Five free agents that Dallas will have to consider for

Five free agents that Dallas will have to consider for the next

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One of the things an organization has to assess after its season is over is how many free agents they’re going to have for the next championship. After all, every roster is constantly changing every time a campaign ends and there are elements that just aren’t going to come back. Whether it’s for performance reasons, injuries or even the salary cap, the front office will have to part with some of the big names this cowboy season had.

Now, ESPN placed the annual ranking of the 50 best free agents for next season. Where it should be noted that of these fifty, five are from the Cowboys. It is clearly seen that 10% of the top is from Dallas, which clearly draws attention.

Despite these five names, it should not be forgotten that the franchise will have a lot of players who end their contracts this year. In total, there are 24 free agents, of which 21 of them will not have any restrictions. It may be that of the latter, at least one can be placed with the franchise label. But as far as the others are concerned, either their contracts are renegotiated or they will let go.

Going back to the rankings, the five players ESPN named this time are: defensive end Randy Gregory, tight end Dalton Schultz, offensive lineman Connor Williams, receiver Michael Gallup and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch.

As already mentioned, a lot will have to do with the performance of each player, as well as their injuries in this 2021 campaign and the salary cap, whether they like it or not, is something they can play against. So we are going to analyze each of these elements and see the options that offices have to retain them. Or if they really want to.

randy gregory

After a bunch of campaigns where he couldn’t really dazzle due to suspensions for illicit substances, the Randy Gregory that everyone wanted to see has finally been seen. During the 2021 regular season, Gregory finished with six Mariscal sacks, three fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one interception. Clearly, he’s become one of the most complete pass rushers in the NFL, and his 15th place finish in the count confirms that.

Now, Dallas has on their hands a player they can’t let go. While some discipline issues were noted in the postseason matchup against San Francisco, that’s not something that can’t be improved in practice. Also, the mistakes in this case don’t cover Randy’s great production this year. He will just have to be more focused on the field of play.

Regarding the contract extension, the defensive end is expected to accept a friendly contract as the Dallas Cowboys usually do. After all, Jerry Jones had ample patience with all of his off-the-field problems. The player has responded to the confidence with production, but he could accept a less lucrative contract and remain one of the most important elements in the team.

Dalton Schultz

The cowboy tight end had already become a huge sensation in the 2020 season. When it was his turn to replace Blake Jarwin and his injury that sidelined him all of last year. However, this year it also kept production at the position. In total, he managed to have 78 receptions for 808 yards and eight touchdowns. In another campaign where he had to fill in for Jarwin due to injury.

Quietly, Schultz has gone on to be one of the best at his position in the NFL. Managing to catch 74.2% of the passes towards his direction, being the fifth best record in the league. This is something that has not gone unnoticed and the offices will have to do something about it.

Taking into consideration that Jarwin’s contract is for three years and more than 24 million dollars, he would be entering the last period of it. So the idea of ​​extending Schultz and keeping him, with Sean McKeon as backup, would not be ruled out. But for that, a decision will have to be made regarding Jarwin and his injuries.

connor-williams

The Cowboys’ left guard has the particularity that he is an element that is never injured. As he showed in 2020, being the only player on the offensive line who was not absent for any reason.

Williams’ big problem, though, is offensive holding penalties. This theme became a constant in the team. So much so, that he led the league in this stat with 13 of them. Along with this, he was second in the NFL with 15 bandanas this 2021. Without a doubt, this is not encouraging for the cowboy offensive lineman.

It is not believed that the offices will keep the player for the future. The penalties were expensive in many games and if this had not happened, perhaps we would be talking about something else. Even in the wild-card round against the 49ers, his penalties cost the team dearly.

Michael Gallup

Gallup’s business with the organization has been a bit of bad luck. In the contract year, the receiver ended up getting injured a couple of times. The first was a calf injury in Week 1 against Tampa Bay that left him on injured reserve until November 13 of last year. He made an appearance again against the Atlanta Falcons in week 10. Then he was injured again in week 17 against the Cardinals. On this second opportunity, he had a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, which caused him to miss the rest of the cowboy campaign.

Clearly, Gallup’s situation is not in its favor at all. However, we’re talking about an item that’s exceptional on deep passes, and letting it go might be a mistake in the long run. So perhaps the most viable option is for Gallup to agree to a one-year deal to retest him.

There’s another problem, though, and that’s Cedrick Wilson Jr. The receiver is also a free agent, and in Gallup’s absence, he managed to prove he can be the Cowboys’ No. 3 receiver with no problem. Finishing his season with 45 receptions, 602 yards and six touchdowns, he’s another factor to consider. In addition, he is an excellent pass shooter, completing three of three attempts for 88 yards. So this decision will be one of the most compromising for the franchise.

Leighton Vander Esch

One of the LVE linebacker’s big issues between 2019 and 2020 was injuries. So much so, that the organization completely scrapped the idea of ​​giving the defensive back the fifth-year option. However, this year he was able to play the entire season without missing a single game. Which has shown the linebacker’s determination to get ahead on the team.

Either way, his production has been seen as secondary to rookie Micah Parsons. And with the return of Jabril Cox in his second year, it’s likely the organization will simply let Vander Esch go. After all, he only finished with 77 combined tackles, a sack and an interception. They are not exactly numbers that impress widely.

Now, there is one option in all of this, and that is for the LB to accept a contract that isn’t as big in money as some other Cowboys players. If so, it is likely that the offices will consider it. In the opposite case, it is totally sure that they will show you the exit door. Either way, they could shake up the linebacking corps in the draft or free agency, with Micah Parsons being the new leader in this group.

For ESPN, these are the five highest-ranking cowboy free agents for this year. Without a doubt, they are all very interesting elements with points for and against. Therefore, the organization will have to evaluate in detail what to do with each one of them. Some will stick around and some won’t, but that’s what this discipline is all about. We will see in the coming weeks the resolution of each of these players.

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Five free agents that Dallas will have to consider for the next

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