At this point in the offseason, it's rather quiet around Valley Ranch, but that should be changing fairly soon. Although the Cowboys won't be major players in free agency, there should be some roster moves and other contract decisions to make before March 12, the start of the free-agent signing period.
Here are some of my random thoughts concerning the Cowboys, free agency, contracts, the draft and anything else worth nothing here as the month of February comes to an end.
- While we've heard Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones say they don't have to get Tony Romo's deal done before the start of free agency, my gut tells me it's more important than they're letting on. And that's how most negotiations work, right? It's always more serious than we know. Sure, the Cowboys can function without a new contract, but it'll likely mean cutting a lot more of these players than they want to. There is a way to get down on the cap without signing Romo and lowering his base, but it's not very Romo-friendly considering how many key players will likely be cut in the process.
- Fans just can't get enough of the draft. It's always been the case. But it's possible to be a little early on this stuff. It's still February. We haven't had free agency or Pro Days. We'll have a few prospects either arrested between now and then, or it'll be reported that it's happened in the past. Either way, it's early in the game for my taste. Sure, I'll look at a few guys here and there that sound intriguing, but I think it'll be much more entertaining about a month from now. I get why there's excitement about the draft. Die-hard football fans will take draft talk over NBA standings any day.
- All that being said, how bad would Jerry Jones be crucified if he selected a few Arkansas guys in the draft? Then again, he'll get the blame for anything. And maybe I'm a little biased toward my favorite team, although I do think Felix Jones should be gone with no questions asked. But when I see players like Cobi Hamilton, Chris Gragg, Alvin Bailey, Knile Davis and even Tyler Wilson, I see all of them being good pickups for the position need and value. I'm not saying the Cowboys should draft five guys from Arkansas. But if they did, it would bring the whopping number up to six since Jerry bought the team.
- I kinda wish fans would have a better understanding of stories that are being reported and stories (like this) that are more opinionated. For example, when I wrote that Stephen Jones said the Cowboys are considering moving Doug Free from tackle to guard … that's what he said. Whether or not that is entirely true or they are just playing the game you have to play right now, that is what Stephen said. And Jerry Jones hinted at that, too. But again, that's what they're saying. Yet somehow, it often gets twisted because my byline is on the story that it's exactly what I think should happen. Personally, Free looks more like a tight end than a guard. Not saying he should be running routes, but I just don't see him with the body type to play guard. I think he's a tackle and a starting tackle. Just not one who should be making $8 million per season. Now that's my opinion.
- About this Tom Brady contract and how it might affect Romo's deal … it probably won't. And it probably shouldn't. I don't think Brady and Romo are that comparable in terms of money. One guy has twice as many Super Bowl MVP awards as the other has playoff wins. However, before we
salute Brady for taking a deal that has been reported around $9-10 million per season, it's actually guaranteed dollars in his pocket until he's 40. Yes, Romo will get a deal in the range of $17-18 per season but not all of that is guaranteed. Probably not even half. So you can call it a three-year, $27 million extension for Brady if you'd like. You can also call it a $27 million signing bonus that is guaranteed and will be prorated over a three-year span from the ages of 38-40.
- And lastly, I wouldn't cut ties with Gerald Sensabaugh. It sounds like the Cowboys are thinking about that possibility, but I wouldn't right now. Sensabaugh isn't great, but he's [embedded_ad] not bad. In fact, I think he's closer to being a good player than he is below average. He's not making Ed Reed plays, but not any Roy Williams ones either. I think he's a solid quarterback of the secondary and if I'm only saving $1.5 million off the cap by cutting him, I think I'd find another option there.
