Cowboys New Contracts: What Will Dallas Buy with $15 Million of Room?
The Dallas Cowboys are making moves ahead of the new league year starting on March 15. Quarterback Dak Prescott and guard Zach Martin both had their contracts restructured, which created $30 million of room for the team.
That is quite a chunk without the futures of Tyron Smith and Ezekiel Elliott being finalized either.
So...
Is it time for Jerry Jones and the front office to go shopping?
This often-asked question is the result of a bit of misunderstanding regarding the purpose of re-done deals. The truth? Dallas is now $15 million under the cap ... but that $15 million isn't necessarily earmarked for a shopping spree at all.
So what's it for? Best example: The Cowboys will need about $10 million in their "rookie pool'' in order to sign their draft picks. So ... there goes all but $5 million of the new room.
Good news, though: More re-do's and more room is coming; there are at least $20 million more worth of moves to continue to make space.
And more good news: There are ways to manage the cap that will allow a team to do almost anything it wishes. Therefore ...
-Odell Beckham Jr. held his workout for 11 NFL teams in Arizona, but Dallas wasn't one of them, as the team is seemingly happy with the due diligence already done last season.
Odell would perhaps be the "easiest" deal for an attacking weapon, as no draft capital would need to be used in any scenario. The annual salary for Beckham Jr. could also be relatively "low" at around $13 million APY.
That can be made to fit.
-Then there is DeAndre Hopkins.
The receiver is up for trade, and with rumors swirling that Dallas is interested, the recent contract restructures could prove decisive in getting a deal done.
Having already stated that he will be "flexible" in negotiating terms with a new team, this opens the door somewhat for a potential deal to be more viable for Dallas. And his cap impact for his two contract years average $17.2 million per.
That can be made to fit.
-Could the Cowboys also use some of the money gained by the restructures on players already on the roster?
With Leighton Vander Esch and Donovan Wilson both out of contract, the front office could also look to tie the duo down to new deals. There is not much movement on those two fronts, but "sign our own'' is a Cowboys front office mantra, so they remain in play. ... as long as more room is created to allow them to fit.
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