The Dallas Cowboys feel like an organization teetering exactly on the border between enviable relevance and total dysfunction.
After making the eyebrow-raising move to replace former head coach, Mike McCarthy, with previous offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, who didn’t even call the plays in Dallas, the franchise has chartered itself towards a new era going forward.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they have eight starters set to become free agents in March, in addition to numerous veteran role players – including six members of their defensive line.
And with the team currently standing at $2.5 million over the cap coming into the offseason, it does not feel like signing many, if any of their to-be lost players will be particularly viable.
Despite this, star linebacker and edge defender, Micah Parsons, has issued a rallying cry to Jerry Jones and the rest of the Cowboys’ front office to spur them to action in the free agency market, per Nick Harris of the Port Worth Star Telegram.
“The talent is there. We’ve just got to be aggressive the same way [other teams] did,” via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk, “I don’t want to sit back and watch other [teams] build and build and us stay the same. Definitely some call to action. I want to see us become aggressive and get some players that will come in and make an impact. I want to see us bring back our own players. That’s just as important. Let’s see what we can do there.”
Can The Cowboys Afford To Make Big Moves In Free Agency?
Currently being over the cap, it would seem like the Cowboys would not be able to do anything of note this offseason in free agency.
However, Dak Prescott’s enormous 4 year, $240 million deal signed last offseason takes up almost $90 million of the cap – almost 1/3 of the entire cap. As such, it seems like a restructure is inevitable, however, if Dallas is to have any semblance of flexibility with market dealings this March.
Per Williams, the Cowboys are expecting to not just take their poor cap situation lying down, and are looking to make moves next month.
“Owner Jerry Jones said last week in New Orleans that the team’s offseason would be “in line” with others, but edge rusher Micah Parsons is calling for the Cowboys to do more.”
Which “Aggressive” Purchases Could The Cowboys Look To Make This March?
Parsons has seen division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, make splash after splash en route to winning the Super Bowl last Sunday. Just this past year, all of the NFC East saw running back, Saquon Barkley, rush for over 2,000 yards in the regular season, followed by another 499 in the postseason.
Yet, critical additions like Mekhi Becton, Zack Baun and CJ Gardner Johnson by the Eagles show that its often the value purchases that ultimately win championships.
But the All-Pro DE wants more than for Jones and co. to look for bargain deals – he wants a signing that lets them and every other contender in the NFC know that the Cowboys are serious competitors this upcoming season.
Perhaps stealing free agents Baun and/or Josh Sweat from under the Eagles’ noses might hit the spot, or perhaps even entering the sweepstakes to sign fellow All-Pro edge rushers, Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett, might be what Parsons feels is needed.
Ultimately, with a team set to lose multiple starters in a quasi-rebuilding year, one imagines that, sadly for Cowboys fans, they and Micah Parsons may have to wait for that aggressive signing a little while longer.
