There is a large number of Dallas Cowboys unrestricted free agents that could potentially test the open market on March 14th when the NFL free agent signing period officially begins. This year the Dallas Cowboys are in the unfamiliar position of having significant cap space to work with but with expiring contracts to young stars such as Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliot, Amari Cooper and several others, some hard decisions must be made. The Cowboys need to start deciding which players they wish to retain and which players they are willing to let go in 2019. Continuity is important, so it would benefit the Cowboys to retain as many players as possible but the existence of the salary cap makes it impossible to keep everybody.
The following players are the Dallas Cowboys unrestricted free agents heading into the 2019 offseason:
- DeMarcus Lawrence DE
- Cole Beasley WR
- Tavon Austin WR
- David Irving DT
- Cameron Flemming OT
- Jamize Olawale FB
- L.P Ladouceur LS
- Marcus Martin OG
- Caraun Reid DT
- Datone Jones DT
- Damien Wilson LB
- Rod Smith RB
- Justin March-Lillard LB
- Geoff Swaim TE
Several players on this list are rotational guys or depth guys that could either be resigned or not but without a significant impact on the team. For those players they would only make sense if they can be resigned at a relative bargain such as Cameron Flemming, Rod Smith, Justin-March Lillard, but can be easily replaced either in free agency or through the draft. Some players, such as Marcus Martin, are now expendable due to the depth that the Dallas Cowboys have at a position such as interior OL. Others still, could fall into the category that the Dallas Cowboys could actively be seeking to upgrade at their positions such as Jamize Olawale at Fullback and Caraun Reid and Datone Jones at defensive tackle. The rest of the players (in bold above) are significant contributors and represent much more difficult decisions for the Cowboys front office. This is what I believe the Dallas Cowboys should do regarding each of those players?
1. DEMARCUS LAWRENCE, DEFENSIVE END
The highest profile Dallas Cowboys unrestricted free agent is All Pro Defensive End DeMarcus “Tank” Lawrence. After a breakout season in 2017, Lawrence played last season under the franchise tag and proved to the world that he was no fluke. Not only is he the best pass rusher on the team, he is an elite all around player who can pressure the QB, disrupt the pocket and stop the run. He has also ascended into a leadership role on the Dallas Cowboys young defense that is on the verge of becoming elite. Now that Lawrence’s play has earned himself a lucrative deal in free agency, the Dallas Cowboys can either walk away, franchise him again or sign him to a long term deal. Letting him walk away is not a viable option, not for a team that has been struggling with their pass rush for years now. The franchise tag could be an option, but I doubt that D-Law would be happy about getting tagged 2 years in a row and missing an opportunity at the biggest contract of his career. That type of situation could create some off the field drama that could derail the whole 2019 season. No, the Dallas Cowboys must sign Lawrence to a long term deal and he won’t come cheap. The Cowboys can expect to dish out around $20 million per season and that will seriously limit what they can offer the rest of the unrestricted free agents on their roster.
(Final Decision: Sign to long term contract extension.)
2. COLE BEASLEY, WIDE RECEIVER
Cole Beasley is a really good football player and more importantly, he is one of Dak Prescott’s most trusted and proven wide receivers. Now turning 30 years old, Cole Beasley wants to be paid as one of the top slot receivers in the league. The problem is that he is not the best slot receiver in the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys certainly can’t afford to lock him up long term. If the Cowboys wish to sign DeMarcus Lawrence, Amari Cooper, Dak Prescott, and Ezekiel Elliott, and still have a competitive team around them, then they must be prepared to say good bye to Beasley. The Dallas Cowboys should look to the NFL draft to replace Cole Beasley with a younger and cheaper option.
(Final decision: Do not offer a contract extension.)
3. TAVON AUSTIN, WIDE RECEIVER
Tavon Austin has had a disappointing 2018 for the Dallas Cowboys. He missed most of the season due to injury but even before that was used sparingly and for some reason very rarely in the return game. The Dallas Cowboys now have a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore so potentially Austin could get more opportunities going forward. Because of Tavon’s status as an undersized receiver with injury history who had issues fumbling the ball the former 1st round pick has been labelled a bust by many. It may be possible that demand is low for Tavon and the Cowboys can consider keeping Austin for the right price. For the right price, I would like to see the Dallas Cowboys use Tavon Austin more in the return game since that was an area the team struggled in last year. During the 2019 playoffs, Austin had a couple of really nice returns and it made a huge difference for the Cowboys.
(Final Decision: Offer to re-sign at a bargain if demand is low.)
4. DAVID IRVING, DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Many Dallas Cowboys fans continue to be enamoured with David Irving because of his raw talent and his production with limited opportunities. Just as many Cowboys fans have also had enough of David Irving and his antics, frequent suspensions, personal issues and refusal to play or practice. The Dallas Cowboys will look to upgrade the defensive tackle position in the offseason and that will make a player like David Irving, who never shows up to play anyway, replaceable.
(Final Decision: Do not offer a contract extension.)
5. L.P LADOUCEUR, LONG SNAPPER
Ladouceur is 38 years old but remains as consistent a player as there is at his position. He has played his entire career in Dallas and is one of the better players at his position in the league. If L.P decides that he wants to call it quits and retire this offseason than the Cowboys front office will have some work to do to replace him but if he does wish to play another year, the Dallas Cowboys to offer him a new contract.
(Final Decision: Offer a contract extension.)
6. DAMIEN WILSON, LINEBACKER
Damien Wilson has been a serviceable player for the Dallas Cowboys at the SAM linebacker position. The Cowboys would love to keep him at the right price but as is often the case in free agency, he will demand a significant pay increase if he stays. The Dallas Cowboys simply cannot afford to spend additional money to solidity depth at the linebacker position where Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch and Sean Lee are all under contract. Even if the Cowboys decide to cut the oft injured Sean Lee to create some additional salary cap room, those funds will be allotted towards retaining the Cowboys core young stars or possibly to land a major free agent such as Earl Thomas.
(Final Decision: Do not offer a contract extension.)
7. GEOFF SWAIM, TIGHT END
The Dallas Cowboys tight end position was a major weakness at the beginning of the 2018 season and if not for Geoff Swaim would have been a total disaster. But, when Swaim got hurt last year both Blake Jarwin and Dalton Shultz came on in the second half of the season and made huge strides. They played so well that if they are able to build upon that success for the upcoming season, Geoff Swaim would become expendable. Even in the event that neither of the two young tight ends improves significantly, I fully expect the Dallas Cowboys to either draft another tight end or sign a veteran free agent. The Cowboys are really in need of a good blocking tight end. They should be able to find a player with that type of skill set relatively cheap and Swaim is likely to be in line for a bit of a pay raise. I could also envision the Cowboys wanting a significant upgrade at tight end instead of opting for a guy who can only block well. Either way, the Dallas Cowboys won’t need to pay Geoff Swaim to address the tight end spot
(Final Decision: Do not offer a contract extension.)
The 2019 offseason is an important time for fans of America’s Team. How the Dallas Cowboys unrestricted free agents in 2019 are going to be handled will be a primary indicator of how the current regime hopes to approach the expiring contracts of their young stars; And, furthermore will indicate whether or not Jerry Jones and co. have learned their lesson from previous years of salary cap mismanagement.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode