Dallas Cowboys: Quiet on Day One of free agency

Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys have had some exciting years in fairly recent past seasons when it comes to free agency. Fans of the Cowboys have become used to seeing some big name talent sign on the dotted line and give them cause to believe that the latest and greatest name will lead them back to glory.

There was Deion Sanders, Drew Bledsoe and Terrell Owens over several different seasons. Heck even Tony Romo was technically a free-agent pick up, albeit not with a lot of fanfare, as he went undrafted in 2003. If there is one thing Jones likes to do it is make a splash with a star signing during free agency while stealing all of the headlines.

Sep 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys tackle Tyron Smith (77) in game action against San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Michael Wilhoite (57) in the game against the San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium. San Francisco beat Dallas 28-17. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

This year is a little different for Jerry and the Cowboys. They don’t have the cap space to draw in some of those big names, as they have a lot of money tied up in the veteran players they already have on the team. Guys like Tyron Smith, recently franchised Dez Bryant and the previously mentioned Romo are playing under big deals now, leaving very little wiggle room for Jones to rake in anymore established talent.

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On the contrary, some of the bit players that played for Dallas last year are already gone via free agency. Via Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com, players like linebacker Justin Durant and wide receiver/kick returner Dwayne Harris signed with the Falcons and Giants, respectively. Add to that the loss of Jermey Parnell to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the biggest news coming out of Valley Ranch so far in free agency isn’t who the Cowboys signed but who they lost.

Nov 23, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Cole Beasley (11) scores a touchdown during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The Cowboys did re-sign one of their key contributors on offense from last year in wide receiver Cole Beasley, inking him to a four-year contract extension last week per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. But when you consider some of the big names available on day one of free agency like Darrelle Revis or Jeremy Maclin, it had to be killing Jerry Jones a little that he just doesn’t have the cap freedom to attack like he normally does right out of the gate.

More than likely Jones and the Cowboys will need to have a more conservative approach this year, looking at second or third tier free agents and the draft to fill out their roster before training camp starts. There are plenty of guys out there that fit that mold and can make a meaningful impact for the Cowboys next year. Does Rolando McClain ring any bells?

The best news of the day for Dallas might have been that among all of the chaos, DeMarco Murray remains unsigned. And while it appeared that he was preparing to sever all ties with his former team this past Monday, at least on Twitter, there still remains a chance he ends right back where he finished last season. Jerry Jones might “settle” for that as his big name free agent signing, as it would reunite the modern-day big three for the Cowboys in Romo, Murray and Bryant. Considering the success these three had last year, it wouldn’t be a bad result for Dallas.

With Day one in the books in terms of NFL free agency, the Cowboys and their fans quietly roll along and hope their teams lack of big moves isn’t an indicator of poor performance in 2015.

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