IRVING, Texas – With free agency set to start Wednesday, the Cowboys made a couple of qualifying offers to their restricted free agents on Monday.
NFL rules state teams must send out the offers by the start of the league year.
The team issued tender offers to both safety Jeff Heath and guard Ron Leary, who received the second-round tender worth $2.553 million. What that means, is if any team decides to sign Leary to a contract offer, the Cowboys not only receive the chance to match the deal, but would receive a second-round pick in return if they choose to pass.
Since Leary wasn't drafted, giving him the original-draft tender of $1.671 million would likely be too enticing for other clubs to pursue, considering they wouldn't lose any picks on the process.
Leary started the season as the starting left guard but eventually lost the role to rookie La'el Collins. However, with Mackenzy Bernadeau an unrestricted free agent, the Cowboys would like to keep Leary in the mix for depth purposes.
As for Heath, the Cowboys decided to give the lowest tender off for him, meaning they wouldn't get a pick in return if the safety signs with another club.[embeddedad0]
Heath played in 16 games last year, starting one, but had two interceptions – leading all defensive backs.
The Cowboys have 20 unrestricted free agents, including Lance Dunbar, Rolando McClain, Greg Hardy and Morris Claiborne. Follow along on updates and news for all of the Cowboys’ free agency news.
