Day after bad loss good news thread

[dbair1967]

Cowboys agree with Brandon Weeden

Updated: March 17, 2014, 6:23 PM ET

By Todd Archer | ESPN.com

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys have agreed with former Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden on a two-year contract.

Weeden's deal is worth $1.23 million over two years and does not include bonus money, according to the source.

Weeden visited with the coaches at Valley Ranch on Monday and will be the third quarterback under contract behind Tony Romo and Kyle Orton.

The Cowboys have not carried a third quarterback on the roster since 2011, when they had Stephen McGee behind Romo and Jon Kitna, but they appear committed that way early in the 2014 offseason.

A first-round pick of the Browns in 2012, Weeden posted a 5-15 record before his release last week. He completed 438 of 784 passes for 5,116 yards with 23 touchdowns and 26 interceptions in two seasons. He nearly beat the Cowboys in 2012, throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter only to see Romo direct a game-tying drive at the end of regulation and the winning drive in overtime.
Brandon Weeden has thrown for 23 touchdowns and 26 interceptions since being taken 22nd overall in the 2012 draft by Cleveland. He is 5-15 as a starter.

Since coach Jason Garrett arrived in 2007, the Cowboys have carried veteran backup quarterbacks in Brad Johnson, Kitna and Orton. Weeden, 30, does not have the same experience, but joining the Cowboys would give him a chance to rebuild a career that took a big hit with the Browns.

Orton is under contract through 2014 as part of a deal he signed in 2012.

The Cowboys believe Orton, 31, will continue to play in part because of a $3.25 million base salary and the fact he would have to repay the team $3 million of a $5 million signing bonus should he decide to retire.

 

[dbair1967]

They knew they would need a backup and knew Orton would not be on the team. It's documented. Weeden WAS intended as Tony's backup. That was the whole reason to sign him.

And again, if that were true why didn't they release Orton immediately to free up further cap space and sign another free agent at a position of need? Its not like Orton had a minimum wage deal, there was some significant cap money tied to him.

 

[Dodger12]

^^^ This.

And all of this was documented in the thread we have here, about it.

We're in some bizarro universe, as if Orton's possible intentions were completely unknown at the time even though it was reported when Weeden was signed and Jerry commented on it a month before at the NFL combine.

 

[dbair1967]

We're in some bizarro universe, as if Orton's possible intentions were completely unknown at the time even though it was reported when Weeden was signed and Jerry commented on it a month before at the NFL combine.

Yes, they totally decided sitting on those cap dollars Orton had was wise. We didn't need any cap space to further help out the team anywhere else at the time. You know, like at the start of free agency.

 

[Dodger12]

How do you know that?

Because the Cowboys haven't had a 3rd QB on their active roster since Orton has been here. Plus, the 3rd QB would be a developmental player, not a guy they're developing to be a back-up next year when/if they released Orton. Unless you thought they were developing Weeden to take over for Romo........

 

[Dodger12]

Yes, they totally decided sitting on those cap dollars Orton had was wise. We didn't need any cap space to further help out the team anywhere else at the time. You know, like at the start of free agency.

The Cowboys had to eat his signing bonus and Orton didn't have to pay anything back when he was released. That's why they were playing chicken. Orton left a financial winner and was free to sign with another team plus keep his signing bonus which he would have had to give back had he "retired."

Releasing Orton added $1.1275 million in dead money in 2014 and $2.255 million in dead money in 2015 to the team's cap, although the move saved the team $3.25 million this season (Orton's base salary). There wasn't some financial windfall for the team if they released Orton. On the contrary, $2.255 million in dead money in 2015 for a back-up QB is kind of stupid.

 

[dbair1967]

Because the Cowboys haven't had a 3rd QB on their active roster since Orton has been here. Plus, the 3rd QB would be a developmental player, not a guy they're developing to be a back-up next year when/if they released Orton. Unless you thought they were developing Weeden to take over for Romo........

The ESPN article I posted about the Weeden signing says they were "committed that way" when thinking about carrying a 3rd QB for 2014, probably due to the fact they knew their 30-something plus QB was coming off a 2nd major back surgery in as many offseasons.

I don't think they intended for Weeden to be the #2 guy the day they signed him, if they did they CLEARLY would have immediately released Orton and freed up that cap space. I think whats fair to criticize them for is not understanding (or maybe even knowing) why Orton didn't want to be here. If they had known it was due to some perceived friction between Orton and Romo/Garrett/Callahan (as some of the writers reported after Orton was released in mid July) then they definitely would have cut Orton as soon as possible after the season was over.

They signed him as potential insurance, and because they had a 2nd rd grade on the guy coming out of that draft. They wanted to get a good look at him and maybe have a role for him here this year and next year. Hence why he was signed for two years and not just one. But probably every article posted up till the time Orton was actually released said Cowboy people believed Orton would eventually come in.

 

[dbair1967]

Releasing Orton added $1.1275 million in dead money in 2014 and $2.255 million in dead money in 2015 to the team's cap, although the move saved the team $3.25 million this season (Orton's base salary). There wasn't some financial windfall for the team if they released Orton. On the contrary, $2.255 million in dead money in 2015 for a back-up QB is kind of stupid.

We were pretty tight up against the cap at the start of free agency. 2 mils of extra cap space would have netted us another player (maybe two) at other positions.

 

[cmd34]

dbair is desperate to defend this front office as usual, but the team looked like buffoons with Jay Ratliff and Kyle Orton. Completely mishandled those situations.

But things are turning around. We just signed a guy who killed a teammate.....


.......to an extension.

 

[Dodger12]

The ESPN article I posted about the Weeden signing says they were "committed that way" when thinking about carrying a 3rd QB for 2014, probably due to the fact they knew their 30-something plus QB was coming off a 2nd major back surgery in as many offseasons.

No David, it said they appeared to be committed that way. It was an assumption based on the writer's part.

I don't think they intended for Weeden to be the #2 guy the day they signed him, if they did they CLEARLY would have immediately released Orton and freed up that cap space. I think whats fair to criticize them for is not understanding (or maybe even knowing) why Orton didn't want to be here. If they had known it was due to some perceived friction between Orton and Romo/Garrett/Callahan (as some of the writers reported after Orton was released in mid July) then they definitely would have cut Orton as soon as possible after the season was over.

The team didn't want to release Orton and have him keep his signing bonus which is exactly what eventually happened. Why is that so hard to understand? When it became clear that he'd be a distraction, he was cut. These issues didn't just spring up overnight and Jerry commented on Orton's possible "retirement" in February, 2014. But Jerry didn't want another Ratliff situation so they hedged their bets with Weeden as insurance, not as the #3 guy, but as the potential back-up.

If you believe what you're typing, then you're saying that they were going to develop a 31 year old QB to either take over for Romo in the future or be a back-up next year, in essence, developing a veteran QB to be a back-up. Either one is insane.

 

[Dodger12]

We were pretty tight up against the cap at the start of free agency. 2 mils of extra cap space would have netted us another player (maybe two) at other positions.

Any money saved by Orton would have gone to extending Dez or another player, not to bringing in another FA. Our salary cap situation, coupled with our own FA's that we needed to sign, pretty much ensured that.

 

[Sheik]

I could have done much better than Weeden this last weekend. And I would have done it all in exchange for smelling the seat of Charolette's chair.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

dbair is desperate to defend this front office as usual, but the team looked like buffoons with Jay Ratliff and Kyle Orton. Completely mishandled those situations.

But things are turning around. We just signed a guy who killed a teammate.....


.......to an extension.

huh?

 

[Hoofbite]

We were pretty tight up against the cap at the start of free agency. 2 mils of extra cap space would have netted us another player (maybe two) at other positions.

The team has $4M in cap space. The Orton move had no impact on whether or not Dallas signed a couple of low-cost randoms.