To be honest I didn't think it'd happen. But some surprising cuts by the Cowboys lately are a bit eye opening. Rumors started to surface that Nnamdi is willing to take "less money" to go to a contender. Not only that, but Jerry came out and made a bold statement, saying Cowboys have the flexibility to "sign anyone they want." Let's not forget the all important Nnamdi relationship with Rob Ryan going back to their Oakland days. Here's the cap breakdown at the moment:
Cowboys Current Cap:
$15 Million Over
Player To Be Cut:
Leonard Davis: $9.5 Million Saved
Marc Columbo: $2.5 Million Saved
Marion Barber: $4.75 Million Saved
Roy Williams: $5 Million Saved
Total Salary Saved: $21.75 Million
Subtracted by the the Current Cap of $15 Million puts the Cowboys at about $6.75 Million under the cap, which is a good start. I found the Roy Williams cut particularly surprising, but apparently the new CBA has a proposed "soft cap" that prevents a player like Roy Williams from counting $12 Million against this year's salary cap. I don't think Jerry attending those CBA negotiations and a soft cap being implemented in 2011 is a coincidence at all. Jerry may take a lot of criticism on the personnel decisions he makes, but he knows the business side of football better than anyone.
I don't have the rookie wage scale numbers yet, but it's my guess that it'll take anywhere from $5 Million - $7 Million to sign their 2011 Rookie class. A few more big names would have to be released and possibly a couple of restructured veteran contracts, but the chase for Nnamdi is looking more possible than originally expected for the Cowboys. Here's some veterans who might restructure:
2011 Salaries
Romo: $9 Million
Austin: $8.5 Million
Ware: $7 Million
Gurode: $6 Million
2011 Surprise Cut? (or restructure)...
Newman: $8 Million Salary in 2011
I believe through some surprise releases and restructuring, the Cowboys will try to focus their efforts on resigning Doug Free, but signing Nnamdi will be a close second. If they decide to go this route, a few bargain safeties such as Abram Elam might be the route to go to solidy their secondary.
It's important to understand that if the Cowboys do chase Nnamdi, they will probably be a bit thin at either Oline or Dline. They've already agreed to terms with three undrafted free agent O-Lineman. Kevin Kowalski (Toledo), Jose Acuna (Nevada), and Laupepa Letuli (Hawaii). It's possbile the Cowboys will be stocking up at cheap options and hope someone emerges in camp to fill that void at right guard after releasing Davis.
As for Dline, it remains to be seen what the Cowboys will do with Bowen, Hatcher and Spears being on the open market. I believe Bowen is their priority, but that's just speculation. It's quite possible their Dline might be a bit weaker than last year, but the improvement in the secondary would be significant if they signed the 2nd best corner in the game. The next couple of days will tell the story on the Dline, but signing Nnamdi would raise the level of that secondary enough to help whoever is playing in the trenches.
One huge advantage Dallas has over New York is that Texas has no State Tax. That's like some hidden cap room right there, they can offer Nnamdi less money but he'll still see the same dollar amount in his bank account.
We'll keep an eye on those roster cuts and free agent signings to see where this is all headed, but it's clear that Nnamdi is the biggest prize this free agency and Jerry Jones seems to be creating some cap space...just in case.
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