Cowboys Have Made NO Offers To Any of Their Own Free Agents - Source
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have a host of needs entering the offseason, none more so than adding an offensive weapon to ease the load on CeeDee Lamb. But there is nevertheless a lack of urgency as the NFL free agency window is about to open with a source telling CowboysSI.com that Dallas has made no offers to any of its in-house free agents.
Dalton Schultz? Contrary to one report, we're told no "solid offer'' has been presented. (Let's call that "conflicting reports'' as we're willing to consider there might be something lost in the translation somewhere.) Leighton Vander Esch, Donovan Wilson, Anthony Brown, Dante Fowler Jr. and Johnathan Hankins? A collection of "no's'' as well.
The Cowboys may very well be "prioritizing'' "signing our own.'' But they are taking their sweet time about it.
After the Cowboys gave themselves $15 million in cap room with the contract restructures of Dak Prescott and Zack Martin, there was a thought that Dallas could go shopping in order to land a big free agent (or spend on a trade, like the one that just send Rams corner Jalen Ramsey to Miami.) But the truth is, considering the rookie pool salaries needed for signing draftees, a large chunk of that money is earmarked there, leaving less than one might think to go "shopping" with. (Dallas can, however, make more contractual moves, of course, to save $20 million more if needed.)
So maybe there will be newcomers, and maybe the Cowboys will "empty the bucket'' to attract them. ... (though Odell Beckham Jr., one popular Jerry Jones idea, might require a $20 million bucket all by himself).
Or ... trumping that, there could there be a serious exodus from The Star over the next few days.
Schultz is likely moving on as the Cowboys likely already see that paying the tight end the going rate (roughly $14 million APY) is not as feasible as letting Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot take over.
The contracts of Vander Esch and Wilson? We already knew there was not much advancement in either. But now we know there is zero advancement outside of "touching base.'' Same with Hankins, who made his name as a good run-stopping option along the defensive line, and same with the pass-rusher Fowler.
Monday marks the "legal tampering'' start, and Wednesday marks the first day signings can go official. The Cowboys do retain Tony Pollard thanks to the franchise tag, and that constitutes an "offer.''
But otherwise?
Given the lack of movement on any of the contracts and the possible unwillingness to pay the going rate - or at least to let the market set those rates - the Cowboys seem prepared to watch more than a few players going out the door here at The Star.
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