IRVING, Texas - With free agency set to begin on Feb. 27, the Cowboys have more things to worry about than starting defensive end Chris Canty's recent admission he'll always be a Bill Parcells guy.
Canty is one of eight unrestricted free agents the Cowboys have, a list that also includes names like Zach Thomas, Kevin Burnett and Keith Davis. It wouldn't hurt to keep some of those guys around, but several seem determined to test the market, trolling for the biggest contract available. With the Cowboys rather strapped for salary cap cash at the moment, it appears the team will take a wait-and-see approach to the unrestricted players.
The other UFAs are quarterback Brooks Bollinger, guard Joe Berger, defensive tackle Tank Johnson and linebacker Carlos Polk.
But before those guys hit the open market, the Cowboys will decide what to do with their five restricted free agents. An important topic of discussion when the team's football staff convenes at the NFL Combine this weekend in Indianapolis will be what tender offers to give out.
Feb. 26 is the deadline for the Cowboys to submit offers to their RFAs, which include wide receivers Mile Austin and Sam Hurd, tight end Tony Curtis, offensive lineman Cory Procter and defensive lineman Stephen Bowen. The club has four options when deciding what type of one-year contract to offer those players, though only two would seem likely this season.
The Cowboys can offer each player the original draft tender, which for 2009 is worth $1.01 million. Under that contract, the player can then receive additional offers from the other 31 clubs in the league, with the Cowboys receiving no compensation if they decide not to match an opponent's offer sheet. Since none of the players involved were drafted, the Cowboys will have to decide which guys to put at risk with the lowest tender.
The Cowboys could also offer the players a contract worth $1.54 million in 2009. If another team offered a deal to a player receiving that tender and the Cowboys refused to match it, they would be owed a second-round pick.
There are two other tender levels as well. The first-round tender for 2009 is worth $2.198 million, and the highest level of compensation is for a $2.792 million contract. If a team signed a player under that contract, they would owe the player's old team a first and a third round pick in the April draft. None of the Cowboys' RFAs seem destined for so much money, however.
WR Miles Austin: Seemingly the club's most valuable restricted free agent, Austin appeared to make great strides in his third year out of Monmouth, though knee problems limited the 6-3, 216-pounder to just 12 appearances in 2008. Austin caught 13 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns last season, and has only 18 catches for his career.
Still, he's the club's only vertical option aside from Terrell Owens, and his value to the Cowboys skyrockets if Owens is released. In training camp he appeared to be edging Hurd for the third receiver spot, though both were lost to injury during preseason games. The Cowboys have since acquired receiver Roy Williams, but Austin could still contribute as a playmaking threat. He is also an option as a kickoff returner, averaging 24.3 yards per return for his career. He had a 93-yard touchdown return against Seattle in the 2006 Wild Card playoffs.
Of the five RFAs, Austin is probably the most likely to receive a second-round tender offer, though the Cowboys may try to sign him to a longer extension before next season so they can lower his '09 cap hit.
WR Sam Hurd: After suffering a high ankle sprain in the third preseason contest, Hurd missed the first three games of the season. He didn't catch any passes in 2008, and re-injured the ankle in the Week Six loss at Arizona.
While Hurd doesn't have Austin's speed, he has about the same NFL pedigree, with 24 NFL catches for 389 yards and one touchdown. Hurd has also demonstrated an ability for special teams coverage, and he seems to find himself in the right spot during onside kicks, whatever that's worth. The San Antonio native signed with the Cowboys after going undrafted in 2006 out of Northern Illinois, but the Cowboys may be able to get away with only offering the regular, $1.01 million tender, especially since Hurd is coming off an injury-plagued 2008 campaign.
TE Tony Curtis: After catching touchdown passes on his only three receptions of the 2007 season, Curtis came back to earth in 2008, catching eight passes for 32 yards and no scores. As rookie tight end Martellus Bennett matured during the season, Curtis played less and less.
At 6-5, 251 pounds Curtis has the right build to be a third tight end, and his work at fullback during Deon Anderson's absence proves he's versatile as a blocker. But Curtis has had his share of mental mistakes as well, most notably blowing his assignment on the blocked punt that cost the Cowboys the game (and punter Mat McBriar his season) against Arizona. He also had several pre-snap penalties when lining up on offense.
With two-year practice squad tight end Rodney Hannah on board, the Cowboys don't necessarily need Curtis. But since tender offers aren't guaranteed, they could offer him the minimum amount and face no cap penalty if he is cut during training camp.
OL Cory Procter: Despite his shortcomings in 11 starts this past season, Procter does have some value as a utility interior lineman, even with starting left guard Kyle Kosier expected to return to health next season.
For one, Procter is the Cowboys' only player with center experience behind starter Andre Gurode at this point. And if the Cowboys decide not to fund the roster bonus for guard Montrae Holland, he would presumably be the primary backup at three positions. The Cowboys could still draft a guard, and since Holland looked good when he actually played in 2008, the team will have to decide where Procter fits.
Still, he didn't play well enough to deserve anything more than the minimum, $1.01 million tender, evidenced by the fact he was yanked out of the season-finale loss at Philadelphia and replaced by Pat McQuistan, who had never played a down at guard in the NFL.
DL Stephen Bowen: Maybe the toughest decision of all the restricted free agents, the Cowboys will need to debate whether Bowen deserves the minimum tender, or the second-round level offer.
No team would be willing to fork over a second-rounder for Bowen's services, but if compensation weren't involved, he might find interest elsewhere. Bowen hasn't flashed much in his two whole seasons with the team, but there are only so many 3-4 defensive ends to go around, and he's in that mold at 6-5, 304. Bowen could be seen as a relatively-inexpensive option for a team like Denver, which is switching to the three-man front. He has the size to play as a 3-4 end in a rotation, and could play inside on nickel downs, as he has done on occasion for the Cowboys.
With the possibility that Canty leaves in free agency, and since they're expected to let Johnson walk, the Cowboys might like to hang on to Bowen. Though he had the fewest snaps of all the team's defensive linemen in 2008, Bowen did finish with two tackles for loss, the same as Canty. He also had nine hurries.
Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS
Josh Ellis - 
