WEBVTT - Draft Show: Free Agency's Effect on the NFL Draft 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:07.480 He's the Dallas Cowboys dot Com Draft Show, your war 0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:11.240 room for incenter news and draft analysis from deep within 0:00:11.360 --> 0:00:14.800 the confines of Cowboys Headquarters at the Star in Fresco, 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:21.479 Dallas Cowboys like Dde Lamb and now your hosts Brian 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:27.720 brought us David Hellman, Bucky Brooks and Kyle Yeomans. It's 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:31.000 a wonderful Tuesday edition of the Dallas Cowboys dot Com 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:34.519 Draft Show as we are just forty four days away 0:00:34.520 --> 0:00:38.360 from the NFL Draft, getting into crunch time. Close it 0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:41.199 in on a month until the draft. As we're in 0:00:41.240 --> 0:00:44.720 the middle of March. For this episode of the Draft Show, 0:00:44.760 --> 0:00:47.440 Glad you're with us, Kyle Yeoman's Brian brought us Bucky 0:00:47.520 --> 0:00:51.159 Brooks in the great David Hellman as always our usual 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:54.400 Tuesday crew ten am Central Time. Glad you're with us 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:57.680 live streaming coast to coast and around the world on 0:00:57.800 --> 0:01:02.160 Dallas Cowboys dot Com. However, Brian I mentioned it's crunch time, 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:06.120 it's also free agency time. Is this the most hectic 0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:09.280 part of the year, maybe month of the year, these 0:01:09.360 --> 0:01:12.840 last forty five days or so leading up into the draft, 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:15.480 because not only are you looking for draft prospects, but 0:01:15.600 --> 0:01:18.200 you're trying to fill holes with free agencies. I just 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:21.600 want to know what it's like in scouting departments and 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:24.880 front offices around this time of year, because I'm sure 0:01:24.920 --> 0:01:30.480 it's madness, March madness probably per se. Yeah, no, it is, 0:01:30.600 --> 0:01:32.760 and it's it's it give you a very difficult time 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:34.640 and you have to be able to budget your time. 0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:38.880 And especially with the Dallas Cowboys situation. I remember many 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:41.080 a day, you know, working on the pro side of things, 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:46.199 and then we uh myself and staff meeting with Jerry 0:01:46.240 --> 0:01:49.280 and Stephen Jones, and then the head coach is about 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:54.200 about free agency during draft meetings and things like that. 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:56.680 So yeah, it was it was a lot of work, 0:01:56.720 --> 0:01:59.200 a lot of build up, and you know, these opening days, 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:01.720 this tampering period stuff. I mean, we've seen a lot 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:04.120 of signings already, a lot of guys taken off the 0:02:05.000 --> 0:02:07.480 you know, taken off the street, and so you know, 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:10.760 that makes it very very difficult now to you know, 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:13.359 do you have a plan. What is your plan? Your 0:02:13.600 --> 0:02:15.079 is your plan to say, okay, we were going to 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:18.360 be players in you know in day three, day four, 0:02:18.560 --> 0:02:21.080 day five, whatever a week now, two weeks from now, 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:24.400 So everybody you'll see teams sticking to your plans. Teams 0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:27.200 like New England, Uh, you know obviously have gone out 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:29.320 they said, you listen, we weren't good enough last year. 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:32.280 Go out and make a bunch of signings. But that's 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:34.600 you know, some teams operate in different ways. But yeah, 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:38.040 it's very, very hectic because you're really planning for two things. 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:40.760 You're trying to prepare your draft boards and things like that, 0:02:41.160 --> 0:02:43.480 and then you're also trying to have your pro free 0:02:43.480 --> 0:02:46.240 agency board and then make sure that those two things 0:02:46.320 --> 0:02:50.200 marry for you. Bucky, what is that process like and 0:02:50.560 --> 0:02:53.040 what are some of your experiences whenever it comes to 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:56.440 the overlap of the draft process and then free agency 0:02:56.480 --> 0:03:00.560 as well. I think Bryan, it's a very early in 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:02.800 the process. What you do is you try and assess 0:03:02.840 --> 0:03:05.040 where the draft is strong and where it's week at, 0:03:05.320 --> 0:03:08.720 and if you can have that conversation in January or 0:03:09.160 --> 0:03:12.560 immediately either before the combine or right after the combine, 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:14.520 it then allows you to put a plan in place 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:17.600 for free agency. So with the Cowboys, we talk about 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:19.800 defensive tackles and being able to look at the draft 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:22.760 and say, hey, not many defensive tackles. If we're gonna 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:25.560 get a guy inside. We may need to go early 0:03:25.639 --> 0:03:27.920 and heavy in free agency and see what is there. 0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:30.080 And then as some of the other positions, you're seeing 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:31.680 a lot of wide receivers that are just kind of 0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:34.960 languishing out there. I believe it's because you have teams 0:03:34.960 --> 0:03:36.920 that are looking at the free agent market, is saying 0:03:37.240 --> 0:03:39.640 why overpaid for a pass catch when I can get 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:42.600 one of these young guys on the cheap and the draft, 0:03:42.640 --> 0:03:46.400 and so it's the constant compare and contrast between what 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:49.360 is available in the draft, what's available in the free 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:52.600 agent market, and your scouts all working together to kind 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:54.880 of figure out what's the best plan for the team 0:03:54.880 --> 0:04:00.120 to go forward. All right, So thank y'all both or 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:02.640 not making the joke because I was dying to make 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:05.520 the joke. I mean, how hectic and stressful it is. 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:07.520 Probably depends on who you work for it, don't you think, 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:11.560 Because there's a lot more activity in some front offices 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:15.840 than others this week, if I may be so bold. Yeah, 0:04:15.920 --> 0:04:19.359 the first the first axiom of warfare is know the enemy. 0:04:19.600 --> 0:04:26.480 And I think you know the enemy here? Yeah, yeah, 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:29.880 And I do think so. I'm I love I love 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:32.719 a Bucky said, and it's you know, it's not rocket science. 0:04:32.760 --> 0:04:36.279 But I am fascinated when the Cowboys do, you know, 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:39.440 eventually get around to signing some players, whenever that may be. 0:04:40.640 --> 0:04:43.719 I'm interested to see what direction they go. You know, 0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:47.039 what does this team need? We all we know you 0:04:47.080 --> 0:04:50.080 know they need. Yeah, shout out to Brian as the 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:53.880 Philly Philadelphia Eagles GM back and go to YouTube and 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:57.599 watch me answer that same question for you nineteen. The 0:04:57.680 --> 0:05:01.040 fans know, y'all know what we need the Cowboys defensive backs. 0:05:01.120 --> 0:05:04.360 They need some beef in the interior defensive line, they 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:08.960 need some offensive tackle depth, etc. Etc. So how do 0:05:09.040 --> 0:05:12.600 they address that here? You know, I'd love to say today, 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:14.840 but it's probably more like over the next week or two. 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:17.880 But you know, if you know, do they look to 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:20.320 beef up defensive tackle? I honestly think that would be 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:23.039 a great idea, because yeah, I mean this is this 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:25.560 is not a strong defensive tackle class, at least not 0:05:25.600 --> 0:05:28.719 at the top of the draft. You know. Unfortunately, a 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:31.400 guy that a lot of people really loved, Dalvin Tomlinson's 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:33.400 already off the board. I don't think it was ever 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:36.359 realistic to think he was going to sign with the Cowboys. 0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:39.440 But man, the deal he got in Minnesota was not 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:43.720 earth shatter It was now or anywhere close to what 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:46.239 anybody thought it could be. It was just two years, 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:48.720 twenty two million dollars, and everybody kind of looked around 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:54.200 and said, why couldn't we do that? Yeah? More or less? Yeah, 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:55.800 you know, it's funny. I was talking to a guy 0:05:55.839 --> 0:05:57.960 with the Giants on the way home from our radio 0:05:58.000 --> 0:06:00.359 show yesterday and I asked him, as what do you 0:06:00.360 --> 0:06:03.279 think the market is for Dalvin Thomlinson. He says he's 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:06.520 going to get somewhere between ten and thirteen million dollars 0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:09.039 And I said, well, the Cowboys are out then that 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:11.960 there's no way, and then he signs basically for eleven 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:14.240 million dollars. The Cowboys were never going to play in 0:06:14.279 --> 0:06:16.320 that game. And you know, the more that you talk 0:06:16.400 --> 0:06:18.599 to the people in the front office and Dave's right 0:06:18.680 --> 0:06:21.800 and Bucky's right, I mean, you you know what the 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:24.560 Cowboys are going to do. Steven Jones after the Dak 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:29.560 Prescott during the press conference, he was talking about the 0:06:29.680 --> 0:06:32.600 draft and you know, how to prepare and how much 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:35.200 confidence he has in Will McClay and those guys. You 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:38.080 know he was setting you down that road, and then 0:06:38.160 --> 0:06:40.360 more you talk to him, it's like, oh, this cap 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:43.440 space that they have, it's like, well, guys, we've got 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:46.560 other things. We have to take care of. Restricted tenders, 0:06:47.400 --> 0:06:48.960 you know, they have to take care of things with 0:06:49.000 --> 0:06:50.960 the practice squad. I mean, there's money they want to 0:06:51.000 --> 0:06:54.159 carry over for things that there's certain things they've already earmarked. 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:56.719 So if you're a fan you're looking at cap space 0:06:56.720 --> 0:06:58.760 for the Cowboys, you're thinking, all right, they go get 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:01.320 a guy. But to in it's like that money has 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:04.680 already spent. We see it, but they've already spent it. 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:08.279 So that's the way they operate in I know, if 0:07:08.320 --> 0:07:11.800 a week from now there's somebody still lingering out there, 0:07:12.320 --> 0:07:14.520 you know, maybe that's where they jump in. But they're 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:18.360 they're not going to be spenders in this thing initially, 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:21.000 like what we've seen the Newland Patriots do the last 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:25.080 couple of days, which and for the record, I do 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:28.440 not want the Cowboys to behave like the Patriots. I 0:07:28.440 --> 0:07:31.560 don't think they need to do that. I think that's reckless. 0:07:31.600 --> 0:07:36.200 The Patriots are doing this because absolutely, absolutely no, it's 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:40.360 absolutely find me the team that has set the pace 0:07:40.520 --> 0:07:42.920 for like most money spent in free agency, and tell 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:44.840 me how they did, and tell me how those contracts 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:47.360 worked out. The Patriots are doing this because they don't 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:50.440 have any talent on their roster, like they they like, 0:07:50.560 --> 0:07:54.280 how many guys do the Patriots have as a starter, right, 0:07:54.480 --> 0:07:56.880 I mean the answers differ now because they signed all 0:07:56.920 --> 0:08:00.280 these good players, but like coming into this week, coming 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:02.520 into this week, like how many blue chip players did 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:05.000 they have, Like they haven't drafted that. Well, they're gonna 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:07.560 get some guys back from COVID opt outs. You know, 0:08:07.680 --> 0:08:10.360 Dante high Towers a good players, Stefan Gilmour is a 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:14.160 good player, but their talent poor team in my opinion, 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:17.720 and that's why they're doing that. Having said that, we've 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:20.320 you know, we've done this a million times. I'm tired 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:22.240 of saying it. Like the Cowboys need to find a 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:26.720 better balance, you know. Going back to the press conference 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:30.720 from last week, Brian Jerry Jones also said, anything I've 0:08:30.720 --> 0:08:33.720 ever gotten that was worth the money I overpaid for 0:08:33.920 --> 0:08:36.240 And any time I ever thought I was getting a bargain, 0:08:36.720 --> 0:08:40.040 that's exactly what I was getting. Which the irony there 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:43.320 is pretty palpable, you know, saying that a week before 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:46.720 free agency opens, knowing that the Cowboys are bargain hunters 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:48.920 and free agency, Yeah he was. He was talking about 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:52.840 guys he drafted like Tyrant Smith and Zack Martin and 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:56.640 Maury Cooper and people. Well he didn't draft Mary Cooper, 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:59.400 traded for Mary Cooper. But yeah, I mean your point, 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:02.360 your point is right, Dave. They really the Cowboys don't 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:06.080 have that balance. Steven Jones, And there was an error 0:09:06.080 --> 0:09:08.959 where I was working for the team where we spent 0:09:09.080 --> 0:09:12.480 like drunken sailors because we were so bad at drafting. 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:15.240 You know, we were just terrible at drafting. And you 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:19.200 have to supplement your missus. You know, you're right, you 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:21.440 have to find a roster. The problem with the Patriots 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:25.120 that they're lacking at the most important position, and that's quarterback. 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:28.480 You know, so they'll probably address that during the draft. 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:31.800 But yeah, I think that it's you have to have balance, 0:09:31.840 --> 0:09:35.160 and the Cowboys really don't. They believe in free agency 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:39.000 as signing their own that that's their philosophy. They look 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:41.360 at Dak Prescott as one of the best free agent 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:44.640 signings in the history of the National Football League. That's 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:47.160 how they view that, right, Now everybody else is like, oh, 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:49.360 you're just signing your own. But they look at it 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:51.599 as like, you know, this guy had a chance. You 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:53.560 know we could. This guy could have got to free agency. 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:56.959 We signed him. That's just how those guys operate. Now 0:09:57.360 --> 0:10:01.600 they also think like, yeah, I think it's important to 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:05.360 note like sometimes you want to be a little slower 0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:08.320 to the party so you don't overpad, because remember the 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:12.240 leverage flips after seventy two hours. If you're a player, 0:10:12.280 --> 0:10:14.160 if you haven't signed a deal within the first seventy 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:17.000 two hours, now it's like musical chairs because now you 0:10:17.080 --> 0:10:19.440 were all the big money's gone. I just got to 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:22.160 sign the best deal that I can find. And if 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:24.520 you're a team who can target a handful of players 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:26.760 where you know, okay, they may slip through the cracks, 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:30.160 there's some deals to be made that will help the team. 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:33.600 And we can talk about Dalvin Thomason. I'm not paying 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:35.079 a love million dollars for a no staff but that 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:38.439 doesn't really rusht the passes Like it's one of those 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:40.080 things like, yeah, we need to stop the run and 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:42.240 do those things, but you don't want to overpay for 0:10:42.280 --> 0:10:45.400 that because especially coming off the heels of Dontari Poel 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:48.280 and Gerald McCoy and those guys. I think there's a 0:10:48.320 --> 0:10:51.959 little snake They've been snake bit because they spent money 0:10:52.040 --> 0:10:54.320 last year and they didn't get anything out of the position. 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:56.559 I think they want to avoid that. So I'm really 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:59.559 glad you said that, Bucky, because Dave and Bryan are 0:10:59.559 --> 0:11:03.280 talking this balance, this balance between free agency and the draft, 0:11:03.320 --> 0:11:04.960 and it is it's a it's a tight rope you 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:07.440 have to walk as a front office. Is there ever 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:10.719 any frustration from either side because you have the pro 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:14.160 scouting department, you have the collegian scouting department. You have 0:11:14.240 --> 0:11:17.200 both sides of that coin, and you have to walk 0:11:17.240 --> 0:11:19.640 the line between the two. Is there ever frustration or 0:11:20.200 --> 0:11:23.440 any kind of tension between the two sides, Bucky? Whenever 0:11:23.480 --> 0:11:26.480 these kind of conversations are hitting the table and you're 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:29.160 kind of finally getting to crunch time around this part 0:11:29.160 --> 0:11:32.840 of the year, it depends on the background of does 0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:36.400 decision maker. If the decision maker comes from the collegiate side, 0:11:36.440 --> 0:11:38.680 he's more apt to listen to the college scouts. He's 0:11:38.720 --> 0:11:41.640 more likely to take an approach that is a draft 0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:44.440 and developed, home grown approach. If it's a guy that 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:46.400 may have spend most of the time on the pro side. 0:11:46.640 --> 0:11:48.480 He may feel like he has a better handle on 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:50.959 free agents and how to fill him in to the gap. 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:53.040 There's a lot of that. Like where you come from, 0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:55.679 you have some natural biases. Hopefully what you can do 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:59.400 is have very constructive conversations where you figure out a 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:01.520 what is ask for what we need right now? Do 0:12:01.600 --> 0:12:02.880 we need to go in the draft, we need to 0:12:03.000 --> 0:12:05.480 go free agency. But it could be contentious, It can 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:09.199 be a little acrimonious. Yeah, well, Bucky, you better love 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:12.280 me as a pro guy because I'm getting your compensatory picks. 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:15.640 When these uh, you know, when these guys when you 0:12:15.640 --> 0:12:18.560 know when we when we trade when we trade for 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:21.280 Robert Quinn, when we trained for Robert Quinn and he 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:24.120 gets eleven and a half sacks and then we get you, 0:12:24.120 --> 0:12:26.000 you know, a third fourth round pick to help with 0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:28.240 the draft. Who did pick? What did the pick turn into? 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:30.760 And we don't know yet, we don't know. It's it's 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:35.080 it's one for this draft. Softit me hit me back. Yeah, Hey, 0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:36.800 I got you, I got you, I got you to 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:38.520 pick for. You know, I got you to pick for. 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:40.800 I got you to pick at four one thirty five. 0:12:40.840 --> 0:12:43.800 He took Prescott. Nice job on that one. Good job, 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:47.200 you know, So that's all good. That's a good one. Yeah, 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:50.640 that's hey. I will say this. I'll say this Kyle 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:52.760 real quick, and I know I'm never quick, but I'll 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:56.679 say this. They're they're in a situation right now. Will 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:59.480 McClay and as pro guys had a bad offseason last year. 0:12:59.880 --> 0:13:02.800 They had a bad off season. And that's Will mcclay's 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:06.839 baby right there. That's his area of expertise. He coordinates 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:09.360 what they do when all the scouting. I think his 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:11.600 area of expertise though, is the pro side of things. 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:14.240 So where he came from. Yeah, those guys had a 0:13:14.240 --> 0:13:16.600 bad they had a bad offseason, and you know, I 0:13:16.600 --> 0:13:18.960 don't think it's a thing that stings him. But you 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:20.800 also got to give him credit for what I was 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.600 talking about with Robert Quinn. They saw, you know, Chris 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:26.840 Greer down in Miami, New GM, they saw a bad 0:13:26.920 --> 0:13:29.840 scheme fit for a player. They made a trade. This 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:32.280 is where if I'm the Cowboys, that I do take 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:37.720 what compensatory picks we got and maybe target somebody else's 0:13:37.760 --> 0:13:41.080 team and instead of getting guys that are out there 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:44.040 on free agency. Maybe you say, Okay, i'll give you 0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:46.679 this third round pick, compenstor I'll give you this fourth 0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:50.040 round fit. I'll give you this fifth round pick that 0:13:50.080 --> 0:13:53.559 I got in order to try and facilitate of trading 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.680 for a guy. Maybe that is established that you're like, Okay, 0:13:56.720 --> 0:13:59.559 this guy, we could plug him in immediately. The Cowboys 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:02.040 need to get back to doing things that way more 0:14:02.120 --> 0:14:04.960 so than you know the Don Terry Po's and the 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:08.160 Gerald McCoys did. If you watched them play, they look 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:10.800 like they're two three years removed from how good they 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:16.680 once were. When you look at the Cowboys front office 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:19.800 and there's this, like you said, kind of the split 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:21.960 between the pro and the college, and I don't know 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:24.440 if there's Have you guys remembered a year where there 0:14:24.600 --> 0:14:28.280 is such a pro and collegiant split as there was 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:30.720 in twenty twenty, because I'm trying to look back, and 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:33.280 I don't think I have one. Because the draft was 0:14:33.360 --> 0:14:36.960 so highly touted, you ended up bringing in three or 0:14:37.000 --> 0:14:39.760 four long time starters for the Cowboys, and then you 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:42.160 turn around and like you said, you signed five or 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:45.479 six guys that you think are going to be somewhat 0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:48.840 potential starters, and they don't even make it out of 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:52.760 training camp. Haklinton, Dick's, Dontari Poe, even Gerald McCoy if 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:54.520 you want to talk about the injury. Those three guys 0:14:54.520 --> 0:14:57.120 didn't even make it out of training camp without really 0:14:57.400 --> 0:15:00.120 making an impact. And I know Po played, but he 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:03.200 never really made an impact at any point at three season. 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:05.560 Poe is here for how he was here? He was? 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:09.000 He really here? Him looking at the box score exactly? 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:11.520 Was he was? He really hired? With you? Not so much? 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:14.640 But has there ever been a split Dave whenever it 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:17.320 comes to those two sides, like there was a year 0:15:17.360 --> 0:15:19.560 ago and can the Cowboys afford to do that again? 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:25.600 I mean last year was an extreme example because the 0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:27.920 draft was so good and free agency was so bad. 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:30.800 But I'd say that's kind of been the story of 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:33.720 the Cowboys over the last seven or eight years. Obviously, 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:36.840 that's where my expertise is gonna lie because that's who 0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:39.160 I cover three hundred and sixty five days a year. 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:40.920 But yeah, I mean, this is a team that has 0:15:41.000 --> 0:15:44.880 drafted much better than most over the last at least 0:15:44.920 --> 0:15:47.720 six or seven years, and they just don't do a 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:50.440 ton in free agency. I mean, honestly, in the time 0:15:50.440 --> 0:15:54.680 that I've covered the team, they're far and away. Best 0:15:54.720 --> 0:16:01.480 free agency acquisition was probably Jeremy Menzi, who like, nice guy, 0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:04.960 solid role player on a couple of good teams. But like, 0:16:05.080 --> 0:16:08.320 if that's if that's the best that you're doing for me, 0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:11.440 that's not good because and that's that's kind of my 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:13.920 point is, you know, even teams that build through the 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:19.440 draft find ways to add premium talent through free agency. 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:21.440 You know, I bring it up all the times. You know, 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:23.800 I know Howie Roseman's in hot water right now. I 0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:26.040 know the Eagles look like a garbage fire right now, 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:30.040 but they made a handful of amazing moves in free 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:32.520 agency to help build that roster into a team that 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:35.040 eventually won Super Bowl. You know, Malcolm Jenkins was a 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:39.960 free agency acquisition Rodney McLeod, Tim Jernigan, which you know, 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:42.400 to Bryant's point, that was a trade that brought a 0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:46.480 quality young player onto an already good defensive line. Like 0:16:46.520 --> 0:16:48.320 I said, you got to find a balance. I don't 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:51.320 want them to set the market in terms of money spent, 0:16:51.640 --> 0:16:56.040 but rubbing quarters together, trying to turn it into a 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:59.120 quality roster clearly that doesn't work either. We've seen it 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:01.960 many many times times. Now Tampa did it just pass 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:03.520 here in the Super Bowl. If you look at what 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:06.000 they drafted really well on defense, but if you had 0:17:06.000 --> 0:17:08.680 in Domi Kun Sue guys like that, you know that 0:17:08.680 --> 0:17:10.720 that makes a difference for your team. And that Tom 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:12.880 Brady guy that they had a free agency helps out 0:17:12.880 --> 0:17:17.639 a lot as well. Which Tom Brady is obviously the 0:17:17.760 --> 0:17:21.320 ultimate outlier, but in my Shaquille Barrett was a free 0:17:21.320 --> 0:17:24.480 agency acquisition as well. Oh yeah he was. He was 0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:27.320 playing second fiddle to Von Miller for a few years 0:17:27.320 --> 0:17:29.560 and now he's you know, he's a you know, big 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:32.080 money guy. He's got I think he's got thirty sacks 0:17:32.080 --> 0:17:36.200 in two years with the Bucks free agency acquisition. Wow. Yeah, 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:40.000 I mean that's I think thee Yeah. But I think 0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:42.600 that also comes down to scheme fit. Because Shag Barrett 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:44.879 in three or four years with the Broncos had fourteen 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:46.800 and a half sacks. Who would imagine that he would 0:17:47.000 --> 0:17:49.040 come to Tampa in his first year have nineteen and 0:17:49.119 --> 0:17:53.240 a half. Like that's partially like the numbers being inflated 0:17:53.280 --> 0:17:55.560 a little bit by playing with top bowls and top Bowls, 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:58.159 creating these blitzes to have one on one opportunities. But 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:00.119 that's all the part of the deal. And if the 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:03.000 coaches and the scouting staffs during lockstep and they're able 0:18:03.040 --> 0:18:05.399 to clearly get them the same page with here's what 0:18:05.480 --> 0:18:07.040 we need, here's how we're going to play him, this 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:09.280 is why he's going to be effective for us. It 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:13.879 can work, it can't work. And specifically with kind of 0:18:13.960 --> 0:18:17.600 keeping that balance between free agency and the draft, I 0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:22.520 kind of want to get you guys's opinion on positions 0:18:22.520 --> 0:18:26.320 of need for the Cowboys that are better suited to 0:18:26.359 --> 0:18:29.960 go after in free agency rather than the draft, because 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:33.800 I mean, we've been talking about corner safety, defensive line, 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:37.840 interior defensive line specifically for the Cowboys on the show 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:40.880 throughout really the forty episodes or whatever. We're at at 0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:44.320 this very moment. However, there's still a long way to 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:46.720 go in free agency side of things. So, Brian, when 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:48.800 you look at both the free agency class and the 0:18:48.840 --> 0:18:51.560 draft class, is there any position that you feel better 0:18:51.840 --> 0:18:57.399 for one way or the other. Well, the thing about 0:18:57.440 --> 0:18:59.560 it is what they're probably going to do now is 0:18:59.600 --> 0:19:03.120 you can lean on your coaches a little bit about 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:05.440 you know, and I'm talking about the d I'm looking 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:08.520 more at the defensive side of the ball. Uh you 0:19:08.560 --> 0:19:11.160 know what, maybe I'm in the minority here real quick 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:15.119 about these defensive tackles. I think they're actually a pretty 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:17.639 good group in the draft. I know there's not the 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:20.960 top guy up there. We've seen Alabama. I mean, Barmore's 0:19:21.000 --> 0:19:24.360 probably on everybody's lists and stuff like that. But we've 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:28.199 gone through that that second, third, fourth round, and I 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:31.359 mean there's some quality guys there. I wouldn't be opposed 0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:34.199 to having some of those kids coming and play that 0:19:34.320 --> 0:19:37.480 nose tackle spot and be just fine. But you know, 0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:40.000 I think if you're the Cowboy, if you're a Cowboy fan, 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:42.479 you've got it. Then we always like to connect the 0:19:42.520 --> 0:19:46.679 dots with Dan Quinn and and that crew. And you know, Okay, 0:19:46.720 --> 0:19:49.320 what players did he have? Did he have? Okay? Who 0:19:49.400 --> 0:19:51.879 he have in Seattle? Okay, who'd he have in Atlanta? 0:19:52.400 --> 0:19:55.040 You know, I was asking some scouts this morning about 0:19:55.320 --> 0:20:00.880 Kazee the same yet that everybody's got the Cowboys tied 0:20:00.920 --> 0:20:04.960 to first three years. Man guy was super aggressive, super 0:20:05.000 --> 0:20:09.040 after a ballhawking type guy. Last year, it played not 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:11.600 to get hurt and what happened to him. He got hurt. 0:20:11.960 --> 0:20:15.280 So you know, there's there's all kinds of things that 0:20:15.600 --> 0:20:19.280 I think now it's going to turn into familiarity, and 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:23.280 like Bucky says, it's musical chairs when you're when you're 0:20:23.320 --> 0:20:25.679 a guy and you're thinking, Okay, I don't have a job, 0:20:26.040 --> 0:20:27.879 and so okay, where am I going to go? I 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:30.280 need to go to someplace where I have some familiarity 0:20:30.520 --> 0:20:33.439 with the coach who might take care of me. You know, 0:20:33.560 --> 0:20:36.840