By Tom Osborn
Having acted swiftly during the first days of free agency to fill pressing needs, the Dallas Cowboys can now bargain shop while searching for players to bolster depth at a few positions.
“We’re getting close, but we’re not there yet,” Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said when asked if the team was done signing free agents. “We’ve still got work to do, but we can get that done. Obviously, we’ve taken a big step with what we did that first day.”
In roughly the first 48 hours of free agency, the Cowboys signed six players to fill needs, with former Kansas City cornerback Brandon Carr and his five-year, $50.1 million deal serving as the centerpiece of their aggressive out-of-the-gate action. Touted as one of the NFL’s elite cover corners by Dallas coach Jason Garrett, Carr will replace Terence Newman, who was cut just before free agency began Tuesday.
After the Carr signing, the Cowboys methodically followed a well-devised plan to fill needs. They bagged Kyle Orton as a backup quarterback, Mackenzy Bernadeau to compete for a starting job at guard, Lawrence Vickers to replace unrestricted free agent Tony Fiammetta at fullback, Brodney Pool to replace unrestricted free agent Abram Elam at strong safety and Dan Connor to compete with 2011 second-round pick Bruce Carter for an inside linebacker spot next to fellow Penn State alum Sean Lee.
All but Pool received multi-year deals after the Cowboys rolled out the red carpet for the free agents at Cowboys Stadium.
“We showed why we think Dallas is such a special place,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. “We showed (Carr) our facility, showed him our stadium, talked about the tradition of the Dallas Cowboys, talked about our current team. We showed Brandon, Mackenzy, Kyle, Lawrence and Brodney how we believed they fit in and why we think they’re important to our team.
“It all resonated with them. It came from the heart. It’s stuff we believe in. It was a very thoughtful process.”
With the front-burner portion of their free-agency shopping list scratched off, the Cowboys have turned their sights toward filling secondary needs, including finding a No. 2 tight end to replace Martellus Bennett, who signed with the New York Giants.
Dallas wanted to land Kellen Davis to fill Bennett’s role, but he resigned with the Chicago Bears. Several tight ends remain on the market, but the Cowboys are in no rush, especially since they haven’t ruled out promoting No. 3 tight end John Phillips.
“John’s certain a possibility,” Garrett said. “He’s been that No. 2 tight end at different times when Martellus hasn’t been available to us. He’s a guy that’s done a real nice job on the line as a tight end and also as a guy that can go in the backfield and play a quasi-fullback position.”
The Cowboys might also target a No. 3 wide receiver in free agency after losing Laurent Robinson to Jacksonville. As with the tight end spot, there’s no rush because there are some young in-house candidates available.
“You never rule out betting better,” Jones said. “I will say this: We’re very comfortable with the young players we have. Andre Holmes, (Raymond) Radway, (Dwayne) Harris, those are guys who have a bright future with us. Yet, we still have other ways we can acquire talent.”
While there was a sense of urgency earlier this week to recruit and sign players as quickly as possible, the Cowboys now have the luxury of sitting back and taking a good, hard look at what’s left of the market.
“We’ll just continue to go through this process, evaluate our needs at all positions and see who might be available, who might fit,” Garrett said.
Having acted swiftly during the first days of free agency to fill pressing needs, the Dallas Cowboys can now bargain shop while searching for players to bolster depth at a few positions.
“We’re getting close, but we’re not there yet,” Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said when asked if the team was done signing free agents. “We’ve still got work to do, but we can get that done. Obviously, we’ve taken a big step with what we did that first day.”
In roughly the first 48 hours of free agency, the Cowboys signed six players to fill needs, with former Kansas City cornerback Brandon Carr and his five-year, $50.1 million deal serving as the centerpiece of their aggressive out-of-the-gate action. Touted as one of the NFL’s elite cover corners by Dallas coach Jason Garrett, Carr will replace Terence Newman, who was cut just before free agency began Tuesday.
After the Carr signing, the Cowboys methodically followed a well-devised plan to fill needs. They bagged Kyle Orton as a backup quarterback, Mackenzy Bernadeau to compete for a starting job at guard, Lawrence Vickers to replace unrestricted free agent Tony Fiammetta at fullback, Brodney Pool to replace unrestricted free agent Abram Elam at strong safety and Dan Connor to compete with 2011 second-round pick Bruce Carter for an inside linebacker spot next to fellow Penn State alum Sean Lee.
All but Pool received multi-year deals after the Cowboys rolled out the red carpet for the free agents at Cowboys Stadium.
“We showed why we think Dallas is such a special place,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. “We showed (Carr) our facility, showed him our stadium, talked about the tradition of the Dallas Cowboys, talked about our current team. We showed Brandon, Mackenzy, Kyle, Lawrence and Brodney how we believed they fit in and why we think they’re important to our team.
“It all resonated with them. It came from the heart. It’s stuff we believe in. It was a very thoughtful process.”
With the front-burner portion of their free-agency shopping list scratched off, the Cowboys have turned their sights toward filling secondary needs, including finding a No. 2 tight end to replace Martellus Bennett, who signed with the New York Giants.
Dallas wanted to land Kellen Davis to fill Bennett’s role, but he resigned with the Chicago Bears. Several tight ends remain on the market, but the Cowboys are in no rush, especially since they haven’t ruled out promoting No. 3 tight end John Phillips.
“John’s certain a possibility,” Garrett said. “He’s been that No. 2 tight end at different times when Martellus hasn’t been available to us. He’s a guy that’s done a real nice job on the line as a tight end and also as a guy that can go in the backfield and play a quasi-fullback position.”
The Cowboys might also target a No. 3 wide receiver in free agency after losing Laurent Robinson to Jacksonville. As with the tight end spot, there’s no rush because there are some young in-house candidates available.
“You never rule out betting better,” Jones said. “I will say this: We’re very comfortable with the young players we have. Andre Holmes, (Raymond) Radway, (Dwayne) Harris, those are guys who have a bright future with us. Yet, we still have other ways we can acquire talent.”
While there was a sense of urgency earlier this week to recruit and sign players as quickly as possible, the Cowboys now have the luxury of sitting back and taking a good, hard look at what’s left of the market.
“We’ll just continue to go through this process, evaluate our needs at all positions and see who might be available, who might fit,” Garrett said.