Waiver Wire Wait: Cowboys Reveal Free Agency Plan - Who'll Get Cut?
The Dallas Cowboys' slow approach to free agency has caused the fanbase to experience new levels of frustration, as the desire to improve the roster seems to be lacking.
And now we know why.
The Cowboys were not interested in doing anything in the opening days of free agency, which is nothing new as the franchise rarely spends above market value during this time. Indeed, as it turns out, the Cowboys' plan for free agency all along was to wait for teams to cut/release players and then swoop in with bargain deals.
“That first negotiating day, it’s wild, and its big dollars,” Jones said at a PBR promotion event at AT&T Stadium. “But as you see now, things are calming down, and that’s where we think you can be efficient and do good things. I think we have in the past, whether it's via trade or whether it's like we did yesterday with (signing linebacker Eric) Kendricks.
"I’m sure there’ll be more players released around the league as people move forward and work within their cap. You never know what you might see, that you don’t see today. So, those are all things that we feel very prepared to make quick decisions on, and [we] look forward to it.”
That's central to the roster-building plan: Watch the waiver wire. And wait.
In addition to our Mike Fisher's "Blow It Up!'' hints at a post-2024 rebuilt - with Dallas' series of one-year contracts as evidence - no, this will not go down well in Cowboys Nation.
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But if that was always the case, why not say that? ... As opposed to Jerry Jones' misleading "all in" comments?
Perhaps the most striking thing about Stephen's comments is that Dallas' whole free agency plan was never to be assertive and look to get on the front foot with players (a call to Derrick Henry?), but more so wait for players from other teams fell their way or come to them.
This offseason hasn't gotten off to a good start as teams around Dallas are doing their utmost to get better while the franchise is looking to engage in cap-related penny-pinching. That's not the Joneses being "cheap''; all teams spend the same amount of money under the cap.
It is about the Joneses not wanting to push money into future cap years by spending now. So they wait ... on the waiver wire. And, of course, for Tier 3 free agents who are still hanging out in the coming days and willing to take one-year contracts.
The looming contract extensions of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons are on the menu; Jones talked of having prioritized those. Of course, as we write this, none of those three deals are done, either.
We might look back on this come January and see that how the Cowboys approached free agency was right, but as of now, the fact that a 2024 team that is thought to be on the cusp of Super Bowl isn't making muscular efforts to improve the roster is bothersome.
That is perhaps why the Cowboys, as a franchise, despite three years of regular-season success, have lost the benefit of the doubt with many fans ... who, while the Cowboys "wait,'' are themselves tired of said wait.
