either. That's the category I'd put him in. Of course there is a third category of RT's and that is the one where you have guys that get their QB killed and don't get much of a push in the running game. That's what I fear being stuck with.

When you have 4 legit studs on the O-line, you're fine with a guy who is serviceable at RT. As long as he isn't getting Romo killed I'm happy and that is what Parnell did when he played RT. He kept Romo from having pressure. Would I love a stud RT? Absolutely. But the O-line is the one spot where continuity matters most. I sure as hell am not shaking up the O-line just because Parnell isn't a dominant enough RT for some people's taste. Honestly I think some people here have always disliked Parnell because Jerry has always propped him up.

mschmidt64 said:

I can't think of too many times we committed to starting an OT worse than Parnell. Petitti? Who else?

Parnell would be in the bottom tier of starters around the league... not acceptable just because he's not a constant revolving door.

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Over the hill Erik Williams, Solomon Page, Tyson Walter, Torrin Tucker, Rob Pettiti, ailing Columbo(1-2 seasons), bad season Doug Free... and then there were the hideous backups like Char-ron Dorsey, Alex Barron, and Aaron Gibson.

Overall it's definitely more bad than good, and that turnstile action is murder on QBs and neuters the running game. The past two seasons with Free playing well and Parnell a very solid backup have made it easy to forget.

Cowboysrock55 said:

He is better then you make him sound. He is what I'd call servicable as a starter. What I'm afraid of is having a total liability at RT.

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Just because you're scared of what we've had in the past, don't be satisfied in what we have in Parnell. He's a JAG. Not somebody we should want to call our starter. He's somebody that could fill the spot in a pinch. Like he did. If we're happy with him at the starter spot, then we'd have somebody less than him as his backup. No thanks.

NoDak said:

Just because you're scared of what we've had in the past, don't be satisfied in what we have in Parnell. He's a JAG. Not somebody we should want to call our starter. He's somebody that could fill the spot in a pinch. Like he did. If we're happy with him at the starter spot, then we'd have somebody less than him as his backup. No thanks.

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So you're just going to dial up 1-800-Starting RT and get one? There are limited resources in the NFL. So yeah, sometimes you have to be satisfied with a guy who is serviceable as a starter. You call him a JAG but JAG implies that you can just pick some one off the street at any time who is just as good. If you think that's the case with Parnell then I'd say you're crazy.

Cowboysrock55 said:

But the O-line is the one spot where continuity matters most. I sure as hell am not shaking up the O-line just because Parnell isn't a dominant enough RT for some people's taste.

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Another cliché that gets too much play. Sure, it's nice. But it's not the end all, be all. That lack of continuity didn't seem to hurt us too much when it came time to plug in Frederick at center. Or last year with Martin. Their talent far outweighed their lack of continuity with the rest of the line.

Cowboysrock55 said:

So you're just going to dial up 1-800-Starting RT and get one? There are limited resources in the NFL. So yeah, sometimes you have to be satisfied with a guy who is serviceable as a starter. You call him a JAG but JAG implies that you can just pick some one off the street at any time who is just as good. If you think that's the case with Parnell then I'd say you're crazy.

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Yeah, I called him a JAG. Because he's a JAG. He's a good backup/spot starter. Those guys can be found. Just like other JAGs.

And spare me the 1-800 stuff.

NoDak said:

Their talent far outweighed their lack of continuity with the rest of the line.

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Well obviously. I don't think CRock meant continuity mattered more than actual talent, but it still counts.

With a proven teacher in Callahan gone, the more guys who know the scheme will definitely help. Parnell is solid and the Cowboys know his strengths and weaknesses. That's good enough until a better talent comes along.

ravidubey said:

Well obviously. I don't think CRock meant continuity mattered more than actual talent, but it still counts.

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How else would you interpret this?

But the O-line is the one spot where continuity matters most

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NoDak said:

How else would you interpret this?

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Meaning continuity on an O-line is more important then continuity in your secondary. Continuity on your D-line. Continuity at RB.

I would say there is something to be said about continuity with WR's though. It's why I think so many free agents fail after producing big with their original teams.