JORDAN VICKERS
STILLWATER , OK
How does it change things for the Cowboys if the league raises the salary cap five percent to $130 million?
Nick: It certainly helps. I think the Cowboys will have much more wiggle room to sign some mid-tier free agents. I still don't see a big splash. I know a big question is about Jason Hatcher, but if they had $10 million of cap space or $10 bucks, they're going to be cautious not to overpay because of his age and the fact he's had just one year of great production. But now, if another team offers him a decent deal, the Cowboys could have a better chance to match. Don't forget, the salary cap increase is league-wide. Every team has more money and the prices on players will likely go up as well.
David: At one point, I didn't think signing any kind of free agent was going to be an option for Dallas this offseason. This bump should help make that a possibility. It's probably not going to be anyone that gets the fanbase really excited, but at least now they can potentially afford to bring in some veteran depth on the defensive line and/or the secondary.
KENNETH PARKS II
GREENSBORO, NC
Aside from George Selvie and maybe even Nick Hayden, of the many D-Line acquisitions, who are you most looking forward to coming back and having more time to develop under Rod Marinelli?
Nick:This isn't the guy you're probably asking about, but I think everyone is excited to see how Tyrone Crawford returns from his [embedded_ad] Achilles injury. They're going to be counting on him for one of those two spots in the middle. And after Selvie and Hayden, that's pretty much it in terms of excitement. I would be surprised if any other defensive linemen brought in like that makes the team.
David: I think everyone's probably got an eye on Crawford and Ben Bass, who were supposed to play big roles on last year's line. On top of that, I'll throw in Caesar Rayford. He didn't do much after the Cowboys acquired him from Indianapolis, but he was switching from a 3-4 system to a 4-3 on the fly. He's a physical specimen, so he seems bound to improve with an offseason and a full training camp working with Marinelli and Co.
