The Cowboys have a lot of money tied up in their defensive line, but it appears that some still forget that the Cowboys can ease the cap burden in just a few weeks.
It appears the biggest bugaboo for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason is the constant misunderstanding of its cap situation by nearly everyone.
With the Cowboys "predicted to be over the cap'' (no such thing, remember?) at the time of writing, we have detailed here time and time again that with a flick of several contract switches, Dallas goes into the green in a heartbeat.
There are six or seven or more players whose contracts can be restructured, which would then free up over $100 million in cap space, but it appears that information isn't known by everyone (like it is known to you. Right?)
With free agency fast approaching and the Cowboys needing to spend, there is urgency to make some moves before it begins.
Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine has named every team's top trade assets, and when it comes to the Cowboys, he named Kenny Clark, Osa Odighizuwa, and Terence Steele.
But his reasoning for Clark and Osa appears to be misinformed.
“We all know how much Jerry Jones values run defense,” Ballentine wrote. “But even the most dedicated to stopping the run would admit that paying three defensive tackles a combined $63 million against the cap next season isn’t wise roster-building.
"After trading for Quinnen Williams and acquiring Kenny Clark in the Micah Parsons trade, that’s exactly what’s happening with the trio of Williams, Clark, and Osa Odighizuwa. Dealing Clark would free up $21.5 million, so he’s the most logical choice. But Odighizuwa’s ability as a pass-rusher and his age (27) make him worth more on the trade market.”
First of all, as we stated above, with contract restructures, Osa, Quinnen Williams, and Clark won't likely be counting $63 million against the cap.
So there's that.
Secondly, we have heard the Cowboys talk about those three being part of the building blocks of this defense. Plus, Dallas is in dire need of D-line help, so why would the franchise trade one away?
Would you get something better than Osa in return? Not likely, and we know draft picks are sometimes just a dart throw.
So while the Cowboys right now appear to be in a little trouble cap-wise, we have outlined how quickly they can get out of it.
And no, they won't have to deal players to "ease" the burden, either.
Dallas can do whatever it wants this offseason (within reason), and defensively, Clark (maybe with a real pay adjustment) and Osa and Quinnen (maybe with simple "switch-flips) might just be the foundation from which new coordinator Christian Parker builds.