Do you cut D. Ware?

[PDay8810]

Should the Cowboys release DeMarcus Ware?

Calvin Watkins: No. I know Ware didn't have his best season, six sacks, and was handled too easily by opposing tackles in 2013. But you have to take into account Ware's health. He dealt with elbow, back and quad injuries throughout the year. Ware never missed an NFL game in his career before missing three games due to a strained quad in the middle of the season. When healthy, Ware continued to be a dominant force, especially early in the season. Ware opened the season with an interception on the first play of the game and had six quarterback pressures in the season-opener against the New York Giants. It seemed Ware was on the way to a Pro Bowl-type season. But Ware disappeared too many times, and when you have a bad elbow, combined with a neck stinger, it's hard for you to push off and get pressure on the quarterback. The Cowboys have to evaluate whether Ware's health is the reason for a down year or he's just getting old. He's not taking a pay cut, so in the best interest of everyone involved, the Cowboys need to bring him back for one more season to redeem himself.

Todd Archer: I struggle with this one. The salary-cap guy in me says yes. Ware is set to count $16.003 million against the cap and make $12.25 million. That’s a lot of coin for a guy who played in 55 percent of the snaps last season and has been banged-up the past two seasons. Perhaps the Cowboys can get him to re-work his deal, although that seems unlikely. Perhaps the Cowboys bite the bullet and restructure his deal again, but that only delays what could be inevitable. The football guy in me says to give Ware another year. The Cowboys do not have somebody who can roll out of bed and get six sacks, like he did in 13 games in 2013, let alone 11.5, like he did in 2012. Ware was so good in training camp last summer that I just can’t believe he lost it over a couple of months. He will be motivated to have a return-to-form season because this is really the first time he has been questioned. Do the Cowboys want to see if they can get that type of season from Ware or see another team sign him as a free agent and get it out of him? It will not be an easy decision for Jerry Jones, who has not been known to make these types of decisions in the past.

 

[fordman84]

Are there different cap implications for cutting vs trading?

 

[tw1st3d]

Are there different cap implications for cutting vs trading?

no cost the same to do either

 

[tw1st3d]

I love everything about Ware .... Except his price tag.

 

[PDay8810]

I actually could go either way here but I tend to think I'd try to keep Ware.
I'd like to see him work with the team and take a modest pay cut with incentives for number of snaps played and sack total

 

[UK Cowboy]

Are there different cap implications for cutting vs trading?

That was my first thought as well. If you were going to cut him why not try and trade him to a team that has quite a bit of cap space and needs a pass rusher? I haven't looked at their cap figures, but Ware could have a huge impact in N.O. in Rob Ryan's D, for the Packers across from Clay Matthews, in Houston standing behind JJ Watt or a number of other teams. If you could clear cap space while getting say...mid to late 2nd, maybe an early 3rd I'm guessing....wouldn't be a bad call IMO

 

[fordman84]

Yeah, if there is penalty for a trade opposed to a cut, you trade him for SOMETHING. Even if you only get a 7th next year (he is worth more, I agree but just saying) that is better than nothing.

 

[tw1st3d]

Here's the thing with trading him......

He we are debating if he is worth his price tag. I don't see another team wanting to pay him 12 million. Which they would if they traded for him.

It would take a team that thought they were a player away ..... and has that kinda cap space.
I currently know of no team in that situation


I agree with Payday though...... I hope they find a way to redo his deal into a much more modest contract. One that fits his age and also addresses his injury issues.
Lee's contract is a perfect example of what Ware should be willing to play for


Prolly the best case......(So we don't have to restructure) Cut and then resign him to a different contract. A market value contract

 

[tw1st3d]

I do wanna throw this in though.....

If there is a guy we are over paying and need to release...... It's Carr not Ware

 

[UK Cowboy]

I do wanna throw this in though.....

If there is a guy we are over paying and need to release...... It's Carr not Ware

I had an outside the box thought on Carr. He's going to have to be redone anyway, thats a given. The defense he's in is pretty different than the one he was brought in for. Fordman had mentioned the CB Fuller out of VT, a kid I like too. I wonder if the Cowboys took a 2nd round CB, if they could then move Carr to safety and improve two positions. Carr has played Safety for the Cowboys in some packages in the past

 

[jarntt]

I keep him, but my opinion is that his 2013 season changed because of injury. My thoughts have been what the two reporters touched on. Supposedly the guy was just amazing in training camp.
So much so that we started questioning how good T. Smith was going to be this year. Then the season starts and he looks incredible at the beginning. Then he falls apart. No one is goiong to convince me it wasn't because of injury and because of that I give him another year to show me. Plus, we have no replacement. With him our DL is a question mark; without him it is an abyss.

Now even with my opinion that he fell apart because of injury and knowing that I personally feel (you don't have to agree with me) he will turn it around if healthy...I can't avoid the fact that this is exactly what happened in 2012 as well. Good start and then fell apart in the second half of the season. So even if I want to argue that if healthy he is still a Pro Bowler or maybe even All Pro, I can't ignore the fact that at his age his body may never be healthy enough again for him to get back to where he once was...For me it's worth the risk, but at his price tag I can see someone saying htere is a better use of those cap dollars...

Trading or cutting him pre-6/1 has the same impact on us so we save nothing. But, I thought I remembered that if you trade him post 6/1 all of the dead money accelerates into the current year whereas with a post 6/1 cut only the current year hit would be in 2013 with the rest delayed to 2014.

Looking at it from another teams point of view, why trade for a guy that has 4 years left averaging like $13.5M per year? Why would you give anything up for that? Why not wait until he is cut and offer a smaller contract? However, the one thing that may be attractive is that with no guaranteed money left they can cut him. So if they trade for him and his huge contract and don't think he was worth it or healthy after the first year, they can cut him use his money elsewhere...

 

[jarntt]

As soon as Carr starts playing press coverage under Marinelli we are going to be happy with him IMO. Worth his contract? Maybe not, but worth keeping IMO. He just doesn't seem to be able to stay with some of these receivers in space when they have free reign, especially on crossing patterns. But when he gets his hands on them and plays more physical he seems to be a different guy.

 

[PDay8810]

As soon as Carr starts playing press coverage under Marinelli we are going to be happy with him IMO. Worth his contract? Maybe not, but worth keeping IMO. He just doesn't seem to be able to stay with some of these receivers in space when they have free reign, especially on crossing patterns. But when he gets his hands on them and plays more physical he seems to be a different guy.

100% agree. One season fitting a square peg in a round hole doesn't have me dumping Carr neither.

The day carr signed his contract they talked about the flexibility in reworking when needed. It's been the plan all along

 

[PDay8810]

"Looking at it from another teams point of view, why trade for a guy that has 4 years left averaging like $13.5M per year? Why would you give anything up for that? "


B I N G O !

 

[fordman84]

I keep him, but my opinion is that his 2013 season changed because of injury. My thoughts have been what the two reporters touched on. Supposedly the guy was just amazing in training camp.
So much so that we started questioning how good T. Smith was going to be this year. Then the season starts and he looks incredible at the beginning. Then he falls apart. No one is goiong to convince me it wasn't because of injury and because of that I give him another year to show me. Plus, we have no replacement. With him our DL is a question mark; without him it is an abyss.

Now even with my opinion that he fell apart because of injury and knowing that I personally feel (you don't have to agree with me) he will turn it around if healthy...I can't avoid the fact that this is exactly what happened in 2012 as well. Good start and then fell apart in the second half of the season. So even if I want to argue that if healthy he is still a Pro Bowler or maybe even All Pro, I can't ignore the fact that at his age his body may never be healthy enough again for him to get back to where he once was...For me it's worth the risk, but at his price tag I can see someone saying htere is a better use of those cap dollars...

Trading or cutting him pre-6/1 has the same impact on us so we save nothing. But, I thought I remembered that if you trade him post 6/1 all of the dead money accelerates into the current year whereas with a post 6/1 cut only the current year hit would be in 2013 with the rest delayed to 2014.

Looking at it from another teams point of view, why trade for a guy that has 4 years left averaging like $13.5M per year? Why would you give anything up for that? Why not wait until he is cut and offer a smaller contract? However, the one thing that may be attractive is that with no guaranteed money left they can cut him. So if they trade for him and his huge contract and don't think he was worth it or healthy after the first year, they can cut him use his money elsewhere...

If you want a player that is about to have free choice of teams, would it be worth a 7th to make sure someone else doesn't get him first? You would then be able to do what you want with him. If he comes in and doesn't do well, no harm no foul. You gambled with a 7th. Those don't typically pan out anyways.

If I'm a GM I like dealing with "for sure" rather than "bidding against other teams".

 

[PDay8810]

If you want a player that is about to have free choice of teams, would it be worth a 7th to make sure someone else doesn't get him first? You would then be able to do what you want with him. If he comes in and doesn't do well, no harm no foul. You gambled with a 7th. Those don't typically pan out anyways.

If I'm a GM I like dealing with "for sure" rather than "bidding against other teams".

and wouldn't Dallas counter with wanting a 4th or 5th before taking a 7th and pointing out Ware will be cut and said team would have to deal with the other 30 teams for his services? That works both ways.

I don't think a team out there would take a flyer on Ware through a trade and take on that cap hit

 

[tw1st3d]

and wouldn't Dallas counter with wanting a 4th or 5th before taking a 7th and pointing out Ware will be cut and said team would have to deal with the other 30 teams for his services? That works both ways.

I don't think a team out there would take a flyer on Ware through a trade and take on that cap hit

agreed ..... Don't think a single team would offer us anything for him.

 

[cowboycolors]

I really like Ware and he has been a solid player but IMHO its time to renegotiate and if he wont take a incentive laden pay cut contract its time to move on. will sux if he goes on and has a great 2-3 years elsewhere but that money is better spent elsewhere if Demarcus is not healthy

 

[Manster7588]

I believe he will renegotiate. If he doesn't he can to be looked at as a cap casualty.

 

[blue jersey jinx]

Keep Carr and get rid of Ware for what left we can get for him. We can't rebuild the defense with his hurtful contract and lame ass production.