Cowboys’ Early Report Card for Most Impactful Offseason Decisions

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Seth Wenig/Associated Press

It’s been a tough offseason for the Dallas Cowboys thus far. They were coming off a dispiriting loss in the Wild Card Round and have since only gotten worse—on paper, anyway.

Dallas traded away wide receiver Amari Cooper in a cap-saving move and then missed out on re-signing pass-rusher Randy Gregory. The Cowboys were close to re-signing Gregory, but he reversed course and joined the Denver Broncos instead.

Gregory then blasted the Cowboys on social media for their handling of the negotiations—Gregory was unhappy with the contract language, including a clause that would have voided guarantees in the event of a fine or a suspension, according to Ed Werder of ESPN (h/t ProFootballTalk’s Charean Williams).

Losing two key contributors hurts, but it’s not been all bad news for the Cowboys this offseason.

Here you will find a look a three of the biggest decisions Dallas has made this offseason and how they grade out based on factors like value and potential impact.

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Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The Cowboys traded Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for a 2022 fifth-round pick and a swapping of 2022 sixth-round picks. That’s not a huge haul, and head coach Mike McCarthy admitted that it was tough to do.

“That was a difficult, difficult decision,” McCarthy said, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.

Still, it may have been a choice the Cowboys had to make. They seemed intent on clearing Cooper’s salary and were reportedly going to cut Cooper if he couldn’t be traded.

In early March, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Dallas was “likely” to release Cooper before the start of the new league year.

On one hand, the Cowboys were fortunate to get something in return for a player they weren’t going to keep anyway. On the other, they could have done a much better job of keeping their intentions quiet and maximizing Cooper’s trade value.

It’s fair to wonder whether Dallas would have netted more by releasing Cooper outright. The Cowboys lost a key contributor and got nothing but a Day 3 selection to show for it.

Grade: D

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Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

With Cooper leaving, it was vital for the Cowboys to retain wide receiver Michael Gallup and tight end Dalton Schultz. They accomplished both by re-signing the receiver and using the franchise tag on the tight end.

This was the right course of action from a financial standpoint. Tagging Schultz, who is one of the league’s better young pass-catchers, will cost just $10.9 million for the 2022 season. Using the tag on Gallup would have been much more expensive, with the 2022 tag value for receivers being $18.4 million.

Gallup was inked to a new five-year, $57.5 million deal. That may seem like a lot for a player coming off a torn ACL, but it’s a reasonable rate given the emerging receiver market. Christian Kirk, for example, got a four-year, $72 million deal from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While neither Gallup nor Schultz is a superstar, both have become integral parts of Dallas’ passing attack. Schultz will be around for at least another year, while Gallup remains a long-term piece of the puzzle.

Grade: B+

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Seth Wenig/Associated Press

While the Cowboys lost Gregory, they will be keeping fellow pass-rusher DeMarcus Lawrence in the fold for the foreseeable future.

Dallas signed Lawrence to a fully guaranteed three-year, $40 million contract extension. This was a proactive move and arguably the smartest move of Dallas’ offseason. Lawrence is a proven commodity and a centerpiece of the Cowboys defense.

In 2021, for example, Lawrence had 21 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception and 12 quarterback pressures in only seven games. While he missed more than half the season following foot surgery, he was a game-changer when healthy.

And Lawrence’s deal is quite reasonable. While it is fully guaranteed, it’s also $11 million less than the three-year deal Chandler Jones signed with the Las Vegas Raiders—and pass-rusher contracts are only going to go up from here.

From a long-term financial standpoint, this was a big win for Dallas. It also keeps one of the team’s best players on the field.

Grade: A

                 

Contract information via Spotrac. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.