Roy, Witten, and Bradie about to get paid!
IRVING, Texas - The final three weeks before the start of training camp probably feels like three months to most of the players and coaches.
With so much at stake during camp, it's likely the Cowboys are counting down the days to get things started up once again and find out just how good this football team can be.
However, for some members of the organization, this time of year is one of the busiest.
For those who work in the personnel department, in charge of getting the Cowboys' draft picks signed, time has run out for those last-minute vacations and days off here and there.
Quietly, this is a busy time of year around the NFL, and even busier this year for the Cowboys, who not only have eight draft picks to sign, but are also in the midst of negotiating extensions for three veterans whose contracts are scheduled to expire at the end of the 2006 season, thus making them unrestricted free agents if extensions are not signed in time.
And don't forget about Greg Ellis, who maintains he is looking for a stronger financial commitment from the Cowboys before the July 27 start to training camp.
Needless to say, the days leading up to training camp in Oxnard, Calif., will be full for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and son Stephen, the team's director of player personnel who leads the team's negotiating efforts.
From a draft choice standpoint, getting the eight players signed shouldn't be a big problem since the NFL's system of slotting players, along with handing each team a rookie cap, seems to have made this exercise much easier to complete.
And this year has to be less difficult than last year, when teams were trying to sign players without a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, meaning rookie signing bonuses could not be spread over more than four years.
The NFL ratified a new CBA in March, which should make signing rookies much easier, and on top of that for the Cowboys, they only have to sign one first-round pick this year (Bobby Carpenter, 18th) instead of the two from last year.
The Cowboys rarely have any rookie holdouts anymore, especially over the last few years. Now last year's first round picks DeMarcus Ware and Marcus Spears both missed the first day of training camp practice, but were in camp and practicing on Day Two.
Don't expect to see many, if any, of this year's picks missing any camp practices.
Maybe the Cowboys' most difficult negotiating task will be trying to bat out extensions for their three prominent veterans in the final year of their contracts: Safety Roy Williams, tight end Jason Witten and inside linebacker Bradie James. That's two Pro Bowl players (Williams and Witten) and last year's leading tackler.
Ideally, the Cowboys would like to get all three players signed to extensions before the team leaves for training camp July 27. While the Cowboys probably won't bat 1.000 here, they would likely settle for going one-for-three.
And if that's the case, Witten would seem to be the more likely candidate to get extended. Now that doesn't mean the Cowboys consider the fourth-year tight end the most valuable of the three, but he might be the easiest to lock up for several years to come.
Remember, Witten just turned 24 in May, and already has earned two Pro Bowl trips. If the Cowboys are planning to play more two-tight end sets, then one of them should at least be among the NFL's elite.
And Witten has already proved he is, catching 87 passes in 2004, followed by 66 last year. The addition of wide receiver Terrell Owens should make Witten an even more effective weapon in 2006.
So the Cowboys have a choice to make: Get Witten locked up now or wait until he's possibly a three-time Pro Bowler before he even turns 25.
James is in a similar position as Witten in that they both come from the 2003 draft class and share the same agent, Jimmy Sexton. But James is coming off a breakthrough season last year, his first as a starter.
The Cowboys might be more inclined to see how he responds this year, playing alongside veteran Akin Ayodele.
Now there is always a risk that comes with waiting - for both sides. If James blows up this season with maybe a Pro Bowl year, he might play his way out of the Cowboys' price range.
On the flip side, if James is injured or plays below expectations, it certainly would cost him the big bucks in next year's free agency.
James, who led the Cowboys with 109 tackles last season, said Wednesday he would like to get the contract resolved before the start of camp. But if not, he also said he doesn't mind waiting until after the season has been completed.
And that brings us to Williams, who will undoubtedly command the most money among the three.
The fifth-year veteran who has started the last three Pro Bowls is deserving of a big payday. The question, of course, will be how much.
The bar for safeties was set just last week when the Baltimore signed Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed to a six-year extension worth $40 million. Reed, who was selected 22nd overall in the 2002 draft (Roy Williams went eighth that year), is a two-time Pro Bowler but won 2004 Defensive Player of the Year honors. He suffered a high-ankle sprain injury last year, causing him to miss six games.
So just what does that mean for Williams, whose stats aren't as electrifying as Reed? In four years, Reed has totaled 307 tackles, 22 interceptions, 61 pass deflections and has also blocked four punts, returning three for touchdowns.
In Williams' four years, he has 401 tackles, 12 interceptions, 6½ sacks and 20 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Whether or not Williams will get as much, or even more money than Reed, is still be determined. While Reed's stats are better, Williams hasn't exactly played behind a middle linebacker like Ray Lewis, arguably one of the best defensive players in the game when healthy.
If the Cowboys do not get a new deal completed with Williams this year, they will have the option of placing the franchise tag on him next year, keeping Williams out of unrestricted free agency and guaranteeing him a one-year deal worth the average of the five highest paid safeties.
Whether it's a one-year deal or a multi-year extension, it's going to be a big deal for the Cowboys.
And one that might just have to wait until after the season.
As for Ellis, the Cowboys probably won't do much here. Not because they don't care about Ellis, but they simply don't have to do anything at all since the veteran defensive end is signed through the 2009 season.
Despite the fact the Cowboys are planning to use Ellis in a more stand-up, outside linebacker position, head coach Bill Parcells has said Ellis is still one of his two best pass rushers, Ware being the other one.
And while he might play more of a hybrid role this year than his traditional defensive end spot, Ellis will likely be one of the outside rushers on the nickel defense, which is played nearly 50 percent of the time.
But Ellis considers the move a "risk," and told reporters back in June he wants to see a financial commitment from the Cowboys for absorbing that "risk."
While Ellis never was specific in his requests, it appears he is looking for the Cowboys to guarantee his base salary for the next two years, or completely redo the contract and give him more money upfront.
Ellis, who did not attend the week-long OTA practices the week following the mini-camp last month, said at the time he was not sure if he would hold out at camp if a new deal had not been made. But he has little leverage since he's under contract and would be subject to fines for missing mandatory practices. All of which will only add to the work already in front of the Cowboys during this suddenly not-so slow month of July.
With so much at stake during camp, it's likely the Cowboys are counting down the days to get things started up once again and find out just how good this football team can be.
However, for some members of the organization, this time of year is one of the busiest.
For those who work in the personnel department, in charge of getting the Cowboys' draft picks signed, time has run out for those last-minute vacations and days off here and there.
Quietly, this is a busy time of year around the NFL, and even busier this year for the Cowboys, who not only have eight draft picks to sign, but are also in the midst of negotiating extensions for three veterans whose contracts are scheduled to expire at the end of the 2006 season, thus making them unrestricted free agents if extensions are not signed in time.
And don't forget about Greg Ellis, who maintains he is looking for a stronger financial commitment from the Cowboys before the July 27 start to training camp.
Needless to say, the days leading up to training camp in Oxnard, Calif., will be full for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and son Stephen, the team's director of player personnel who leads the team's negotiating efforts.
From a draft choice standpoint, getting the eight players signed shouldn't be a big problem since the NFL's system of slotting players, along with handing each team a rookie cap, seems to have made this exercise much easier to complete.
And this year has to be less difficult than last year, when teams were trying to sign players without a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, meaning rookie signing bonuses could not be spread over more than four years.
The NFL ratified a new CBA in March, which should make signing rookies much easier, and on top of that for the Cowboys, they only have to sign one first-round pick this year (Bobby Carpenter, 18th) instead of the two from last year.
The Cowboys rarely have any rookie holdouts anymore, especially over the last few years. Now last year's first round picks DeMarcus Ware and Marcus Spears both missed the first day of training camp practice, but were in camp and practicing on Day Two.
Don't expect to see many, if any, of this year's picks missing any camp practices.
Maybe the Cowboys' most difficult negotiating task will be trying to bat out extensions for their three prominent veterans in the final year of their contracts: Safety Roy Williams, tight end Jason Witten and inside linebacker Bradie James. That's two Pro Bowl players (Williams and Witten) and last year's leading tackler.
Ideally, the Cowboys would like to get all three players signed to extensions before the team leaves for training camp July 27. While the Cowboys probably won't bat 1.000 here, they would likely settle for going one-for-three.
And if that's the case, Witten would seem to be the more likely candidate to get extended. Now that doesn't mean the Cowboys consider the fourth-year tight end the most valuable of the three, but he might be the easiest to lock up for several years to come.
Remember, Witten just turned 24 in May, and already has earned two Pro Bowl trips. If the Cowboys are planning to play more two-tight end sets, then one of them should at least be among the NFL's elite.
And Witten has already proved he is, catching 87 passes in 2004, followed by 66 last year. The addition of wide receiver Terrell Owens should make Witten an even more effective weapon in 2006.
So the Cowboys have a choice to make: Get Witten locked up now or wait until he's possibly a three-time Pro Bowler before he even turns 25.
James is in a similar position as Witten in that they both come from the 2003 draft class and share the same agent, Jimmy Sexton. But James is coming off a breakthrough season last year, his first as a starter.
The Cowboys might be more inclined to see how he responds this year, playing alongside veteran Akin Ayodele.
Now there is always a risk that comes with waiting - for both sides. If James blows up this season with maybe a Pro Bowl year, he might play his way out of the Cowboys' price range.
On the flip side, if James is injured or plays below expectations, it certainly would cost him the big bucks in next year's free agency.
James, who led the Cowboys with 109 tackles last season, said Wednesday he would like to get the contract resolved before the start of camp. But if not, he also said he doesn't mind waiting until after the season has been completed.
And that brings us to Williams, who will undoubtedly command the most money among the three.
The fifth-year veteran who has started the last three Pro Bowls is deserving of a big payday. The question, of course, will be how much.
The bar for safeties was set just last week when the Baltimore signed Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed to a six-year extension worth $40 million. Reed, who was selected 22nd overall in the 2002 draft (Roy Williams went eighth that year), is a two-time Pro Bowler but won 2004 Defensive Player of the Year honors. He suffered a high-ankle sprain injury last year, causing him to miss six games.
So just what does that mean for Williams, whose stats aren't as electrifying as Reed? In four years, Reed has totaled 307 tackles, 22 interceptions, 61 pass deflections and has also blocked four punts, returning three for touchdowns.
In Williams' four years, he has 401 tackles, 12 interceptions, 6½ sacks and 20 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Whether or not Williams will get as much, or even more money than Reed, is still be determined. While Reed's stats are better, Williams hasn't exactly played behind a middle linebacker like Ray Lewis, arguably one of the best defensive players in the game when healthy.
If the Cowboys do not get a new deal completed with Williams this year, they will have the option of placing the franchise tag on him next year, keeping Williams out of unrestricted free agency and guaranteeing him a one-year deal worth the average of the five highest paid safeties.
Whether it's a one-year deal or a multi-year extension, it's going to be a big deal for the Cowboys.
And one that might just have to wait until after the season.
As for Ellis, the Cowboys probably won't do much here. Not because they don't care about Ellis, but they simply don't have to do anything at all since the veteran defensive end is signed through the 2009 season.
Despite the fact the Cowboys are planning to use Ellis in a more stand-up, outside linebacker position, head coach Bill Parcells has said Ellis is still one of his two best pass rushers, Ware being the other one.
And while he might play more of a hybrid role this year than his traditional defensive end spot, Ellis will likely be one of the outside rushers on the nickel defense, which is played nearly 50 percent of the time.
But Ellis considers the move a "risk," and told reporters back in June he wants to see a financial commitment from the Cowboys for absorbing that "risk."
While Ellis never was specific in his requests, it appears he is looking for the Cowboys to guarantee his base salary for the next two years, or completely redo the contract and give him more money upfront.
Ellis, who did not attend the week-long OTA practices the week following the mini-camp last month, said at the time he was not sure if he would hold out at camp if a new deal had not been made. But he has little leverage since he's under contract and would be subject to fines for missing mandatory practices. All of which will only add to the work already in front of the Cowboys during this suddenly not-so slow month of July.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:21 AM
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