At first we heard talk of the Cowboys going all-in, but now I've been reading that fans shouldn't expect any big free-agent signings. Does this team need to be more aggressive in free agency? Why choose not to be if they are truly all-in? If I'm correct, the last big free agent they signed was Brandon Carr back in 2012. – Ronald Melendez/San Antonio, TX
Nick Eatman: Does the team NEED to be more aggressive? Yes, they need to be. But, they won't be because they really can't. The salary cap is real and it's really a problem this year and will be a bigger one next year. Yes, the Cowboys could use a few extra veteran players to help but I just don't see it happening. It's not only against their usual approach, but I think this year is even worse. In the past, they couldn't sign a lot of other guys but at least would keep most of their own free agents. This year, I think even that will be a struggle.
Patrik: I'm on record as calling their bluff here regarding the "all in" statement because, to me, it does involve landing a whale or two in the first wave of free agency from outside of the building. When you look at the current roster, there is more than one gaping void that needs to be addressed — e.g., linebacker — that I would like to see attacked in both free agency as well as in the 2024 NFL Draft. The names in this year's free agency pool at that position alone makes it unfathomable that none would land in Dallas because, if none do, I'm hard-pressed to see how this offseason would be any different from the previous ones in how the team approaches things. Granted, I was a huge fan of how they moved one year ago (Brandin Cooks, Stephon Gilmore), so let's not take anything away from that high level of finesse. But if they want to get over this hump, it is in fact going to take them being actually "all in", though it's beginning to sound more and more like they have a different definition of that phrase than do I or you. And, so, we wait …
