DALLAS — The offseason was a difficult one for the Dallas Cowboys, one filled with watching contributing players leave without adding significant additions in their place.
Nowhere was the Cowboys’ free agency struggles more evident than when they failed to re-sign one of their priority players, defensive end Randy Gregory. The team thought that they had a deal done with Gregory for five-years, at $70 million with $28 million guaranteed, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. Some contract language prevented the deal from getting done, and Gregory left for the Denver Broncos on the same terms, minus the contractual provisions that the Cowboys added.
Considering the fact that Dallas’ entire team-building identity hinges on retaining their own free agents, it was a big failure that only led to some back-and-forth mudslinging between the Cowboys and Gregory, which was ultimately fruitless because the player moved on.
Dallas responded to losing the veteran pass rusher by re-signing emerging defensive end Dorance Armstrong and adding former Dan Quinn favorite Dante Fowler to the mix. Neither player will make the Cowboys forget about losing Gregory, but the team didn’t walk away totally empty handed.
However, even after the Gregory mishap, the Cowboys could have been in much better shape had they signed local standout and Super Bowl champion Von Miller. It has since been revealed that Miller preferred to play with his hometown team. As a Dallas native, Miller has let it be known that he would’ve taken a discount to be around his family in Texas, but the Cowboys couldn’t come close to the reduced asking price.
Miller wound up getting a six-year deal worth $120 million, with over $51 million guaranteed at signing with the Buffalo Bills. Very few league insiders expect Miller, 33-years old, to play the entirety of the deal, which is essentially a three-year deal worth $52.4 million.
The Cowboys were never going to pay that cost, especially when Gregory’s contract comparatively is a three-year deal worth $42 million.
Offering Miller Gregory’s deal might not have been a wise move financially for the Cowboys, but it was hardly a bad offer. Gregory is 3.5 years younger and has significantly less wear and tear on his body than Miller. However, throughout their careers, Miller, the former Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-Pro, has been the superior player. There’s no guarantee of that being the case going forward, of course, which is perhaps why Dallas proved gun-shy.
Gregory was coming off his best season in 2021 and he has just started scratching the surface of how good he can be. With his lengthy history of suspensions now a thing of the past, and with Gregory getting back to football on a full-time basis, his best is likely to come.
Missing on Miller wasn’t ideal for the Cowboys, but they made an offer where they felt comfortable. The organization took a legitimate shot, which is more than most fans thought, but decided against paying for past results.
However, there’s a bigger point to be made, one that makes observers of the Cowboys constantly shake their heads. The front office was clearly willing to pay more than they usually do for an outside free agent but the follow-through has been lackluster.
Dallas recognized a need and knew that they had to pony up to improve. Ultimately the player found a better deal elsewhere. It happens. So why didn’t they continue to try throughout the offseason? Why wasn’t at least some of the money earmarked for Gregory or Miller reinvested in other areas of need?
This isn’t a Cowboys team devoid of needs, and there is still help out there, but the Cowboys are not aggressively pursuing anyone. Dallas showed that they were willing to pay to get better, and that was when the team had much less money under the salary cap than they have now.
With the salary cap space, roster needs, and previously demonstrated willingness to spend, why isn’t Dallas going after high quality players when there is plenty of room for improvement?
The stubbornness to stray from a course that hasn’t yielded results is the proposition that drives Cowboys fans batty. The team was willing, at one point, to pay a hefty price to get better. It didn’t work out and it appears as though they haven’t tried again.
The lack of urgency is frustrating and it doesn’t make much sense, especially for a team looking to get over their postseason hurdles.
The question can be asked but the answer is not a surprise. For Dallas, free agency remains a perpetual missed opportunity.
Do you think the Cowboys should have been more active in free agency this offseason? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
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