http://streamable.com/pfr8u
If you are reading this today then you did it. You survived the 2015 Dallas Cowboys season. Pat yourself on the back and take a deep breath because 2016 is looking a lot brighter. In order to think about next season, the coaching staff must decide who they will keep and who they will lose via free agency.
Take a look at my prediction on who will and who will not be wearing that star on their helmet next season.
Free Agents
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*RFA (Restricted Free agent)
Players The Cowboys Will Keep for 2016
Morris Claiborne
Yes, I know he has nearly missed 40% of games with the Dallas Cowboys in 4 years, but he has improved. This season something about him made me go, “I like what Morris Claiborne brings to this secondary”. He wants to win and I love the competitive edge he brings to the table. Plus this secondary needs help and if he stays healthy, he is a good option. (Way better than Carr) Plus he wants to come back.
Greg Hardy
Cowboys do not RELEASE The Kraken. In those terms I strictly mean keep Greg Hardy because Hardy wants to come back. He had this to say, “I would love to stay here”. He can be the difference in the pass rush as you saw in the video above. Hardy had 6 sacks & 1 interception on the 2015 season. Hardy struggled in the last month of the season, but with more to prove in 2016, I expect him to be hungry.
Rolando McClain
Rolando McClain is a very good middle linebacker when he is interested. What do I mean? If you watched the games, you saw either a motivated or a lazy McClain. When next to Sean Lee he played some great football at times. Best play I saw all season was the pick six he had against the Dolphins, which happened to be Romo’s return from injury. So as long as you are playing good football, so is he. Re-sign the run stopping, good in coverage linebacker to a one-year deal and reevaluate it at the end of 2016. Hopefully, he wants to return.
Lance Dunbar/Robert Turbin
Lance Dunbar was on pace for his best season yet after becoming a reliable target out of the backfield from Tony Romo. Once Lance tore his ACL, well that was it for the speedster. Dunbar has ways to change the game and really push this team. If you remember week one when Romo threw the game winning Touchdown to Jason Witten, on that final drive Dunbar was a machine in picking up yards. I believe Romo will fight for him to return if needed.
Robert Turbin didn’t play much, but when he did, he played tough. Why not re-sign him to be a backup to McFadden & Dunbar or if you draft a RB, make Turbin the inactive 4th string and have him be ready to go when needed. I believe Turbin returns on a cheap one or two-year deal.
Also staying: James Hanna, Jack Crawford, Jeff Heath, Tyler Clutts, & Ron Leary.
“It’s Going, Going, Gone!”
Jeremy Mincey
Great leader, but he is 32. Does not play as much as he did last season. Went from having 6 sacks to 0. The defensive line is getting better and Mincey just continues to get worse. Pretty simple, sorry but goodbye Jeremy Mincey.
Matt Cassel
When Brandon Weeden wasn’t getting the job done in the wake of Tony Romo’s injury, we all thought Matt Cassel was a way better option. We (including me) were all wrong. Cassel won one game as a Dallas Cowboys starter and lost the rest. Cassel is old and didn’t impress…anyone. Goodbye & thanks for trying.
Kyle Wilber
Off his rookie contract and he has yet to impress. He is a backup and I understand that, but we continue to always draft linebackers anyway so why keep him? 25 total tackles all season and plus, I like Damien Wilson. Goodbye and good luck.
Danny McCray
Danny McCray was brought back to Dallas in hopes of helping the play on special teams. The problem was he didn’t help at all, Danny McCray had only 3 combined tackles this season and he was outplayed by Jeff Heath, who seemed to always make special teams plays and be a valuable player on defense. With that being said, Heath will be signed back over McCray because you can honestly find a rookie to play special teams and for a cheaper cost.
Also leaving: Mackenzy Bernadeau, Charles Brown, Casey Walker, Josh Thomas, & Rodney Smith.
I have to believe Morris Claiborne and please for goodness sake, rid of us the slowest thing moving on defense BRANDON CAR. OMG, Car gets burned every 2 out of 3 plays. This guy is slower than slow. If you keep Car and Claiborne then the secondary coach needs to go.
I appreciate your feedback FGS. I really have the thought process that Mo needs and wants to come back. He can really be a difference maker for this team, when healthy. & I think you saw that this year, he was confident all the time. With that being said, I am sick and tired of watching Brandon Carr fail us and look like a sad number one CB. I do not like Carr as a player, as a person he is great. You don't win championships or force turnovers being a nice guy off the field though. Time for a change there.
Show Carr the door, im sure there are people running his foundation. Mo is coming around. Hardy staying is a no brainer. Rolondo anchors the LB and he's a disrupter. We should look free agent style to shore up the secondary, Scandrick returns, our D will be ok. Draft should go offensive and we can find defensive gems in later rounds (La'el). We've all felt that twinge when Sproles or Djax gets loose. We need fire power. Score points. It'll boost the team to score points at will. Dez needs an Alvin Harper. DMC needs a healthy Dunbar. We need a formidable backup cause lets face it, Romo has more behind than in front. Groom a young top prospect, one hit can change a season. WR,HB,QB,CB,S IN THAT ORDER!
Here's a rough outline for my current gut feelings:
DEF STAYING: Claiborne, R. McClain, J. Crawford, Heath
DEF GONE: Bernadeau, Mincey, Cassel, Dunbar, Hanna, McCray, Clutts, Brown
MAYBES: Hardy, Wilber, Leary, Turbin, Walker, Thomas, R. Smith
Only problem is Dallas will never get away from Clutts, our running game is ran through a fullback & why get rid of the one who helped two backs have back to back 1,000 yard seasons. Hanna too, he's the best run blocking TE we have. Dunbar has a giant role in this offense now and the way he talked in his interview, he isn't going anywhere.
I think it's important to keep in mind when talking about Carr and Claiborne that it would be a surprise if they BOTH were let go this off-season.
Other than the fact that the secondary did a pretty good job this season now that they finally had a pass rush, if you let both Carr and Claiborne go then you're going into free agency and the draft with a gaping hole at the position because you're basically down to Orlando Scandrick and a bunch of unproven late-round and undrafted cornerbacks behind him (assuming Byron Jones truly will be a safety).
Personally I think Brandon Carr is the right guy to keep if you're keeping one and not the other. Claiborne probably outperformed him this season, but Claiborne also kept with his tradition of missing several games and being banged-up in others. Brandon Carr has still never missed a game in his entire 8-year career, and I'd argue Carr was (at the very least) a serviceable starting cornerback.
You've gotta figure, folks, that the Cowboys were ranked 6th in the league on pass yardage allowed this season. I'm not sure you really WANT to make wholesale changes with your d-backs unless you have a clear upgrade in mind. I wouldn't be totally shocked if they found a way to keep both Claiborne and Carr (at lower compensation) even if they still drafted somebody to ultimately replace one or both of them.
Which I think is very reasonable. Read my article that's coming out soon and I'll explain a little bit better why Carr will be cut. Then where the answers to the pieces around him come into play
CLUTTS… they tried hard to get away from Clutts last offseason, signing two other guys before they ultimately brought him back. They're going to look for an upgrade again.
HANNA… he's a UFA and they already have Witten, Escobar, and Swaim under contract. Have to wonder if he'll want to come back here knowing he can't get higher than #3 on the depth chart.
DUNBAR… what he said in his interview is nice, but it comes down to if the team wants him back. He's too unreliable with the injuries and, turning 26 in January, is getting too old for a speed back. Their interest level will be low.