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Cowboys' offseason direction in hands of Will McClay
Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- Scouting director Will McClay is among the Dallas Cowboys' most trusted employees.
The first day of free agency proved it.
The Cowboys lost three starters -- safety Barry Church, defensive tackle Terrell McClain and left guard Ronald Leary -- and a key role player in defensive end Jack Crawford. They'll lose more players over the next few days and weeks.
Cornerback Brandon Carr and receiver Terrance Williams are free-agent starters who could leave, too. Cornerback Morris Claiborne is drawing interest from the Baltimore Ravens, and safety J.J. Wilcox, another solid role player, has reportedly scheduled meetings with the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It's clear the Cowboys expect McClay and his department to fill the holes on the roster.
Some will be filled with players already on the roster such as safety Jeff Heath, the leading candidate to replace Church. Maliek Collins, a third-round pick last year, had five sacks and should start at defensive tackle, replacing McClain. La'el Collins, who is entering his third season, will replace Leary at left guard.
The Cowboys' 2017 draft was one of the best in franchise history, and they need McClay to orchestrate another stellar draft.
They received significant contributions from running back Ezekiel Elliott (first round), Maliek Collins (third round), quarterback Dak Prescott (fourth round) and defensive back Anthony Brown (sixth round), and they believe linebacker Jaylon Smith (second round) and defensive end Charles Tapper (fourth round) will see considerable playing time this season.
Of course, it's a lot easier to draft when coming off a 4-12 season and starting with the fourth pick in the draft like the Cowboys did in 2016. It's considerably more difficult to have that kind of success when starting with the 28th pick like Dallas will next month.
That said, the Cowboys have drafted well over the past few seasons, in part because McClay has given the department a more focused direction. The communication with the coaching staff is better, which means they're getting players they want.
Under McClay, the Cowboys prefer to draft highly productive players from Power 5 conferences. They prefer prospects with high football intelligence that have been captains. They shy away from players from small schools unless they're dominant because their transitions to the NFL are much more difficult to predict.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, vice president Stephen Jones and coach Jason Garrett have used McClay's reports to pluck players such as defensive end David Irving from opposing practice squads.
They've signed McClain, Crawford and defensive end Benson Mayowa based on McClay's recommendations -- players that generated little conversation when they signed but contributed to the Cowboys' 13-3 record last season. Mayowa, who had three career sacks coming in, led the team with six last season after signing a three-year, $8 million deal.
Those are the types of free agents the Cowboys will sign this offseason.
The Cowboys have taken a conservative approach to free agency since 2012, when they signed Carr to a five-year, $50 million deal. They prefer to sign their own free agents, but they're not interested in overpaying their own players any more than they are those from other teams.
They liked Church, but not at $6.5 million per year. They would've liked to have McClain back, but not at four years and $21 million. Would you pay more than $3 million a year for a role player such as Crawford?
For the Cowboys, the answer is no.
Instead, they rely on McClay to find the players, and count on Garrett and coordinators Scott Linehan and Rod Marinelli to maximize their potential.
Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- Scouting director Will McClay is among the Dallas Cowboys' most trusted employees.
The first day of free agency proved it.
The Cowboys lost three starters -- safety Barry Church, defensive tackle Terrell McClain and left guard Ronald Leary -- and a key role player in defensive end Jack Crawford. They'll lose more players over the next few days and weeks.
Cornerback Brandon Carr and receiver Terrance Williams are free-agent starters who could leave, too. Cornerback Morris Claiborne is drawing interest from the Baltimore Ravens, and safety J.J. Wilcox, another solid role player, has reportedly scheduled meetings with the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It's clear the Cowboys expect McClay and his department to fill the holes on the roster.
Some will be filled with players already on the roster such as safety Jeff Heath, the leading candidate to replace Church. Maliek Collins, a third-round pick last year, had five sacks and should start at defensive tackle, replacing McClain. La'el Collins, who is entering his third season, will replace Leary at left guard.
The Cowboys' 2017 draft was one of the best in franchise history, and they need McClay to orchestrate another stellar draft.
They received significant contributions from running back Ezekiel Elliott (first round), Maliek Collins (third round), quarterback Dak Prescott (fourth round) and defensive back Anthony Brown (sixth round), and they believe linebacker Jaylon Smith (second round) and defensive end Charles Tapper (fourth round) will see considerable playing time this season.
Of course, it's a lot easier to draft when coming off a 4-12 season and starting with the fourth pick in the draft like the Cowboys did in 2016. It's considerably more difficult to have that kind of success when starting with the 28th pick like Dallas will next month.
That said, the Cowboys have drafted well over the past few seasons, in part because McClay has given the department a more focused direction. The communication with the coaching staff is better, which means they're getting players they want.
Under McClay, the Cowboys prefer to draft highly productive players from Power 5 conferences. They prefer prospects with high football intelligence that have been captains. They shy away from players from small schools unless they're dominant because their transitions to the NFL are much more difficult to predict.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, vice president Stephen Jones and coach Jason Garrett have used McClay's reports to pluck players such as defensive end David Irving from opposing practice squads.
They've signed McClain, Crawford and defensive end Benson Mayowa based on McClay's recommendations -- players that generated little conversation when they signed but contributed to the Cowboys' 13-3 record last season. Mayowa, who had three career sacks coming in, led the team with six last season after signing a three-year, $8 million deal.
Those are the types of free agents the Cowboys will sign this offseason.
The Cowboys have taken a conservative approach to free agency since 2012, when they signed Carr to a five-year, $50 million deal. They prefer to sign their own free agents, but they're not interested in overpaying their own players any more than they are those from other teams.
They liked Church, but not at $6.5 million per year. They would've liked to have McClain back, but not at four years and $21 million. Would you pay more than $3 million a year for a role player such as Crawford?
For the Cowboys, the answer is no.
Instead, they rely on McClay to find the players, and count on Garrett and coordinators Scott Linehan and Rod Marinelli to maximize their potential.