3 Cowboys land in ESPN’s top 50 free agents of 2021
The Dallas Cowboys had an incredible free agency class of 2020; well at least the ones they lost. The ones they brought in? That’s an entirely different story. Dallas’ biggest three signings didn’t make it to the bye week before being let go by the organization. That, combined with a lackluster effort by the guys who were there before is probably the biggest reason Mike Nolan didn’t make it past the first week of January. Still, the Cowboys will reap the rewards of last year’s free agency in the form of several compensatory picks come April.
Will the free agents on the club be able to command a similar haul if they leave? Dallas has 24 free agents on their roster, but they are not as well regarded as last year’s crop. One player is, and that’s because he was a part of the 2020 class as well, just franchise tagged. Quarterback Dak Prescott is one of 3 members of this year’s class to make ESPN’s Top 50. They also had a fourth in the next group of 25.
Cowboys 24 Free Agents
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No. 1 - QB Dak Prescott
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
Prescott is the prize of the free agent market, but his chances of hitting the market are very, very low. Dallas will be prepared to tag him for the second consecutive season. The questions from there are two-fold. Will they be able to ink him to a long-term deal and what will the league's salary cap look like. The latter will determine whether or not the rest of the group gets any consideration to be brought back, or the level of outside free agents the club will consider bringing in.
To this point, there has been no reason to project long-term health implications from Prescott's season-ending ankle injury. Assuming that remains the case, Prescott remains what every quarterback-needy team dreams of: a signal-caller who is highly productive, under 30 years old and universally respected as a leader. And if anything, he elevated those credentials in five games this season, averaging a career-high 371 passing yards per game. He also produced a Total QBR of 78.4, which would have been among the top five in the league if he had enough plays to qualify. But through another franchise tag or via a longer-term deal, it's difficult to imagine the Cowboys letting him depart.
No. 39 - CB Chidobe Awuzie
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Awuzie has a knack for being close in coverage but not being able to break up the pass or intercept it. How much Dan Quinn values his skillset will go a long way in determining whether the Cowboys want to pony up for the 26-year old who should have a solid-enough market based on age and draft pedigree as a former second rounder.
Awuzie hasn't been much of a playmaker in terms of interceptions, having recorded a total of four in 49 career games, and he missed half of the 2020 season because of a hamstring injury. But he has been a reliable player when on the field. So it will be worth watching if the Cowboys -- whose defense allowed 29.9 points per game in 2020 -- decide he is part of their solution or has been part of their problem.
No. 48 - QB Andy Dalton
Dalton's early season performance after Prescott went down in Week 5 would've likely had him out of the league in short order, but he found a groove down the stretch up until Week 17 when he proved incapable of leading the team to a second-straight must-win victory. Still, he seems good enough to be someone's bridge quarterback if they expect to draft a future franchise guy on Day 2 of the draft.
It went largely unnoticed, but Dalton turned in an above-average performance for a backup after returning in Week 12 from a stint on the COVID-19 list. Over that span, he led the Cowboys to a 3-3 record, throwing 10 touchdown passes to four interceptions and ranking No. 15 in QBR (61.4). He's not likely to receive a starting job outright in free agency, but of the quarterbacks who are currently available, he might be the best bet for a role as either a short-term starter or a backup who would compete in training camp.
Next 25 - Safety Xavier Woods
(Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
Shuffled around by a secondary staff that did not earn rave reviews, Woods' struggles could end up laid at their feet. The question is what do the Cowboys, or another interested team, do with their evaluation after how badly 2020 was for him. From 2017 through 2019, he'd be worth a solid contract.
