Dallas Cowboys slow out of the free agency gates again

The Dallas Cowboys were in a great position to add some serious talent to their team on the first day of free agency this year. The team took a conservative approach yet again as they chose to retain some of their own players over chasing players that could help their team.

My initial thought process was that the team was going to start out quicker than they had before as only a handful of teams looked to be spenders in free agency turned out to be a false reading on my part.

Those who are frustrated with the way Dallas has handled free agency as of late should not worry. There are still plenty of free agents who can help this team get to where they want to go.

The safety market appears to be more affordable than it has in the past with former Rams safety  John Johnson III signing a three-year $34 million deal with the Cleveland Browns. That averages out to just over $11 million a year which is bearable if you’re looking to pay a top safety this offseason. I initially thought that the top of the safety market would go from around $14 million up to $16 million a year.

The same can be said for the defensive tackle position as ex-New York Giant and rumored Dallas Cowboys target, Dalvin Tomlinson signed a two-year $22 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings which averages to exactly $11 million a year. I guessed it would take the Cowboys $12 million to sign him and I am disheartened to know that he was paid less than that.

The Cowboys did make one move which essentially shuts the door on long snapper L.P. Ladouceur as the team is expected to sign Los Angeles Rams long snapper Jake McQuaide. McQuaide is a two-time Pro Bowler and is considerably younger than the Ladouceur who turned 40 years old earlier this year.

Ladouceur was just a few games from breaking the record for most games played in a Cowboys uniform held by future Hall of Famer Jason Witten. This sparked a silly online conspiracy that the team did not want a long snapper to hold the Dallas Cowboys record. The truth is the Cowboys made a move on an aging position which makes the fanbase sad but I understand the situation.

For those of you who still want defensive back help, Anthony Harris, Malik Hooker, Shaquill Griffin, Tre Boston, Keanu Neal, and Earl Thomas are still out there. Defensive lineman that still makes sense are Malcolm Brown, Haason Reddick, Jadeveaon Clowney, and Sheldon Rankins.

The rumor mill is also churning and it is difficult to sift through what is truth or what is smokescreen but the Cowboys have been connected to players such as former Atlanta Falcons safety Demontee Kazee and Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman.

Both of those players have injury concerns so I would hope those signings are more about taking a chance with depth rather than starting hopefuls.

Free agency has just begun and we are already getting restless. I am sure the Dallas Cowboys will be active as soon as the so-called “silly money” of the first wave begins to calm down and more reasonable prices enter the conversation.