Cowboys offseason plan Part I

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Taking care of their own

Every year in the few weeks before the new NFL year begins in mid-March, which also signifies the opening of the free-agent market, fans worry. They worry about how much cap space their favorite NFL team has, wondering whom the team might pursue in free agency and how much each might cost. After weeks of waiting for their teams to begin the steps toward the next season, fans are desperate to see their teams get better.womens Ricardo Louis Jersey,

Because of the many factors that go into any free-agent or trade acquisition, it’s nearly impossible for anyone who isn’t part of the process to know for sure what will happen, but we can make educated guesses based on current cap situations, historical contracts, and the tendencies of the team in question.Authentic Ricardo Louis Jersey

With that understanding, lets begin our examination of one version of a potential Dallas Cowboys offseason, starting with the team’s current cap situation as well as how it can take care of the players who were in the building in 2017, either to improve the cap situation or secure priority players who could be headed to free agency.womens Jason McCourty Jersey,

All cap figures are courtesy of overthecap.com, and since they are not yet official, the total cap is projected based on estimates.Authentic Randall Telfer Jersey

When looking at the salary cap, and making decisions on any possible move, the team must consider not just the current year, but multiple years into the future to ensure it is being sound in its decision making.Authentic Briean Boddy-Calhoun Jersey

As it currently stands, the Cowboys have $19.12 million in projected cap space to put to use in 2018, acquiring outside free agents, whether for signing their own players, paying rookies, and signing injury replacements in season. While this isn’t the worst cap situation the Cowboys have had at this time of year in recent memory, considering the nearly $14M in dead money the team is carrying in 2018 due to the releases of Tony Romo, it certainly isn’t a clean one, Cedric Thornton, and Nolan Carroll in 2017.womens Briean Boddy-Calhoun Jersey,'

To create some more space, the Cowboys will likely make a series of roster moves designed to improve their cap situation.Authentic Joe Schobert Jersey,

The first move that will be made is to restructure the contract of center Travis Frederick. He currently has a base salary of $10M to go with a prorated signing bonus hit of $3.24M for a total cap hit of $13.24M. By lowering Frederick’s base salary from $10M to $790, the minimum allowed salary for a player of Frederick’s level of experience,000, and reclassifying the remaining $9.21M as a signing bonus, the Cowboys lower Frederick’s 2018 cap hit by $7.37M, who will receive the exact same $10M cash in 2018 as he would under the current structure, while adding $1.84M to the cap each of the next four seasons. This is not a pay cut for Frederick, but the Cowboys can employ this move to open up cap space.womens Jamie Collins Jersey,

Because it impacts future years of the cap, this can be a risky strategy if used too frequently, or on players who are likely to be off the team within the next year or two, but for a cornerstone player like Frederick who is only 26 years old, and under contract with the team through 2023 with very manageable cap hits in future years, it is a perfect scenario for a restructure.womens Joe Schobert Jersey,

There are a few other candidates for this type of move, most notably Tyron Smith or Dez Bryant, who carry the two largest cap hits on the team in 2018 and base salaries of $10M and $12.5M respectively. womens Trevon Coley Jersey But with recent injury concerns for both, and the fact that Bryant is nearing 30 years old, I have chosen not to touch either of those players contracts for the sake of being conservative and preserving future salary cap space.Authentic Jamie Collins Jersey,

Next, there will likely be a series of players who are on veteran contracts with considerable salaries and relatively small roles on the team. They will be considered for release to allow younger,'womens Randall Telfer Jersey, less expensive players to fill those roles with added cap flexibility.,womens Seth DeValve Jersey,'

The only player with more than one year remaining on his contract that I would consider releasing is corner Orlando Scandrick,Authentic Seth DeValve Jersey, who was rumored to be available for trades during and after the 2017 draft when the Cowboys drafted both Jourdan Lewis and Chidobe Awuzie on Day 2. Scandrick carries a cap number of $5.28M in 2018. He struggled with injury and erratic play in 2017 and was virtually replaced by younger players by the end of the season. This points to the obvious step of releasing him this offseason to allow the team to save some money, and Scandrick to find a place he is wanted and needed on the field. ,Authentic Jason McCourty Jersey After accounting for the dead-money hit associated with releasing him, the team can free up $1.4M in 2018 cap space and $5.6M in 2019 cap space, a total savings of $7M over two years.Authentic Trevon Coley Jersey