Dallas Cowboys: Compensatory draft pick deadline passes
By Carl Daley
The Dallas Cowboys are set to benefit greatly via compensatory draft selections after losing so many key players to free agency this offseason.
The Dallas Cowboys are currently putting the finishing touches on their roster before training and organized team activities take place. Besides a couple of scattered free agents, the team has yet to really spend money on a big name veteran player and that has some people anxious.
The Cowboys mainly addressed their needs via the 2017 NFL Draft and the future looks incredibly promising. They may also land several extra picks in next years draft thanks in part to several starters leaving the team.
The deadline for NFL free agents who will count against the total number of compensatory picks in next year’s draft has finally passed. Now, any player signed through the rest of the offseason will not count towards the total number of compensatory draft selections the Cowboys could accumulate in 2018.
After an exodus of defensive backs including several starters, Dallas will likely find themselves with several late round compensatory picks and possibly even as high as an extra third round selection. There is a maximum number of four total comp picks that an NFL team can be granted in a given draft. And they can vary drastically in value.
Mainly, compensatory picks are based off of the quality and quantity of talent a franchise loses in free agency the previous year. And the Cowboys have done pretty well in that regard, losing starters like safety Barry Church, guard Ronald Leary and cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr earlier this offseason.
But the formula that determines a team’s compensatory haul also considers the free agents a team signs. For Dallas, the signing of new players like cornerback Nolan Carroll, defensive tackle Stephen Paea and safety Robert Blanton could potentially hurt the value of those picks.
Regardless, these extra selections should continue to help push the youth movement that has been a focal point of the front office in Dallas as of late.
There should be a bit of a lull though between the compensatory pick deadline and when the team actually begins to make moves. The cap savings from the release of quarterback Tony Romo does not kick in until June 2ndm so it is not like the team is going to run out and sign a veteran player right away.
According to Spotrac.com, the Cowboys currently do have $4.9 million in salary cap space. So it is not impossible for them to sign a veteran. But it might be tough for them to land a big name player. Although there is not a J.J. Watt or Julio Jones available, the team could acquire some productive veterans who could help them make a deep playoff run.
Players like Elvis Dumervil, Dan Williams, Aaron Williams, Jason McCourty, Nick Mangold, Darrelle Revis, Gary Barnidge, and LeGarrette Blount could really add to the productivity of both phases of the football.
Revis could make for a great teacher to the Cowboys young defensive backs while being a solid veteran option for a team who was ranked at the bottom in terms of passing defense.
Dumervil and other older veteran pass rushers could help take some of the pressure off of the younger players and LeGarrette Blount would make an excellent option behind Cowboy starter, Ezekiel Elliott.
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Dallas could also look to re-sign All-Pro guard Zack Martin as his contract will be coming up sooner rather than later. Martin is a key piece to the Cowboys offensive line as well as the team as a whole so the franchise should look to do anything to retain his services.