The Cowboys need defensive help, and a key free agent could be just the move for Jerry Jones to make.
The Dallas Cowboys are in need of defensive end help this offseason, and while Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson loom as the Tier 1 options - with the Raiders' Crosby now off the board as he's being dealt to Baltimore - there are others.
Busting the budget, as Jerry Jones stated, is clearly at the front of fans' minds when they think of free agency, but just because the Cowboys have the means to go all out to add talent doesn't mean they have to.
Yes, adding a player like Hendrickson would be superb and fill a key need.
But what if there are other players out there who, for a fraction of the cost, offer a decent punch for Christian Parker's defense?
Of course, this won't sound good to Cowboys Nation, who have been starved of big-time action in free agency, but just because Dallas has all of this cap space, it still has to use it wisely.
And I'm not saying go bargain-basement buying for free agents again.
More so, what Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano has done. And he's urged Dallas to sign Seattle Seahawks edge, Boye Mafe.
"Perhaps the best way for the Cowboys to fill the gaping hole that Micah Parsons left after being traded to the Packers is to follow the lead of the Seahawks, who had an abundance of pass rushers en route to winning the Super Bowl," Manzano wrote.
"Mafe was a part of that dominant rotation, and with 20 career sacks, he can drastically improve Dallas’s defense."
Maye would be a nice piece to add to Parker's defense, and having him as part of a rotation with Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and Osa Odighizuwa is a nice thought.
But would Maye want to be a rotational player? Not likely. He would want starting snaps.
Plus, the money side of it is where most deals stall.
Spotrac.com lists Maye's market value at $12.2 million APY and a potential three-year contract worth $36 million.
That is certainly doable for the Cowboys and would still allow the franchise to go after Hendrickson or other defensive pieces in free agency.
So while many are fixated on Hendrickson, don't forget that there can be some good value elsewhere in free agency, too.