Dallas Cowboys' Top 5 Free Agent Questions
1. Tony Pollard- RB
Tony Pollard was the Cowboys' most effective running back in the 2022-2023 season. Considering that he cost the team nearly $16,000,000 less against the cap than his counterpart Ezekiel Elliot, Pollard could make the case he was one of the best bargains in the league at his position, raking in less than a million dollars per season over the last 4. His value became even more clear after going down with a broken fibula in the late second quarter of the Divisional round against the 49ers. Expecting a full recovery in time for next season, the market value for a back like TP20 would be in the $9,000,000 range and above. There is also a scenario where the team could move on from Zeke and free up just under $5,000,000 in cap space, making room to franchise tag Pollard, or sign him to a new deal.
2. Cooper Rush - QB
The Cowboys have who they believe to be, or would like to believe to be, their franchise quarterback in Dak Prescott. Dak is the 8th highest paid quarterback in the NFL with an average annual salary of $40,000,000. When he is at the top of his game, that price tag is justified. Due to the recency bias of Dak's last game of the season, the cowboys may not want their backup quarterback Cooper Rush to walk. Cooper Rush was an above average backup quarterback filling in for Dak this season when Prescott suffered a thumb injury in week 1, keeping the team in the hunt with a 4-1 record during his 5 games starting at QB. As a backup, Rush will be looking to sign a ticket somewhere near the other high-end backup quarterbacks in the league, in the $4,000,000-$5,000,000 range.
3. Dalton Schultz - TE
Dalton Schultz is the leader of the CanFan trademarked "Clone Zone" and was the Cowboys' second best target this season. He's as reliable as they come when you need to move the chains in short yardage, or make the big redzone catch. Last season, Schultz played on the franchise tag for $10,931,000. The franchise tag amount is the average of the top five salaries at each position for each year. Then the NFL adds up the last five franchise tag amounts and divides them by the prior five total salary cap amounts. There is an option for a second franchise tag at 120% of the prior season's tag amount. A third franchise tag is almost unheard of as the team would have to match what the tag number is for a quarterback that season, or tack on another 144% to the second tag number. This will be one of the more interesting story lines to monitor this off season and will depend a lot on the signings of other positions. Schultz will probably be looking for a multi-year contract near his market value of $15,000,000.
4. Leighton Vander Esche - LB
LVE is a polarizing player in the Boys' starting defense. The linebacker was a first round pick in 2018 out of Boise State, and since then has never quite reached his full potential. He finished last season strong, leading the team in tackles, and showing glimpses of that first round pedigree.
5. Donovan Wilson - S
Donovan Wilson is one of the unsung heroes of Dallas' Defense. It's hard not to love his intensity and ability to finish off opponent's plays with a hard hit. He's a dog- no doubt about it. Cowboys should be looking to sign this homegrown talent in what is looking like a steal in the 6th round of the 2019 draft.
