As the confetti settled in the aftermath of Super Bowl XLIX, another NFL season concluded leaving fans with the dreaded annual four-month wait until the NFL draft. Looking ahead to the new league year are the NFC East Champion Dallas Cowboys, who have much work to do to keep their status as the beasts of the NFC East.
The Cowboys are in quite the financial predicament (see: song and dance, same old) entering a new league year. Dallas enters the offseason as the highest-ranked team by Pro Football Focus at 139.5, this is a total contrast of their monetary standing. Everything is bigger in Texas, except for the Cowboys’ cap room. With their expected cap number to fall at $135,091,242 and 23 free agents requiring tender, Dallas’ minuscule cap space of just over $5 million means Jerry Jones will have to do some finagling to keep his team at the level of contention where it currently stands.
5. Restructure Tony Romo’s Contract
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The Cowboys have a long laundry list this offseason, and $5 million is not going to cut it compared to the team’s needs. Tony Romo’s colossus of a contract stands in the way of everything Dallas needs to do this offseason, and thus a restructuring is expected. Set to take up nearly $28 million of Dallas’ cap room for the upcoming season, Romo will have to take a pay cut to ensure his team is able to improve the areas around him. With $15 million guaranteed to the Cowboy’s quarterback early in 2015, Dallas will have to do some financial planning of epic proportions to expand it’s cap number and enable the team to sign free agents such as the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray.
4. Improve at Outside Linebacker
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Out of the 40 players ranked in Pro Football Focus’s 4-3 outside linebacker list, the Cowboys have but one player in the top 20, and have two players ranked in the bottom six. While Justin Durant will continue to be a fixture as a pass rusher for Dallas, Bruce Carter and Anthony Hitchens must improve or be replaced should Dallas hope to improve its defensive rating.
3. Solve the Quandary at Running Back
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Demarco Murray led the NFL in rushing in 2014, putting in by far the best season of his career. Murray totaled 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns. However, this was quite the albatross of a year for Murray as the former third-rounder played his first full season in his four-year career.
The 26 year old will be a hot commodity on the free agent market and certainly deserves a higher pay day than his 2014 salary of just over $1.5 million. Dallas’ cap room will make signing Murray and filling other needs nearly impossible, meaning it may be time for Joseph Randle to step up for the Cowboys. On the field, things could be worse for Dallas. Randle averaged 6.7 yards per attempt during the regular season. On the downside, Randle has now been arrested twice in a calendar year—the latest coming on a marijuana bust on Wednesday.
2. Find New Safeties
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Cornerback Orlando Scandrick was a pleasant surprise for the Cowboys this year, turning in his best season as a professional as the 10th best corner according to PFF metrics. Outside of Scandrick’s strong play at corner, Dallas employed Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox at safety. Neither were up to the task as starter-caliber players at their position. While the Cowboys must prioritize their spending this offseason, do not be shocked if the team targets their future at safety in the draft.
1. Re-Sign Dez Bryant
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The heart and soul of the Dallas’ Cowboys offense is spitfire Dez Bryant, who accrued 1,698 yards on 88 receptions and found the end zone 16 times. Even with these tremendous contributions, Bryant’s rookie deal earned him just over $1.7 million in 2014—making him a tremendous value for Dallas as far as pay for play is concerned. Bryant will be a highly-sought commodity during free agency, but there remains a strong chance Dallas places the franchise tag on this ultra-talented receiver. If not, the Cowboys will have to make the decision to lock Bryant up on a long-term deal that would make him among the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.
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