Cowboys to decide on futures of Schultz, Gregory this offseason
The Dallas Cowboys’ are pulling out all the (financial) stops.
Owner Jerry Jones appears set on the team borrowing against the salary cap for future seasons to go all-in for the 2022 season. For example, Dallas is currently re-negotiating quarterback Dak Prescott’s mammoth contract to be paid largely via signing bonuses, meaning that it won’t count towards this year’s cap.
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But Dallas’ offseason moves might come out of preference rather than necessity, as they once again hope to contend for a Super Bowl following a disappointing 2021 campaign.
Free agency rumors swirl around seven key Cowboys players — Michael Gallup, Randy Gregory, Dalton Schultz, Leighton Vander Esch, Keanu Neal, Jayron Kearse and Connor Williams. Here are the pros and cons regarding these Cowboys free agents ahead of a pivotal 2022 season for the Cowboys.
Michael Gallup — WR
Calculated Market Value (CMV): $11.9 million
Pros: PFF issued Gallup a 73.4 overall grade in 2021, likely his worst season in the league, which still falls comfortably within starter-caliber performance. Additionally, the Cowboys' wideout adds great versatility to any receiving corps, offering impressive speed to stretch defenses over the top and a strong physical element.
Cons: Gallup suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Dallas’ Jan. 3 matchup against the Cardinals and missed seven games last season with a calf strain. In addition, Gallup posted a career-low in receiving yards (455) and yards per catch (12.7) through nine games last season. Extensive injury concerns and regressing performance might see teams look elsewhere in free agency, especially given Gallup’s $12 million in expected salary this offseason.
Randy Gregory — OLB
CMV: $13.7 million
Pros: After a breakout 2018 season where Gregory set career-highs in tackles and sacks, he enjoyed a similarly elite season pursuing the quarterback last year. The former JUCO star finished with a pass rush rating of 84.7, per PFF, and Gregory totaled a career-high 17 QB hits and six sacks. And aside from a one-game absence due to COVID, the edge rusher missed zero games due to injury in 2021.
Cons: For as good as Gregory is rushing the quarterback, he’s equally bad defending the run. He posted a horrid 46.5 run defense grade in 2021, good for 103rd out of 118 NFL edge defenders. Gregory also struggled dropping back into coverage, and while he didn’t miss any games from injury, the linebacker underwent knee surgery at the end of the 2021 season.
Dalton Schultz — TE
CMV: $12.7 million
Pros: Schultz has firmly wrestled the starting tight end job away from Blake Jarwin in Dallas after two consecutive standout seasons. The fourth-round draft pick finished with 808 receiving yards in 2021, leading the team in catch percentage. Schultz’s 77.4 receiving grade ranked seventh among all tight ends last season, and PFF considers Schultz the second-best tight end available in free agency this offseason.
Cons: Schultz doesn’t offer as much big-play potential, as his average length of target in 2021 was a pedestrian 7.1 yards.
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With Sean Payton available, and a dismal season behind them, the Dallas Cowboys will have a choice to make.
Connor Williams — G
CMW: $13.2 million
Pros: Williams ranked a shade below Pro-Bowl caliber in 2021, finishing with a 75.2 overall grade. The 300-pound ex-Longhorn has also done a remarkable job staying healthy for his position, playing in every game during the last two seasons. And in nearly 1,000 snaps last season, Williams only allowed one sack.
Cons: Williams committed 12 penalties last season, the highest figure of his career, and 10 of these were costly holding penalties that may artificially deflate his sack numbers.
Leighton Vander Esch — OLB
2021 salary: $2.9 million
Pros: While Vander Esch has been unable to match his remarkable rookie season, the linebacker totaled more than 75 combined tackles for the first time since 2019 and a career-high four tackles for loss in 2021. Vander Esch also earned a Pro Bowl nomination along with a second-team All-Pro selection in 2018, demonstrating that the four-year pro has a high ceiling and the ability to recapture elite form.
Cons: PFF is proving Vander Esch’s rookie season to be a likely outlier, as the Boise State grad has finished with a grade in the 50s and 60s — back-up caliber — in each of the last three seasons. Vander Esch doesn’t stand out in any facet of the game, although his weakest attribute is likely his coverage defense. Despite starting 16 games in 2021, Vander Esch is trending further and further away from his breakout first year.
Jayron Kearse — S
2021 salary: $990,000
Pros: Kearse was a revelation for a long-struggling Cowboys safety group. The sixth-year pro enjoyed double-digit starts for the first time in his career in 2021, using the game time to cover every inch of the AT&T Stadium turf. Kearse broke up 10 passes and nabbed two interceptions while maintaining strong discipline, missing just three tackles and allowing two touchdowns in coverage.
Kearse proved to be very economical for the Cowboys, outputting starter quality — he finished with an overall PFF grade of 75.9 — on a minimum veteran salary deal.
Cons: Kearse’s strong 2021 season comes after a career of struggles to get on the field. The former Clemson star demonstrated clear talent last year, but the sample size is very small to make definitive statements about Kearse’s future. Kearse’s size also raises eyebrows, as he’s generally considered a "tweener" between cornerback and free safety and often undersized trying to defend longer receivers and make tackles in space.