The Dallas Cowboys owner has been known to be a tough negotiator in the past, but he likely would have made more money letting those players walk.
Jerry Jones is known to be a stubborn owner and will not let players go easily. Here are 3 players that Jerry should let walk in free agency. Read more in detail here: dallas cowboys owner.
This summer, the Dallas Cowboys will have to make some difficult choices.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones assembled a Super Bowl-caliber group, and the Cowboys seemed to have a genuine chance to win one this past season. The Cowboys, on the other hand, underachieved miserably and now face an offseason fraught with uncertainty and cap difficulties.
The Cowboys’ situation is made worse by the fact that 21 players will be unrestricted free agents when free agency begins.
With so many difficult choices to make, Jones should surely release these three players, whether due to injury, poor performance, or the fact that they will be too pricey.
Wide Receiver Michael Gallup (Injury)
The Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver Michael Gallup #13 celebrates a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers | Tom Pennington/Getty Images
When healthy, Gallup established himself as one of the league’s most exciting No. 3 wide receivers. In only nine games, he had 35 receptions for 445 yards and two scores, demonstrating excellent chemistry with quarterback Dak Prescott.
Dallas’ issue is the nine games he missed due to a torn ACL, or rather, the nine games he missed due to a torn ACL (including the playoffs).
ACL injuries are difficult for all athletes, but they’re more difficult for players that rely on their “fast twitch” skills, such as pass rushers and wide receivers. Receivers must also perform a lot of cutting and changing directions, which makes knee injuries difficult to recover from, particularly a damaged ACL, which may take a year or more to repair.
If Gallup’s knee issue keeps other teams away, the Cowboys may be able to take advantage of a lower market for him, but the truth remains that he’s still a big-name playmaker on the market who should command a high price.
Given the Cowboys’ financial situation (they’re almost $26 million above the cap as of this writing), they just can’t afford to take a gamble on a receiver coming off a major injury. Dallas has to let someone else pay for that risk, as painful as it is to see a homegrown player go away.
Gallup was selected 81st overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cowboys.
Tight End Dalton Schultz (too expensive)
Dalton Schultz would be the tight end in Dallas for a long time in an ideal world. He had a career-high 78 receptions for 808 yards and eight touchdowns in the 2021 season.
He’s a large target at 6-foot-5 and 244 pounds, and he certainly worked hard to earn Prescott’s confidence. His ability to run clean routes and grab just about everything that comes his way, particularly in the red zone, gives him a Jason Witten-like quality. He caught 75% of the balls thrown his way. Cooper Kupp’s was 75.9%, for comparison’s sake. 75.5 percent was George Kittle’s.
The Cowboys have a lot of reasons to want to retain Schultz long-term, but they also have a lot of reasons they can’t…because of the salary limit.
Schultz’s skills will make him one of the most sought-after free agents on the market, if not the most sought-after tight end. Big games from Zach Ertz, Rob Gronkowski, and Mike Gesicki, but Schultz is just as good.
The Cowboys have Sean McKeon and Blake Jarwin on the depth chart, and they can always use a draft selection to add a tight end, making Schultz’s loss more acceptable.
Guard Connor Williams (poor play)
In a game against the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys #52 Connor Williams prepares to block at the line of scrimmage | Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
Last season, the Cowboys were one of the most penalized teams in the NFL, and Mike McCarthy’s squad was probably ousted in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs by the San Francisco 49ers due to a lack of discipline. Against the 49ers, the Cowboys were penalised 14 times. That’s a staggering figure if it weren’t so normal for Dallas in 2021.
McCarthy is well aware that he must improve his discipline if he is to maintain his job, which is far from likely with Jones breathing down his neck, thus it makes sense to let the team’s most often penalized player, guard Connor Williams, depart.
In fact, Williams was not only the team’s most penalized player, but also the league’s most penalized player. In 2021, he was flagged 17 times, 14 of which were allowed or not offset. He was flagged 14 times for holding, and he was also flagged for a false start, unsportsmanlike behavior, and a chop block.
Williams was responsible for 12.06 percent of the penalties in Dallas. Midway through the season, he was benched in favor of Connor McGovern, who likewise didn’t work out. Even though Williams kept his starting job, the Cowboys aren’t too enthusiastic about him headed into free agency.
Given the availability of high-level interior lineman in the NFL Draft’s middle to late rounds, Jones and the Cowboys would be smart to let Williams leave and let him become someone else’s penalty issue.
ESPN and Pro Football Reference provided the statistics. Spotrac provides contract information.
Jimmy Johnson, the legendary coach of the Dallas Cowboys, said Jerry Jones would not admit he was wrong about Mike McCarthy.
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