Archer: Cowboys' free-agent needs

Cotton

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Cowboys' free-agent needs: Defensive end

March, 3, 2015

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com


With free agency starting March 10, it is time to break down the Dallas Cowboys' needs and wants. Teams can start talking with players on Saturday.

Defensive end

What they have: Jeremy Mincey ($1.5 million base salary), DeMarcus Lawrence ($670,302),Jack Crawford ($660,000), Lavar Edwards ($585,000), Kenneth Boatright ($510,000), Ben Gardner ($435,000)

The position: There is a major need for an upgrade at defensive end. Mincey led the Cowboys with six sacks last season, and Lawrence came on in the playoffs, but there is not another known commodity.

Until the Cowboys find a bona fide pass-rushing threat, like they had for years inDeMarcus Ware, they will continue to throw numbers at the position and hope that the sum is greater than the parts. George Selvie and Anthony Spencer are free agents, and the Cowboys are open to their return, but at the right price. In reality, they are likely in an either/or scenario, but not both, as the Cowboys look to upgrade.

They had just 28 sacks last season and need more from their defensive front. They believe Lawrence is ready to make a big jump, and hope Mincey can repeat the numbers he had in 2014. They won’t be major players for the big-names, like a Greg Hardy, who remains on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, but they should be able to find help with players on short-term contracts who won’t break the bank.

Best available: Jerry Hughes. He had 19.5 sacks the past two seasons with the Buffalo Billsafter an extremely disappointing run as a first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts. There is still some "buyer beware" with him, but he turns 27 in August and has produced well in back-to-back seasons.

Best Cowboys fit: Hughes is likely to cost too much to secure, and the same could be true forBrandon Graham. His departure would weaken a division rival and give the Cowboys a solid -- if not top-end -- pass rusher. But money will matter and the Cowboys could look to another division rival for help on a short-term, make-good deal: Brian Orakpo. Health is the biggest issue with him. Perhaps being a situational pass-rusher will help him stay healthy.

What they will do: Of all the names mentioned above, Spencer makes the most sense. They know him. He knows them. It won’t take a lot of money to bring him back. They can come up with a solid structure on a deal that will pay him more if he produces more, with incentives. Orakpo would make sense, too, but the Cowboys will also need to go the draft route as they look to overhaul their front over the next two seasons.
 

Carp

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Spencer does not make the most sense...we need youth and speed at DE. Spencer played better as the season went on, but it would be lazy just to keep bringing him back.
 

Cowboysrock55

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What they will do: Of all the names mentioned above, Spencer makes the most sense. They know him. He knows them. It won’t take a lot of money to bring him back. They can come up with a solid structure on a deal that will pay him more if he produces more, with incentives. Orakpo would make sense, too, but the Cowboys will also need to go the draft route as they look to overhaul their front over the next two seasons.[/FONT][/COLOR]
He is also the least productive, oldest and least likely to give us any significant pass rush.
 

UncleMilti

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Jesus does Orakpo have naked pictures of Archer with another man or something?

FUCK NO....we do not need to sign a mediocre major injury risk like Orakpo.

:picard
 

GForce78NJ

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Jesus does Orakpo have naked pictures of Archer with another man or something?

FUCK NO....we do not need to sign a mediocre major injury risk like Orakpo.

:picard
:lol

i remember when his nickname was O'SackPo
 

Cowboysrock55

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Jesus does Orakpo have naked pictures of Archer with another man or something?

FUCK NO....we do not need to sign a mediocre major injury risk like Orakpo.

:picard
Why? He is a year removed from a 10 sack season. If he stays healthy he is a hell of a lot better bet then Spencer.
 

Jiggyfly

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Why? He is a year removed from a 10 sack season. If he stays healthy he is a hell of a lot better bet then Spencer.
Spencer is the more well rounded player and does not have nearly the injury history.

I think Spencer would be cheaper and fits better as a stop gap guy, who knows how Orakpo would take to a rotation while he is looking for a big payday.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Spencer is the more well rounded player and does not have nearly the injury history.

I think Spencer would be cheaper and fits better as a stop gap guy, who knows how Orakpo would take to a rotation while he is looking for a big payday.
One guy is 28.

The other is 31.

One guy has had micro fracture surgery which is usually a career ender. A pectoral injury on the other hand shouldn't have long term devastating effects on a DE. The only real question is money and neither guy would be at the top of my free agent wishlist.
 

cmd34

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I don't want either but Orakpo is the more explosive edge rusher IMO.

Spencer got over on two straight years of franchise tag money...not his fault I know, but every time I see his name I'm reminded of this team's stupidity with him. I'd like us to (finally) move on.
 

Jiggyfly

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One guy is 28.

The other is 31.

One guy has had micro fracture surgery which is usually a career ender. A pectoral injury on the other hand shouldn't have long term devastating effects on a DE. The only real question is money and neither guy would be at the top of my free agent wishlist.
Orakpo has missed significant time the last 2 out of 3 years that has to be accounted for and we already know Spencer's injury is not a career ender.

I think Spencer would be the cheaper more reliable guy.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Orakpo has missed significant time the last 2 out of 3 years that has to be accounted for and we already know Spencer's injury is not a career ender.

I think Spencer would be the cheaper more reliable guy.
Spencer had .5 sacks last year. Not really sure we can confirm yet that the injury isn't a career ender.
 

UncleMilti

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Why? He is a year removed from a 10 sack season. If he stays healthy he is a hell of a lot better bet then Spencer.
He's had a major injury 2 out of the last 3 years.

No way do I take that risk if I'm the Cowboys.
 

boozeman

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We need to wean ourselves off of Spencer. We have wasted enough time and money on him for too long thinking he recreates 2012.
 

Jiggyfly

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Spencer had .5 sacks last year. Not really sure we can confirm yet that the injury isn't a career ender.
So let's just forget how he looked in the playoffs, anybody that watched him saw that his career is not over.

Nobody is saying Spencer is the answer but I take him over bringing in a guy who is looking to get paid and is out for himself.

We see how that worked out for us at DT.
 

Jiggyfly

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We need to wean ourselves off of Spencer. We have wasted enough time and money on him for too long thinking he recreates 2012.
Who is looking for him to recreate 2012?

I give him no more than 2 mill with incentives if he wants more let him walk.
 

boozeman

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Who is looking for him to recreate 2012?

I give him no more than 2 mill with incentives if he wants more let him walk.
Two million for no practices, spot play with spotty production and a couple of sacks at most? Count me out.
 

Clay_Allison

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Two million for no practices, spot play with spotty production and a couple of sacks at most? Count me out.
This. There is no way in hell Spencer's microfracture knees stand up to the pounding of a 16 game season at DE. He played ok with a very very small sample size. Even bringing him back as a pass rush specialist, he's been a productive pass rusher exactly once in his career.

Orakpo has 40 sacks in the last 6 years.

Spencer has 33 in the last 8.

Why would any idiot think Spencer would be more productive?
 

Jiggyfly

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Two million for no practices, spot play with spotty production and a couple of sacks at most? Count me out.
I think he would be a 6 to 8 sack guy playing a full year, He practiced fully over the last 6 weeks of the season so I don't know where that comes from.

I think he is now a Marinelli guy so don't be surprised to see him back.
 
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