It’s actually like bizarro free agency in Dallas.  Instead of bringing players in who can help, Dallas continues to cut players and let free agents leave.  Gerald Sensabaugh, Dan Connor, Marcus Spears, John Phillips and Kevin Ogletree are the latest Cowboys shown the door.  Multiple others have been asked to take pay cuts in an effort to stay under the cap.  All of this effort has provided Dallas with the luxury of a whopping $200k of room under the cap.  This is all without mentioning there is $10.6 million going to one player (Anthony Spencer) for one year.

Dec 23, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Darren Sproles (43) runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh (43) and linebacker Anthony Spencer (93) at Cowboys Stadium. The Saints beat the Cowboys 34-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

To put that in perspective, defensive ends Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett signed with the Seahawks for 2 years & $15 million and 1 year, $5 million respectively.  Both ends are 27, both played in a 4-3 scheme (a position of need for Dallas) and while Avril has had 29 sacks over the last three years, Bennett had nine last year.  Spencer is two years older, has had 24 sacks over the same time period and may or may not be able to handle the switch in positions from a 3-4 to 4-3 outside linebacker.

So for roughly the same money Jerry gave one guy, he could have had two guys who picked up almost 20 sacks combined and filled a huge need.So while the Cowboys sit out days one through four of free agency and watch everybody else in the division attempt to get better, the hope of getting better gets further and further away.  The Eagles and Giants have made slight upgrades to their defense.  The Redskins added some offensive line help and the Cowboys??? Squadoosh.  You will hear about how “smart” teams usually sit out the initial wave of free agency and don’t blow money making big splashes.  That might be true, but those teams also improve their team every year by drafting well every year.  Dallas cannot count on this option, however.  From 2006 to 2009, the Cowboys had 34 picks and only four are still on the team.  This counts Doug Free, who will likely be cut in early June and Spencer who the just franchised for the second straight year.

Is all hope lost?  Of course not.  There are plenty of free agents still available that could help this team.  Charles Woodson, Ed Reed, Quintin Mikell, Bernard Pollard, Kerry Rhodes, Adrian Wilson and Louis Delmas are safeties that could save the Cowboys from spending a first or second round pick on that position.  With the franchise tag being under $7 million, it is completely realistic to expect to sign one of these players to a fiscally responsible deal.  There is still a small amount of that little kid from back in the day in me.  I can only hope that there is a present under the tree that will bring a smile to my face.

1. Kelvin Pritchett, defensive tackle, Ole Miss (1991) – Oh, this isn’t a Mike Patterson job where the Cowboys cut their first round pick. No, Kelvin Pritchett never even played a down for the Dallas Cowboys. While not being another subject to Jimmy Johnson’s “asthma field,” Pritchett was the subject for one of Johnson and Jones’ draft room wheeling and dealing. Because Detroit coveted Pritchett so bad, the Cowboys netted with five picks in between the second and fifth rounds. Some of those picks included Dixon Edwards, Godfrey Miles, Erik Williams, and Curvin Richards.

2. Ebenezer Ekuban, defensive end, North Carolina (1999) — For a former offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey sure liked his defensive ends. Not to mention, ol’ Ebenezer was ’98 first round selection Greg Ellis’ Tar Heel teammate. Ekuban started 2 games as a rookie and played in 16 games in his rookie year. He played 60 games total for the Cowboys and registered 12.5 sacks, which is what DeMarcus Ware averages a season. The Cowboys release Ekuban, and he went on to play for the Browns in 2004 and registered 8 sacks. In the 2005 off-season, Ekuban joined teammates Reuben Droughns and Michael Myers in a trade to Denver. Courtney Brown was signed later, and then the Broncos traded for Gerard Warren, making these five players the Denver “Browncos.”

Dec 16, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Marcus Spears (96) celebrates after the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

3. Marcus Spears, defensive end, LSU (2005) — Bill Parcells had his sights set on Marcus Spears, such to the point we nearly blew our first first round selection him and missed DeMarcus Ware. That’s Bill Parcells for you. Ultimately, we ended up with Ware and Spears. Except for in 2010 when he was injured, Marcus Spears has played in all 16 games of his 8 seasons. He only has 10 sacks, but many of his defenders suggest this is because of the technique he played wherein his position was to open up pass rush opportunities for outside linebackers. While not a great pick, the debate looms on whether he is a bust.

4. Bobby Carpenter, linebacker, Ohio State (2006) — If people want to know why I remain unimpressed with Bill Parcells’ Dallas tenure, this is why. Bobby Carpenter’s selection was pure nepotism, the saddest example of Bill Parcells’ “pet cats” system that undercut anything he tried to build in Dallas. Rather than taking Antonio Cromartie, Tamba Hali, Johnathan Joseph, or Nick Freakin’ Mangold, Parcells blows a pick on a pony-tailed bust that couldn’t start until Greg Ellis ruptured his Achilles. Carpenter couldn’t play outside nor inside, so the Cowboys dealt him to the Rams in the 2010 off-season. There, he couldn’t even make the team, instead making the team with all of the other Parcells rejects in Miami. Even there, he got cut and found a home in Detroit in the middle of the 2010 season. Arguably the biggest play of his professional career was when he picked off Tony Romo in Week 4 of 2011 and took it back for a touchdown. Other than that, Bobby Carpenter was a failed pick and has always found ways to hurt the Cowboys.