Report: Cowboys were in on new Bengals RB Zack Moss, but contract exceeded their comfort point
The price has to be right. Such is the name of the game for the Dallas Cowboys when it comes to free agency. In looking at the deals that outgoing Cowboys got with their new teams (track all of the Cowboys free agency action or lack of it right here) it is fair to say that Dallas was wise not to match the offers that Tony Pollard, Dorance Armstrong and/or Tyler Biadasz got.
But at some point you have to be willing to blink and have to be willing to pay something. This isn’t to say that you have to blink and pay above what you are comfortable with, but there is a natural give and take involved in free agency. There is a middle ground to be found.
Apparently this is not the case for the Cowboys in our current moment. Day 1 of free agency (the legal tampering period) saw a flurry of action at the running back position. Consider that every team in the NFC East agreed to terms with a new ball-,carrier at some point throughout the day.
According to Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News the Cowboys had interest in one as well, Zack Moss who wound up with the Cincinnati Bengals. It should come as no surprise that the breakpoint was the finances involved.
Cowboys were in the mix today for RB Zack Moss, a person familiar with the discussions said. Ultimately, the price extended past their comfort point. Moss agreed with Bengals on a two-year, $8 million contract that includes $4.525 in earnings this year.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 12, 2024
While again no team should go anywhere that they are not comfortable financially, the number that Moss agreed to with Cincinnati is pretty modest. If Dallas is unwilling to match a two-year, $8M deal then what is their ceiling at the running back position?
Names like Derrick Henry and Aaron Jones are still available in free agency but will likely command or at least ask for a contract of Moss’ details. While they are different players and the possibility exists that Dallas would be willing to pay that for them, this is a little disheartening.
There has been a lot of discourse about the running back position in recent years and how it does not matter. It obviously matters, you just do not need to devote premium resources to it. Even within that though, context always matters. This year’s draft class is a bit thin at the position which is evidenced by teams going out and securing ball-carriers in free agency.
Everybody has a price. The Cowboys did not bend on theirs.