Editor’s note: Every team is preparing to attack its offseason to-do list, with free agency set to open on March 13 and the draft April 26-28. This is the 21st of 32 reports in 32 days looking at the offseason game plan for each team. After already having gone through the AFC, we tackle the NFC, in alphabetical order. Wednesday: Detroit Lions. Thursday: Green Bay Packers.
DALLAS—Let Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tell it, and his team has enough talent right now to compete for the Super Bowl. He is also the general manager. Vice president Stephen Jones, however, has problems with the team’s personnel, especially on defense, where the team has finished among the worst in franchise history against the pass the past two years.
Stanford offensive lineman David DeCastro could be a first-round draft target of the Cowboys. (AP Photo)
"Obviously we are not pleased with where we are on defense," Stephen Jones said. "We got to get better over there. I don’t know that we got good enough talent to win over there. We have to improve it."
The Cowboys need help at inside and outside linebacker, cornerback and safety. They have $12.6 million in cap room to make improvements in the draft and free agency and they plan to be very active.
Key departures:
Linebackers Bradie James and Keith Brooking, tight end Martellus Bennett, punter Mat McBriar are all free agents and not expected back next season. The Cowboys will miss James and Brooking because they have no proven replacements to start inside next to Sean Lee. Bennett never lived up to expectations but was valued in the run game as the best blocker at tight end. He will have to be replaced. The Cowboys plan to go younger next season with Chris Jones, who replaced McBriar at the end of last season. Safety Abe Elam is also an unrestricted free agent. The Cowboys would like him back at the right price. But an upgrade is also an option via the draft and/or free agency. The Cowboys don’t view Elam as a long-term solution.
Needs and targets:
1. Cornerback: Terence Newman is expected to be released because of age (33), declining play and injury history. The Cowboys can save $6 million by releasing Newman. The final decision has yet to be made, but the Cowboys are clearly looking to upgrade here through the draft and free agency. The Cowboys will also lose backups Frank Walker and Alan Ball, who are both free agents. The Cowboys need a playmaker on the outside. Third cornerback Orlando Scandrick has not proved he can handle the starting job on a full-time basis; besides, the Cowboys think he plays best in the slot. And of course you can never have too many good corners. The Cowboys could pursue Kansas City Chiefs free agent Brandon Carr on the open market where they will need to sign someone. They will also draft a cornerback. Alabama’s Dre Kirkpatrick and North Alabama’s Janoris Jenkins are two top options for 14th overall pick. The Cowboys will certainly draft a cornerback in the later rounds for depth and special team purposes regardless.
2. Outside linebacker/pass rusher: Anthony Spencer is a free agent, and deciding what to do with his future is the hardest decision. He has not lived up to expectations since being a first-round pick in 2007. But he is a solid player who will command interest in the free agent market. The only way the Cowboys can keep him is with the franchise tag. The Spencer decision will have a domino effect on everything the Cowboys do in free agency. But even if they retain Spencer, the Cowboys learned from the Giants the value of pass rushing depth, so they could still target an outside linebacker in a draft that is filled with options in the first two rounds.
3. Guard: Jerry Jones has said the failures up front on the offensive line are key reasons that the Cowboys have struggled the past two seasons. The Cowboys drafted Tyron Smith with the ninth overall pick last year, and Jones allows that the team could target the offensive line in the first round again this season. Stanford guard David DeCastro is an obvious target. The Cowboys need help up front because aging left guard Kyle Kosier suffered a torn MCL in the season finale. He won’t need surgery, but the injury will require lengthy rehab. Veteran guards Montrae Holland and Derrick Dockery are free agents. Strengthening the middle of the line is important for Tony Romo. Pressure up the middle gives Romo trouble and is just as damaging as heat from the blind side.
4. Inside linebacker: With James and Brooking not expected back, the Cowboys hope Bruce Carter to take over the starting job opposite Sean Lee. But Carter was slowed as a rookie last season because of a college knee injury and remains unproven. Even if he can play, the Cowboys need to add depth at the position to compete with Carter and also provide someone who can play in rotation.
5. Quarterback: With Jon Kitna retired, the Cowboys need to decide on a backup for Romo. Stephen McGee has been the third quarterback the past couple of years but has yet to prove he can handle the job. The Cowboys are going to give McGee a chance to compete, but they will add a quarterback through the draft or free agency to give them another option. The Cowboys prefer to have a veteran with starting experience as Romo’s backup.
Hill’s take:
The Cowboys have some huge decisions to make. They will be very aggressive in free agency and in the draft, and while I don’t agree with Jerry Jones that they have the talent to compete for a Super Bowl right now, there is no question they can make moves necessary to be a playoff team next year. The Cowboys were almost a playoff team in 2011, finishing 8-8 and then watching the Giants get in the playoffs with a 9-7 record as the NFC East champs before going on to win a Super Bowl. The key is getting into the playoffs and then letting the chips fall. As long as they have Romo at quarterback, they will be playoff contenders. Now it’s just a matter of improving the team around him, especially on the offensive line and on defense. The Cowboys can do that.