PFF gives Cowboys a ‘below average’ grade for offseason moves so far

Everyone has their opinions about what the Dallas Cowboys have (and haven’t) done so far this offseason. Some applaud the decisions and others are waiting for impactful moves to be made. Pro Football Focus has been keeping up to date with every single decision teams have made thus far and carefully grading how front offices have handled the offseason so far. Sadly (but unsurprisingly to some), the Cowboys have earned a “below average” grade, according to PFF.

To add insult to injury, PFF feels the Cowboys are doing worse than both the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. Thankfully, the Washington Commanders absurd signing of quarterback Carson Wentz landed that NFC East foe a “below average” grade as well. So, why such a bad grade? Let’s see what PFF had to say.

The first sentence in the segment about the Cowboys just about sums it up: “The theme of the Cowboys’ free agency has been losses and damage limitation more than bolstering the roster.” Dallas suffered two big losses with Amari Cooper and Randy Gregory. Instead of using the money saved on those two players to get a big-name free agent WR or defender, they have instead made two lackluster external signings (WR James Washington and DE Dante Fowler) and re-signed depth players who haven’t proven to be worthy of a starting position yet.

PFF mentions that losing Gregory hurts even more due to the fact that he was essentially back with the team and then left at the last minute due to contract verbiage. But did they take advantage of the money saved on the loss? It’s understandable for a team to need to lose players (La’el Collins release included) to free up cap space. It’s not understandable to not use the freed-up money to make big moves to help your roster. The chart from PFF below doesn’t bode well for Dallas either.

PFF grades the Dallas Cowboys offseason moves so far as “below average”

PFF felt that re-signing Michael Gallup was a vital move in the wake of Cooper’s exit. Additionally, while some are saying that Washington was an unexciting signing, the writers at PFF feel there is an opportunity there. But it’s an opportunity some bitter Dallas fans may not agree with. Sam Monson, the writer, said the wide receiver could actually do great things because Monson believes quarterback Dak Prescott is a big improvement over Ben Roethlisberger. While some may agree, there are certainly Dallas fans who are waiting for the day Prescott is cut.

Monson thinks that Fowler, on the other hand, won’t add much value. The Cowboys were able to get DeMarcus Lawrence to restructure his deal to save some money and they used it on a pass rusher who hasn’t had a solid season in years. With defensive end now a positional need as well, this also puts the Cowboys’ draft decisions up in the air. PFF, who included a draft chart in the article, believes the front office would be wisest to sign offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann with their first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

To sum it up, here is what Monson had to say:

"“The Cowboys still have some work to do, but at this point, it’s hard to make the case they are stronger now than when free agency began.”"

Do you agree?