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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.
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.