Friday, April 2, 2010

Cowboys Send High-Profile Veterans Packing

'False-Start' Flozell Adams and safety Ken Hamlin to be cut by the Cowboys, agents say.

According to Dallasnews.com, the Cowboys are going to be in the market for both a starting left tackle and strong safety this offseason.

Both Flozell Adams and Ken Hamlin's time with Dallas could be considered disappointments.

Adams, drafted out of Michigan State in the second record in the 1998 draft, never really lived up to expectations here in Dallas. With all the false starts and holding penalties over the years and after leading the NFL in penalties last season (12) while giving up a career-worst eight sacks - it was time for the Cowboys to cut ties. On a brighter note, Adams did make the Pro-Bowl five times, miss only 14 games in his 13-year career, and was the longest tenured Cowboys player. Adams was due a $2.5 million roster bonus in June and would have earned $5 million next season.

For Hamlin, it seems as though he could never live up to the massive 6-year $39 million contract he signed in 2007. Hamlin did have one great year with Dallas, setting career-highs in interceptions (5) and passes defensed (team-leading 15) and accumulated 62 tackles - fourth on the team. The last two seasons, however, Hamlin's play largely been inconsequential. In 2008, he registered only one interception and two passes defensed. Last year, in 12 games, his interception total dropped to zero and his mere two passed defended stayed the same. Beyond the numbers, Hamlin just didn't have the impact that he had in his first year with the team.

It will be interested to see which route the Cowboys will go in replacing these players. Will the left tackle issue be handled through the draft or free-agency? Will the Cowboys look from within (Alan Ball, who started in place of Hamlin last season) to replace Hamlin or is that another area where Dallas needs to look elsewhere for help? We will see in the next few months.

Free agency wise, it's an uncapped year - although Dallas has done much there so far. Draft-wise, the Cowboys own the 27th pick of the first round and 59th overall in the second.

2 comments:

  1. Does anyone know what happened to Zac Thomas? Did he retire??

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  2. I think Thomas went to the Kansas City Chiefs and was cut/retired shortly after.

    ReplyDelete