With the conclusion of the Super Bowl, many people might be inclined to believe the NFL season is over. They have never been more wrong, this is only the start of my favorite time of year: NFL free agency and the NFL Draft. Here is a breakdown of this frenzy and all you need to know and look out for over the next few months.
Free Agency
Free agency is a team’s best chance to win now as they can sign anyone to help their team as long as they have the cap room to be able to afford it. This is ideal for teams such as the Dolphins, Jaguars, Chargers, and the Super Bowl runner-ups, the Bengals, as they have the most cap space this off season but not ideal for the Saints, Packers, and your own Dallas Cowboys as they are in negative cap space and may even have trouble resigning their own free agents. Many big names are hitting the open market this year, including two of the top receivers in the league in Davante Adams and Chris Godwin who both may be looking for a change of scenery this off season. Key players on both sides are available as Super Bowl champ Von Miller, and Tyrann Mathieu, a.k.a. the “Honey Badger”, are looking for big contracts. As for your Dallas Cowboys some notable players to look for that are hitting free agency are Tight End Dalton Shultz, Edge Rusher Randy Gregory, and Wide Receiver Michael Gallup.
NFL Draft
My favorite event of the NFL year. I love the draft as it provides struggling fanbases with hope for the future. The Jaguars hold the number 1 pick in the draft and no one in the NFL field is sure what they will do. They could go with Evan Neal, a 6’6, 360-pound offensive tackle out of Alabama, who can protect last year’s number 1 pick, Trevor Lawrence. If they feel he isn’t worthy of the selection, they could pick one of the top-tier edge rushers in the draft like Aidan Hutchinson out of Michigan or Kayvon Thibodeaux from Oregon. Hutchinson, the more pro-ready player, is favored among analysts but many people like Thibodeaux’s raw talent. I would be remiss not to talk about the quarterbacks as they are the leaders of this offense, but it is not a strong class this year. If you prefer a more traditional quarterback, you will like Kenny Pickett from Pittsburg, or you may prefer a more elusive runner with a strong arm which would be Malik Willis from Liberty. No matter what you value in a quarterback there is someone for you in this class. Some prospects I hope the Cowboys pursue are Nkobe Dean, a linebacker out of Georgia who is a true leader, Jermaine Johnson, an edge rusher from Florida State and someone who turned heads at the Senior Bowl, and Devonte Wyatt, an interior defensive linemen from Georgia who also shined at the Senior Bowl. You can watch these players and many more this week and weekend from March 1st to March 7th as they compete at the NFL Combine. And be sure to catch the NFL Draft later this spring from April 28th to April 30th.
This time of year provides many new story lines for the upcoming season and I will try too keep you updated with news and reviews of moves in free agency and the draft. Make sure to check back to The Roundup for more NFL news!
