Dallas Cowboys: Is their free agency strategy working?

For the last several years, the Dallas Cowboys have remained quiet on the free agent front. But is their strategy really working?

Last year, the Dallas Cowboys had a very pedestrian free agency. In fact, one could say it was a complete and utter failure.

Their top three signings– Nolan Carroll, Stephen Paea, and Damontre Moore, were all off the roster before season’s end. Their other notable signing, Byron Bell, played well below average when he received the opportunity.

Let’s face it– the Cowboys have been scraping the bottom of the free agency bucket the past several years, and most of their signings have been on cheap, team friendly deals. This has alleviated a lot of the risk that comes with free agency but also leaves fans in dismay.

While on the surface, their strategy looks befuddling, it could actually be beneficial in the long run.

The Cowboys have drafted well over the past several years, and you can thank de-facto GM Will McClay for that. The Cowboy’s hesitancy is free agency could be their philosophy on building a team through the draft.

And if you take a look at some of the more successful teams in the past, most of their squads were built through the draft, rather than through an expensive free agency haul.

Granted, Philadelphia made a plethora of shrewd free agency moves last offseason but look no further than their Super Bowl opponent, the New England Patriots, for evidence of a successful franchise built almost solely through the draft.

Teams like the New England Patriots, and even, to a lesser extent, the now-defunct ‘Legion of Boom’ Seattle Seahawks, capitalize on late-round draft picks signed on the cheap. They build their team off of less-heralded players that simply fit their system.  As you can see from Seattle, it’s nearly impossible to keep these teams together, but that’s why you have to continue shrewd drafting.

The Dallas Cowboys are following a similar model. They have a cheap, late round quarterback a la Russell Wilson/Tom Brady leading their franchise

However, the Cowboys are going to eventually have to shell out money to sign Dak Prescott to an extension, provided he shows adequate improvement, which no longer seems a given. Dallas can simply not afford to allocate their resources to overpaying in free agency when they already are shelling out money to keep their own. Especially in this year’s free agent climate, where players are getting overpaid left and right.

Next: Dallas Cowboys - 5 Best Free Agent Signings Of All Time

So while the Dallas Cowboys are far from exciting to watch during this part of the NFL offseason, fans and pundits alike have to realize– it’s all part of a plan. Longevity is key here, and in the long run, fans will likely be thanking the Jones’ for not breaking the bank in free agency.

We hope.