With the completion of Week 5 of the 2017 NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys have now officially started their bye week. This is the time where teams around the NFL use to get healthy and examine what is working and what is not. The Cowboys coaching staff would be wise to use this time to their advantage and soak up as much information as possible.
Since news will be pretty slow regarding the Dallas Cowboys for a while, I thought it would be a good time to examine who will become a free agent at the end of the season and which players the Cowboys might like to retain. Below is a list of those 2018 free agents.
Byron Bell, T
Bene Benwikere, CB
Brice Butler, WR
Jonathan Cooper, G
Justin Durant, LB
Rico Gathers, TE (ERFA)
Anthony Hitchens, LB
David Irving, DT (RFA)
L.P. Ladouceur, LS
DeMarcus Lawrence, DE
Joe Looney, G/C
Darren McFadden, RB
Kellen Moore, QB
Alfred Morris, RB
Stephen Paea, DT
Brian Price, DT (ERFA)
Keith Smith, LB (RFA)
Kyle Wilber, LB
*Restricted Free Agent (RFA)
*Exclusive Rights Free Agent (ERFA)
After looking at the Dallas Cowboys players who will become free agents in 2018, there’s not really anybody that stands out with the exception of maybe DeMarcus Lawrence. Lawrence is having a fantastic season so far, but he is likely playing himself out of the Cowboys price range.
I think it’s unlikely the Cowboys re-sign Lawrence. I think there will be some team out there willing to pay more than the Cowboys are, plus there’s always the concern his back injury flares up again. Of course, the franchise tag is always an option, but I don’t think the Cowboys would go that route.
Defensive lineman David Irving is another player that stands out among the Dallas Cowboys 2018 free agents. But, there is no way he is going anywhere. The Cowboys could sign him to a contract extension after the season, but it’s much more likely they place a first or second round tender on him securing his service for another year.
I would love for Anthony Hitchens to stick around, but I don’t think the Dallas Cowboys can guarantee him a starting spot. Like Lawrence, I think another team will pay him more than the Cowboys and give him a better chance to start. But, Hitchens may prefer to stay in Dallas and be willing to take a hometown discount.
The Cowboys could try to bring back Jonathan Cooper or Joe Looney for depth purposes. Both can play guard or center, which is valuable on game days. But, I think the Cowboys will look to add depth through the draft.
I hate to say it, but it might be time for the Dallas Cowboys to find another long snapper. L.P. Ladouceur is no spring chicken and might be ready to hang up his cleats. I would love to have him back, but only at a reasonable price.
The only other player I think the Dallas Cowboys may consider bringing back is FB/LB Keith Smith. Smith likely won’t break the bank and is a valuable member of the team. He is a core special-teams player, the starting fullback, and a reserve linebacker. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is back with the Cowboys in 2018.
my hopes and the reality are pretty separated. Irving is priority on my list, then below is hitch, butler and cooper. lawrence as you state will probably break the bank elsewhere. id like to turn the attention to another solid draft and a little more action in FA involving the defense
I think Irving is definitely a priority. I think the Cowboys should offer him an extension this off-season before he gets too expensive. They are going to continue to build the defense that the draft and fill in holes with cost-effective FAs like they have been doing.
Irving should definitely be out top priority, he’s our best pass rusher. We also should bring back Butler because T Will can’t catch with his hands which led to a pick-6 and completely changed the game against the packers.
I don’t know if they will bring back Butler. I think they might draft a WR early.
Butler has made more dynamic/highlight plays than any other receiver on our team. If we can get him for a reasonable price, we should definitely resign him. And why won’t Linehan run any plays for Beasley, who looked unstoppable last season, or even Switzer, who has a similar skill set.
I kind of doubt Butler re-signs with Dallas. I think someone will take a chance on his potential and offer him more money. The only way I see it happening is if the Cowboys trade Williams, but I think that’s unlikely.
And I’m right there with you on Linehan’s playcalling. I have no idea why Beasley hasn’t been more involved.
“Going with the here and Now” – Paea (retired), Benwikere, Durant, Morris, DMac, Morris and Wilbur will be cut. If Zeke does his 6 games this season, then we draft a RB and keep 54. Paea is retired, we need that filled in the draft, with maybe DaRon Payne or Vita Vea. If DLaw continues his sack success, then I think he gets the franchise tag. Irving needs to be signed. It still makes me wonder what they will do with Randy Gregory next year? Another question mark to me is Brice Butler. He seems to be maturing and has made some splash plays, but.. (you know). Just not sure with Butler. Courtland Sutton looks interesting as a WR draft pick, as does DJ Chard. Kellen Moore was cut this year and will be cut again. Cooper Rush becomes the back-up and we pick up a later round QB in the draft (i.e.: Nick Fitzgerald, JT Barrett). I think they sign Hitchens, Rico, Keith Smith, L.P. Ladouceur (can’t break up the 3 amigos), Like Butler, I’m unsure if they keep Bell, Looney, Cooper or even Chaz for that matter. Those guys still need to be sorted out. It wasn’t sorted in the preseason, so hopefully we have a cleaner view by the end of the season.
I agree with just about everything you said. However, I don’t think they re-sign Butler. I think the only way that would happen is that the Cowboys somehow traded Williams.
I’m on the fence with Butler, but “Going with the here and Now” he needs to be more consistent in order to be resigned. I would like to see us sign a WR in the draft for a number of reasons. Dez isn’t getting any younger and the rest of our WRs can’t seem to separate.
If the Cowboys draft a WR, it would likely be a player to replace Dez Bryant at some point. Honestly, I don’t think the Cowboys WRs are the problem. I think we need to see better playcalling from Scott Linehan. He doesn’t do a very good job of putting them in favorable matchups, especially Bryant.
Dez is a 50-50 WR. He jumps better than he runs. He is great at that. I think he needs to turn into Larry Fitzgerald and play more in the slot. He has the strength for it also. From there, it opens up a WR need on the outside. If we aren’t resigning Brice Butler, then we need a deep threat. As far as the play calling, it definitely needs some creativity. Where is the Dez pass to Witten stuff??