There wasn’t much I was expecting beyond going after our own guys and replacement pieces for those we lost. The signing that surprised me the most was Terrance Williams! Didn’t think he’d be a nickel less than 6M with a top of maybe 8 or 9M based on contracts of comparable type and tier players. Getting him at 4M is a bargain. He’s a solid receiver but as we know can disappear for weeks at a time. His best attributes are his ability to work the sideline as we know in his earning the nickname, “Toe Drag” against Seattle on 4th and forever! He’s a really good blocker in the run game and maybe one of the best in the league in that department. His best routes are when he improvises when the QB escapes or flees the pocket. Just wonder where that guy in week 17 against Washington in 2015 can be located? That day he had 8 receptions on 9 targets for 173 yards. That’s a guy I’d like to see more of. It was his best statistical day with Kellen Moore and him playing pitch and catch! Sometimes we all have to tap the brakes when judging him as he’s probably the last option on the offensive weapons chart.
The loss of Terrell McClain is one of some serious concern for me. When healthy, he made us far better defensively against the run. Very good lateral movement sideline to sideline, big man covered a lot of turf. Stephen Paea is until he proves otherwise simply a JAG and a rotational player. At 2M per year he’ll fill the spot but I’m not expecting the same results by any means. But hey, prove me wrong, bring it on Stephen and I’ll be ecstatic to praise great play. The value of one player to the other tells a large part of the expectations for each. We’ll hope for the best, but expecting Paea to be the back up in the Marinelli rotation. Right now, I’m hopeful of solid play in 15 snaps per game. I think Cedric Thornton can slide into the 1, but thats to be seen and after his signing last year, it’s go time for him!
The signing of Nolan Carroll filled a need for experience and reliability at CB. In the NFC East with quality WR’s being added to the Giants & Eagles, we need all the corners we can get. Carroll’s one of those pretty dependable guys that does a solid job. Probably the only real corner in Philly last year. Let’s welcome him in from the “Dark Side” in Philly! Having both Mo & Carr on the street right now, did make this a position of need. This draft seems loaded with really good prospects at CB. Amazing to see how good some of the corners looked at the Combine, very fluid, ability to turn on a dime and see a few with actual ability to catch an errant pass. Looking for an instinctive player who can anticipate the play and break on the ball quickly and pick a few off. We’ve lacked that in Dallas for a long time. Don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some INT’s. We can’t rely on Eli every year to suffer the inability to distinguish shades of blue. No matter, that’s what I’m looking for. What I’m wondering is whether or not this signing for 3 years stops the return of Brandon Carr? Carroll and Carr are similar type players in that they’re solid pro’s, show up and do a decent days work. They play smart, use the side lines to their advantage, yet nothing flashy. I rewatched our games versus Philly this year and Carroll appears to be more physical than Carr and more capable of carrying WR’s across the field. That’s been Carr’s biggest weakness. He’s also similar to Carr that they only tackle when they have to do it. Carroll also played well in his coverage of one, Dez Bryant in their first battle. Dez made one of his patented, “are you kidding me”, electric receptions on Carroll. Couldn’t fault Carroll’s coverage. In the second contest, Romo worked on Carroll, first with a double move by Dez which drew a PI and brought them down inside the 5. Then on 1st down, Romo & Williams worked over Carroll on another double move for an easy TD in the back of the end zone. With rumblings about retirement I’d only see Carr signing on for two years. A Carr signing would mean only one CB to be drafted this year and for me, two is the goal, Always is, that’s just me!
The signing of Demontre Moore is a curious one and a bit of a head scratcher. They did bring him in for a visit last year and obviously weren’t interested enough to sign him. Didn’t see him as an upgrade at DE last year, so why now? True we lost Jack Crawford so is this an upgrade or not? Happy to see Jack get a nice contract after his hard work in Dallas. The Swiss Army knife was very reliable and gave you everything he had. Moore has more upside and showed promise going back to his days in Seattle. Now, can Magic Marinelli, get that talent out of him? The one interesting thing to consider, but we have to look back in time is that Moore was a 3rd round selection and in his time with the Giants he flashed with 5.5 sacks in 2014, then 3 more in 2015 before his release following a brush with the law, regarding a drivers license and suspicion of driving under the influence. Picked up another sack when he moved onto Miami in 15′ as well. Can he resurrect his career? Certainly has some ability and the Boys could certainly utilize a player who can snag 4 to 6 sacks in our rotational line. They need a bunch of those kinds of guys, absent a monster up front, so there’s some potential here. He’s coming off a foot injury in 2016 and having been released by three teams in two years and five overall, lets be cautious but hopeful. He’s reported to be a good guy, yet immature and if memory serves quick to get foolish penalties as he did with the Giants. Tom Coughlin is not one to tolerate that stuff and 8.5 sacks weren’t enough to save him in the Meadowlands. Expect to see a modest contract as this may be his last shot to prove he can be a real professional and a productive hard worker.
