(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
It seems as if the Cowboys' free agent approach is to go after players who still have something to prove instead of players who have already proven themselves. Personally, I don't think it works. Why not go after players who have made a high impact with their previous team? It may cost more financially, but at least you know what you're getting. What do you guys think? – George Abbott/Homer, LA
Kurt: I agree with you. In recent years, the Cowboys have used free agency to build depth with the hopes that these players can indeed find a little magic and finally prove themselves as impact players. As we know, though, that usually doesn't happen. The difference makers who Dallas truly relies on are those they've drafted.
Unfortunately, as we've seen time and time again, acquiring impact players via trade or free agency is often what gets a team over the top. Jerry Jones himself said the trade for Charles Haley in 1992 was the missing piece, and do the Cowboys earn their third title in four years without signing Deion Sanders in free agency in 1995?
Heck, even beyond free agency, there is a school of thought out there that instead of using a draft pick on a young player who might turn into something special, why not instead use that pick to trade for someone you know is something special. That philosophy helped the Rams win a Lombardi Trophy in 2021, although yes, in this salary cap era that's tough to do.
Regardless, like most fans, I would like to see the team make a run at a true impact player, either through free agency or a trade. History has shown that ingredient is usually needed in the recipe of success … even in the Cowboys' own history.
Nick: Do you really know what you're getting? I don't think I agree with that statement because free agency has proven to be such a crapshoot. Yes, there are some teams that have had some success lately. But I think we like to focus on the wins, but a lot of teams miss in free agency.
Think about it, if you truly knew what you were getting, why would his first team let him go? That's always a question to ask in free agency. That doesn't mean none of the available players are good but there's always a reason or three why they're out there.
And there's another factor here - the Cowboys just don't have the money to go and spend high dollars on guys they don't believe to be difference-makers. It's almost like some fans are like kids who don't know how much money their parents have but just assume they have plenty to get whatever they need. The salary cap is real and sometimes you're just up against it. The Cowboys have some money but they have to add about 25 players and right now they have signed about 21 to my count. While I'd like to see a little more splash moves myself i understand why they don't. Either way it's been a productive free agency period in my book and they're not done just yet.
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