2024 Cowboys Free Agency Thread

[Cotton]

Is there a place for Lael Collins? Given our paucity of tackles right now and the fact that he'll likely cost close to the minimum, he might be worth bringing in as the swing tackle. Or at least bringing in to camp and seeing what he looks like.

Props on this word. I had to look it up.

 

[boozeman]

I hate to say it but I agree. He can play tackle/guard and probably be no worse than Steele was last year. Beggers can't be choosers at this point. Wouldn't surprise me if he is sort of a late offseason signing after the draft.

Too expensive.

 

[Simpleton]

Is there a place for Lael Collins? Given our paucity of tackles right now and the fact that he'll likely cost close to the minimum, he might be worth bringing in as the swing tackle. Or at least bringing in to camp and seeing what he looks like.

Why not?

He's probably definitely our 3rd best OT at the moment.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

No to Collins. He's no good anymore plus his attitude sucks. He's exactly what we don't need, a Jerry pet who can't play anymore.

 

[Cotton]

Why not?

He's probably definitely our 3rd best OT at the moment.

I don't know why but this cracked me up.

 

[Simpleton]

I don't know why but this cracked me up.

Yea I wrote it out and nearly changed it but I found it amusing and thought it was kind of a microcosm of how disjointed this organization is at the moment.

 

[Smitty]

This offseason might really be an all time low for this franchise.

This is a team that at least when it sucked, because of "cap hell," you had an exciting-ish rebuild on the horizon. The allure of new free agents and high draft picks.

Even the 8-8 years you had a truly dynamic QB in his mid prime and the comfort that the team was rebuilding the defense or the OL on the fly.

Then you had the Romo injury years in between where you feel like they were giving themselves a chance if Romo stayed healthy (like 2014 when he played at a near-MVP level).

Then the early Dak years you had the promise of another cheap QB, an elite OL/running game, etc.

I'm not sure what the hell you can hang your hat on right now. It's a team that solidified itself as a playoff team but with a mile wide chasm between itself and the elite, and the ownership is just fine with moving backwards instead of forward.

It's not doing ANYTHING. It's not rebuilding or retooling. But it's not going for it either.

It's basically punting on a whole year with the best coach we've had since Parcells.

Can you ever think of a more mundane, listless, hopeless offseason this team has had? Maybe since the late 90s. The years where like Ernie Mills was our most important FA, where you could tell the dynasty was dying but they couldn't do anything about it, and wouldn't rip the bandaid off, they were just letting it die a slow death? That's what this feels like it's going to look like in retrospect.

 

[p1_]

This has the feel of a glorified Dave Campo 5-11 season.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

This has the feel of a glorified Dave Campo 5-11 season.

I almost wish this was true. Instead of just rebuilding we are taking baby steps backwards and then probably a massive step backwards next offseason. I just want them to rip it down and rebuild. Don't give me a year of fucking baby steps backwards. What's the point? We have basically made ourselves go from a 12 win team to probably a 10 win team. What's the point?

 

[Texas Ace]

This offseason might really be an all time low for this franchise.

This is a team that at least when it sucked, because of "cap hell," you had an exciting-ish rebuild on the horizon. The allure of new free agents and high draft picks.

Even the 8-8 years you had a truly dynamic QB in his mid prime and the comfort that the team was rebuilding the defense or the OL on the fly.

Then you had the Romo injury years in between where you feel like they were giving themselves a chance if Romo stayed healthy (like 2014 when he played at a near-MVP level).

Then the early Dak years you had the promise of another cheap QB, an elite OL/running game, etc.

I'm not sure what the hell you can hang your hat on right now. It's a team that solidified itself as a playoff team but with a mile wide chasm between itself and the elite, and the ownership is just fine with moving backwards instead of forward.

It's not doing ANYTHING. It's not rebuilding or retooling. But it's not going for it either.

It's basically punting on a whole year with the best coach we've had since Parcells.

Can you ever think of a more mundane, listless, hopeless offseason this team has had? Maybe since the late 90s. The years where like Ernie Mills was our most important FA, where you could tell the dynasty was dying but they couldn't do anything about it, and wouldn't rip the bandaid off, they were just letting it die a slow death? That's what this feels like it's going to look like in retrospect.

I couldn't agree more with everything you've said.

I know apathy is running deep right now and people say things they don't necessarily stick to come September, but I haven't been this disinterested going into a Cowboys season since what I'll call my hopeless Garrett era.

I didn't keep up with the FA period, the draft, or preseason.....literally none of it.

And I would miss a good 4-6 games a season during that time.

While I didn't expect us to be active in FA, I also didn't expect this.

If they aren't even going to try, then I honestly am going to struggle to find a reason to care myself.

Hell, I already didn't give a shit about the upcoming draft and won't be watching a single minute of it.

Barring some unforseen and drastic change of events, I think I'll be spending the 2024 season missing a lot of Cowboys football.

 

[p1_]

We have basically made ourselves go from a 12 win team to probably a 10 win team. What's the point?

10 might be generous. It feels like anywhere from 7 to 9 wins.

 

[boozeman]

 

[Simpleton]

Was only a matter of time.

 

[SaveAHorseRideACowboy]

 

[p1_]

Diggs will be a slow recovery.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I almost wish this was true. Instead of just rebuilding we are taking baby steps backwards and then probably a massive step backwards next offseason. I just want them to rip it down and rebuild. Don't give me a year of fucking baby steps backwards. What's the point? We have basically made ourselves go from a 12 win team to probably a 10 win team. What's the point?

I was kind of joking before when I said it, but I wonder if there isn't really some disagreement between goof son and dad, and that accounts for this weird purgatory offseason.

Like, SJ thinks Dak can't do it and would trade him, but Jerry can't bring himself to do it so they're caught in between and will give him one more try.

Just trying to make sense of it. But maybe they're just morons.

 

[boozeman]

I was kind of joking before when I said it, but I wonder if there isn't really some disagreement between goof son and dad, and that accounts for this weird purgatory offseason.

Like, SJ thinks Dak can't do it and would trade him, but Jerry can't bring himself to do it so they're caught in between and will give him one more try.

Just trying to make sense of it. But maybe they're just morons.

I go more to the moron side of it.

 

[p1_]

I go more to the moron side of it.

occam's razor.

 

[son of deadrise]

This offseason might really be an all time low for this franchise.

This is a team that at least when it sucked, because of "cap hell," you had an exciting-ish rebuild on the horizon. The allure of new free agents and high draft picks.

Even the 8-8 years you had a truly dynamic QB in his mid prime and the comfort that the team was rebuilding the defense or the OL on the fly.

Then you had the Romo injury years in between where you feel like they were giving themselves a chance if Romo stayed healthy (like 2014 when he played at a near-MVP level).

Then the early Dak years you had the promise of another cheap QB, an elite OL/running game, etc.

I'm not sure what the hell you can hang your hat on right now. It's a team that solidified itself as a playoff team but with a mile wide chasm between itself and the elite, and the ownership is just fine with moving backwards instead of forward.

It's not doing ANYTHING. It's not rebuilding or retooling. But it's not going for it either.

It's basically punting on a whole year with the best coach we've had since Parcells.

Can you ever think of a more mundane, listless, hopeless offseason this team has had? Maybe since the late 90s. The years where like Ernie Mills was our most important FA, where you could tell the dynasty was dying but they couldn't do anything about it, and wouldn't rip the bandaid off, they were just letting it die a slow death? That's what this feels like it's going to look like in retrospect.

But it's all explainable by the excellent posts from Cotton and DavdRuby. They're not spending because they don't have to, and they don't want to.

The Jones family has other more profitable ventures. There's a top-end limit to how much revenue the Cowboys team can generate —TV money, ticket sales, merch, etc. Spending more on player salaries doesn't increase that limit, it only subtracts from the dollar amount of the revenue. Whether they win 10 games or 6 games, that revenue is pretty much fixed.

They've got other businesses that return more on investments. So why invest money in a business that limits your return when you can invest it in another business that earns a better return.

Those two posts basically explain everything. Hoping or expecting things will change is pointless.

 

[SaveAHorseRideACowboy]

Diggs will be a slow recovery.

Diggs will absolutely be a slow recovery and I have not seen 1 ACL injured athlete return to the form they were pre-injury ….he will not be the same .