Cowboys continue to sit out divisional arms race

As divisional foes continue to add big names via free agency, the Dallas Cowboys have another plan to upgrade their roster.

Here we are, primed and ready for the draft, especially ready to put the snooze fest that was free agency behind us, and then a major bomb hits.

Carolina decides to rescind their franchise tag offer to All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman due to a disagreement on a long-term deal and all of a sudden, one of the best cornerbacks in available for anyone to call their very own.

What a time for the Dallas Cowboys to put their hat in the ring and make a move that could catapult them to a new level, right?

Wrong.

You should know better.

Dreaming of a big-ticket item these days is just that… a dream.  Predictably, the Cowboys decision makers sat on their collective hands and did not even think to entertain the thought of wining and dining Norman.

Maybe even more predictable than the choice Dallas made however was the inevitability that another team in the division would do whatever it took to bring him in.

Enter the Washington Redskins.

Five years and $75 million later, $50 million of that being guaranteed, the Cowboys now get to see Mr. Norman up close and personal twice a year, at least for the next couple of years.

If you’re scoring at home, let’s take a brief peek into the NFC East offseason.

The Giants, fresh off of their second straight season of abysmal defensive play spent a king’s ransom on defensive ends Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive tackle Damon Harrison, cornerback Janoris Jenkins and linebacker Keenan Robinson.

The Eagles, desperate to get the Chip Kelly stink off of their franchise, said sayonara to cornerback Byron Maxwell, linebacker Kiko Alonso and running back DeMarco Murray and have moved up the draft boards twice, now owning the number two overall pick.

And now, Washington adds Josh Norman.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys have been busy re-signing guys such as cornerback Morris Claiborne and defensive end Jack Crawford.  Their “big splash” was to poach defensive tackle Cedric Thornton from the Eagles.

At first glance, it would appear that Dallas is entering the start of the 2016 season with a pea shooter while the others are strapping up nuclear weapons, high-powered assault rifles and heat-seeking missiles.

Fortunately, there is a slight bit of silver lining to this depressing game of musical chairs that Dallas seems to lose time and again.

I’m not for one second going to try to convince you that bringing back role players to a defense that was highly suspect is supposed to get you excited for the coming season.  I’m certainly not going to lie to you and say that Vernon or Norman would not have looked oh so sweet with a Star on their helmets.

I’m not even going to insult your intelligence by bringing up the silly mantra that “all the Cowboys need is to stay healthy.”

Nope.

What I’m going to tell you is that no one hands out championship rings in March and April and very, very rarely do break the bank free agency maneuvers spell success in the post season.

Who knows how guys like Vernon and Jenkins will acclimate to the New York spotlight?

How will Josh Norman look when he’s not supported by a stellar defensive line and the best linebacking duo in the game?

Why are the Eagles continually giving away players and future picks, not to mention tons of money to continually attempt to find a quarterback?

Sometimes there is something to be said with consistency and continuity.

Let’s be clear, the Dallas Cowboys roster is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.  The suspension of defensive end Randy Gregory and the possible suspension of fellow sack man Demarcus Lawrence could be damaging.  There are major holes at backup quarterback, defensive end and in the secondary that need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

And that’s where we come full circle back to the draft.

The Cowboys have chosen this to be where they attempt to fix their issues.  Paying an almost 30-year old cornerback $75 million is never going to happen on this regime’s watch.  Mortgaging the future for no guarantee of a ring right now is not going to happen either.

Dallas is hoping that the tortoise will find a way to beat the hare one more time.  It might not be the sexy bet but it’s the one that this organization is sticking with, like it or not.

Next: Cowboys Top Three Draft Picks - Best Case Scenario

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