The frenzy has officially begun. Today marks the first day that teams are allowed to release players, and while the Cowboys made their intentions clear a month ago regarding Adam Jones, today is when he officially got the boot.
There are more players than just Pacman that the Cowboys have to consider cutting ties with, and all indications are that they could save enough money by doing so to afford the free agent moves necessary to replace the cut players.
Greg Ellis is one of the ones to consider, and while he has predicted his own demise in Dallas for the fourth consecutive off-season now, this year just may be the time to prove him right. The talent at linebacker in free agency begins and ends with basically one man, Julius Peppers.
My standing opinion is that Peppers is not needed on this team, but that’s not to say that he couldn’t be useful without Greg Ellis around. The Cowboys have a chance to bring in a strong and proven player, instead of waiting to see if Spencer really can be a starter on this team. We got a small peek at what can happen with Peppers and Ware on the outside, and Ratliff in the middle during the Pro Bowl, and it has got to be enough to warrant a look from Jerry and Wade.
Another selling point may just be the more than $5 million that would be spared under the cap by cutting Ellis. Given that this team likely needs a lot of help at linebacker, depending on what free agents Kevin Burnett and Zach Thomas do, it may even be enough to make everyone happy by bringing in Peppers and Lewis. Okay, maybe they’d want too much cash, but it’s worth a look, right?
Brad Johnson is very doubtful to be in a Cowboys uniform next year after his sub-par play in 2008. Add to it that the Cowboys get an extra $2 million by releasing him, and it’s expected that he will be officially released as early as today.
SS Roy Williams gave an interview last night to Newy Scruggs of NBC’s Out of Bounds, and in that interview he stated that he felt out of place in the 3-4 defensive scheme. It’s something many fans would agree with that he has been less than stellar since the switch was made a few years ago.
It would save the Cowboys over $4 million this year to cut Williams, but given his history in Dallas, it’s possible they’ll go another route with him. He’s offered to restructure his contract, and even to accept a move to linebacker, all so he can stay in Dallas. Many feel he is just too small to be a linebacker in a 3-4 defense, but that’s what everyone said about Dat Nguyen too. So ruling that out wouldn’t be smart.
It’s about time to see what the Cowboys are going to do to initiate the change they talked so adamantly about a month ago. Changing two coaches isn’t enough, especially when they haven’t even announced who the new DC will be. Though I suspect Todd Grantham will be the coordinator in Dallas for 2009, you still need a good line coach to take over for him.
More to come …
