9. Can the Cowboys be players?
Coming off a tremendously successful 13-win season that saw them earn the top seed in the NFC, the Cowboys are looking to continue that momentum into the spring. They have one of the best young tandems in the NFL in the form of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. They also boast the top offensive line in football and a true No. 1 receiving threat in Dez Bryant.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, most of their talent is concentrated on the offensive side of the ball. They have among the thinnest rotation of defensive linemen in the NFL and continue to struggle finding talent at cornerback. Add in less-than-stellar safety play, and there’s reason for concern here.
The bad news is that Dallas isn’t necessarily in the best of cap situations. It currently sits at a projected $6.7 million under the cap after restructuring some contracts earlier in February. Depending on what happens with Romo, the Cowboys could save a nice chunk of change ($19.7 million). Even then, there’s a lot of work to do here.
Both Jason Witten and Sean Lee are set to count $12-plus million against the cap in 2017. It’s more than likely that each of these veterans will be restructured. The same can be said for Dez Bryant ($17 million) and Tyrone Crawford ($10.4 million).
The issue here, and as we’ve seen with Romo, is that rescutures will place the squad behind the proverbial eight-ball down the road. How much do the Cowboys want to be players in free agency next month? Are they willing to kick their cap issues down the road even more to add veteran talent? That’s the question owner Jerry Jones and Co. must answer between now and the start of free agency.
With needs at defensive tackle, defensive end, linebacker, cornerback and safety, it’s highly unlikely all these holes can be filled via the draft. So in reality, Dallas must find a happy medium if it wants to improve off last season’s success.