The Dallas Cowboys are cash strapped this offseason and still need to re-sign star wideout Dez Bryant and the NFL's leading rusher DeMarco Murray. One such solution is to clear out cap space for next season by releasing some veterans.
Enter cornerback Brandon Carr.
Carr is set to count for $12.7 million against the salary cap next season. I'm no general manager, but that seems to be overly expensive for someone who ranked as just the 90th best CB in the NFL in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus. It remains to be seen how the Cowboys will proceed with Carr.
"[Owner/GM Jerry] Jones said he has no interest in contract restructure because its impact on dead money in future years," Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram wrote. "So it will either be roster cut or salary reduction. Nd the former is delicate because they would not save much money against the cap by reducing his salary because of dead money on the books from previous contract restructures.
"If the Cowboys do cut Carr, it will likely be designated for June 1, which would save them roughly $8 million cap space in 2015 but give them a $7.4 million charge against the 2016 cap."
According to Pro Football Focus, Carr finished the season strong, ranking as the No. 8 CB over the final four games of the season. Dallas finished this past season 26th in opposing passing yards per game (251.9). It's not as if the Cowboys are flush with defensive talent, so his future with the team is still in flux. The same can be said for linebacker Rolando McClain.
"The Cowboys still have holes to fill on defense this offseason (cornerback could be a position of focus), and while it would have ranked as a most unlikely story before the season, linebacker Rolando McClain has emerged as a keeper on defense," ESPN's Field Yates wrote. "Acquired in a trade with Baltimore before the season, McClain has provided a boost in the middle of a Dallas defense that lost its best player, Sean Lee, to injury before the season."
