Quote:
Originally Posted by Male29Dan
Wow, that would be amazing. Much, much more expensive than a younger guy would be but hey, his madden rating is 98.
Seriously though - while rather unlikely due to cost, I would be all over it if we could somehow afford this with help from the release of Roy/Barber (though Roy is going to really hurt in the first year). You could then use the 9th pick in the draft for DL/ILB/OT help.
You could also look FS, but dang, that would be some insane money being spent on the secondary. My hope is that if you bring in a new CB that one of the current CBs (preferably Newman - especially how he has been hitting people the last 2 years) would move to FS. |
Champ Bailey may also be free, and either he or Nnamdi would be great additions. As to the idea of moving Newman to FS, that will never, ever happen. Your FS has to be able to hit and tackle and Newman does neither. Moving Newman inside in a nickle situation, as your third CB would be an upgrade over Scandrick, and I see that as far more likely, although when T-New is healthy (which he often isn't), he is much more effective and takes fewer risks than Jenkins does, so he might wind up earning the starting spot in training camp if the Cowboys do wind up grabbing a veteran CB via free agency.
If the Cowboys had any pass rush outside of Ware and Spencer, I think the secondary would look much better. If they were able to land Fairley somehow (which I don't think will happen barring a trade), that would be a massive upgrade. I know that proponents of the 3-4 scheme often say that your ends are used to tie up linemen, freeing up your linebacker to make plays, but I don't buy it. If your 3-4 end is consistently getting blocked by one lineman on every passing play, he needs to be feasting on that and regularly making the opposing QB miserable in the pocket.
If the Cowboys decide to trade down to pick up a late first or an early second, another guy I find intriguing is Stephen Paea, a DT from Oregon State. He has been steadily creeping up into the first round, so I'm not sure if he would be available where they pick in the 2nd. His leverage reminds me of Ratliff, and he carries 310 pounds amazingly well.
If they trade way down into late-1st territory, they could grab Anthony Castonzo, offensive right tackle from BC, or Nate Solder, OT from Colorado. This is also where Mike Pouncey, OG from Florida, is projected to go. If the Cowboys move up into the early second round, they could grab the best center in the draft, Stefen Wisniewski from Penn State, allowing them to slide Gurode to guard. That would be great for the o-line.