It seems like every year the Cowboys face salary cap issues and are forced to make moves or restructure contracts just to bring in some second-tier free agents. But I'm wondering, is this business as usual in the NFL? Every team goes through something like this, but are we just hearing more about it on our team? If not, do the Cowboys need a new strategy when it comes to free agency? – Adrian Hoffman/Grand Prairie, Texas
Nick Eatman: Yes, every team is dealing with their own version of the salary cap problem. However, remember that teams have different strategies. I'd be lying if I said I knew what every team was doing, because this is very hard to figure out. But look around the league and see teams firing really good players or trading them for next to nothing. That's their version of the cap problem. I'll do some research on this, but it seems like the teams that struggle with cap management are the ones that have recently signed huge quarterback contracts. These are the things that actually affect the cap. It's manageable for the first few years, but at some point you have to pay. The Cowboys will do that this year and next. But yes, every team has the same problem, but they don't necessarily have the talent that the Cowboys have had the last few years, and because of that, the big players this team has paid and will pay in the future. I am not part of the contract.
patrick: Some things apply here as well. First, the salary cap has to be operated equally by all 32 teams, so in that respect, yes, it's business as usual. Second, teams that draft very well usually end up taking players worth their second (and sometimes third) contracts, and that's the crux of Dallas' problem. Names they recently signed new contracts (Trevon Diggs, Donovan Wilson, Zach Martin again, etc.) and who they're about to sign (Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, etc.) If you look at it, the trend: They're all blockbuster Cowboys draft picks. That would make the cap battle even more difficult to manage, and Dallas would be constantly battling it. Teams with poor draft results don't have that problem, but they do have their own struggles trying to cover up those shortcomings with a rain of free agency every year. Yes, it's business as usual, and the main difference lies in the ability to draft and develop and the level of comfort each owner/GM has with how they leverage their cap magic each year. Having said all that, here is his third truth. The Cowboys have gotten better at dealing with free agency (Brandin Cooks, Stephon Gilmore, Malik Hooker, etc.). But I'd also like to see something a little more aggressive about the first truth. Two waves of spree.
