ROB GATHERCOLE
OGDEN, UT
I asked a while back about Brian Waters returning, do we still think that is in the plans? What will become of George Selvie? I know there will be new faces on the defense but I'm only seeing two if Jason Hatcher and Anthony Spencer leave. Thoughts?
Nick: I think Waters still wants to play, but on his terms, which probably means no training camp. The way Mackenzy Bernadeau played down the stretch, I think you can get by without Waters, but his leadership is valuable. For the right price, I'd still consider it. Selvie will return next year because he's under contract. And I would think Spencer might come back, but I don't see that with Hatcher. Expect a few new faces on defense through the draft.
David:Last time we talked to Waters, he hadn't even definitively decided on having surgery on the injured triceps. Now that the offseason has arrived, I honestly doubt we'll hear a lot on that front until later in the spring, and it will be just in time to miss [embedded_ad] out on training camp. As Nick said, Selvie is under contract for another season, but I think the Cowboys would obviously prefer he fill more of a rotational role in 2014, rather than a starting spot. I think Hatcher leaves and Spencer stays, as well.
RAYMOND DILLON
WESTMINSTER, CA
Are the Cowboys really going to let Dan Bailey be picked at by other teams, especially given how the team lost four or five games by a combined five points?
Nick: No, they're not. He'll probably get a second-round tender through restricted free agency. But he's not going anywhere.
David: It'll be interesting to see how they approach this, given the contract Chicago just gave Robbie Gould. The Cowboys' salary cap issues are well known by now, so they may not want to commit longterm money to a kicker just now. But they obviously can't let him go – not with how well he's played. The franchise tag is always an option. It'd not only keep him around another year, but it would keep him affordable, given the relatively low salary of NFL kickers compared to other players.
