There was a time when Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware could do no wrong. Ware was the Cowboys first round pick in 2005 out of Troy University and he immediately contributed in his rookie season with 8 sacks. By his second season in the National Football League, Ware became a Pro Bowl selection and in 2008 he became the first and only Cowboys player to record 20 sacks in a season. At the end of the 2011 NFL season life was good for Ware. Ware was coming off of his sixth consecutive double-digit sacks season as he recorded 19.5 that year en route to surpassing his former teammate with the Cowboys in Greg Ellis to become that franchise’s all-time leader in sacks. The past two seasons have not been as kind to Ware. After the 2012 season, Ware lost his defensive coordinator in Rob Ryan who was fired by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. This past season saw Ware appear in only 13 games and he recorded a career-low in sacks with just 6.
After playing for peanuts in the past few seasons, Ware is due to earn $12.25 million this season in base salary and the Cowboys would desire for him to “restructure” his contract which is an obscene word to NFL players. According to multiple media outlets Ware is unwilling to restructure his contract with the Cowboys which means that his days of having a star on the side of his helmet could soon be a distant memory.
The Cowboys entered this off-season with a lack of salary cap space as they were barely $1 million under the cap. Cowboys starting quarterback Tony Romo recently reworked his deal which gave the team nearly an additional $10 million in cap space. Ware is 31-years of age and in the NFL teams are reluctant to pay players who are on the wrong side of 30 more than $10 million in a season that are not quarterbacks.
Most likely Ware may become the victim of the cap squeeze in Dallas, but he was really hurt when Jones fired Ryan. From 2005-2012, Ware only played in a 3-4 defense as an outside linebacker. When Jones brought in Monte Kiffin last season as the Cowboys new defensive coordinator, Kiffin brought with him his famous 4-3, Cover 2 defense that was made famous during his time as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator. Kiffin’s time in Dallas last season was the equivalent of mixing oil with water as the Cowboys defense finished dead last in the NFL in total defense and they were the only defensive unit in the league to average more than 400 yards per game allowed.
If and when Ware is released he should find several suitors for his services.
New England Patriots
If there is one thing that New England Patriots Bill Belichick covets it is veteran defenders. The Patriots finished 2013 with 48 sacks which was fifth in the NFL, but in the AFC Championship Game they were unable to put any pressure on Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning as they were denied a trip to the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year. Ware won’t get a big payday from the Patriots, but he will have an opportunity to win a championship.
New York Jets
Since 2009 defense and the New York Jets go hand and hand. Rex Ryan took over as the Jets head coach in 2009 and his aggressive defense has been one of the tops units in the league. The Jets were 11th last season in total defense and they also had 41 sacks. Ryan was a lame duck head coach last season that was able to live to fight another day under a new Jets general manager in John Idzik. After the 2013 NFL season Jets owner Woody Johnson gave Ryan an extension on his contract in spite of the fact that Gang Green has not made the playoffs since 2010. With three years without a postseason berth you can expect Ryan and the Jets to go all out in 2014. The Jets entered the off-season with over $20 million in cap space and they could make a run at Ware if he were to hit the open market.
Baltimore Ravens
After winning the Super Bowl at the end of the 2012 NFL season the Baltimore Ravens became the second consecutive team to fail to qualify for the postseason after winning it all. Last year marked the first time since 2008 that the Ravens failed to make the playoffs and you can expect them to go all out in the effort to make it back to the postseason in 2014. The Ravens run a 3-4 defense which fits Ware’s strengths. Only outside linebacker Terrell Suggs was able to reach double-digits in sacks last year for the Ravens and another veteran edge rusher in Baltimore could be what the doctor ordered to help get the Ravens back to the playoffs.
Indianapolis Colts
We are in the midst of a new era of Indianapolis Colts football. Under former general manager Bill Polian it was basically illegal for the Colts to spend money in free agency, but since Ryan Grigson took over as the Colts general manager in 2012 he has spent time, money, and draft picks in the effort to improve his team. Last season The Colts gave the Cleveland Browns a 2014 first-round pick in the NFL Draft for running back Trent Richardson. The Browns recently released inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson and this week Grigson signed him to a four-year, $22 million contract.
In 2012 Chuck Pagano became the Colts head coach and he switched Indy’s defense to a 3-4 scheme. Last season Colts outside linebacker Robert Mathis led the league in sacks with 19.5, but no other Colts player recorded more than 5 sacks last season.
The Colts appear to back in the driver’s seat as far as running the AFC South which means that it will come down to what they can do in the playoffs. In the postseason you can never have enough edge rushers to stop quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos and Tom Brady of the Patriots.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are still licking their wounds after last month’s Super Bowl letdown, with Peyton Manning at quarterback they will once again be in a primed position for 2014. The Broncos had 41 sacks last season, but they lacked a dominant edge rusher when outside linebacker Von Miller was lost late in the 2013 NFL season with a knee injury. After recording 18.5 sacks in 2013, Miller only appeared in 9 games last season and totaled just 5 sacks. Miller cannot do it by himself and Broncos general manager John Elway must find a bookend pass rusher to compliment Miller. The Broncos have an estimated $25 million in salary cap space and could be active if Ware becomes available.
Last season the Green Bay Packers overcame substantial injuries on both sides of the football to win the NFC North. One of those injuries was to outside linebacker Clay Matthews who missed five games due to injury. The Packers were 25th last season in total defense and they will enter this off-season with roughly $34 million in salary cap space. Matthews has long needed a stud edge rusher to offset him as Packers general manager Ted Thompson has failed to address the issue through the draft. With quarterback Aaron Rodgers leading the way in 2014, the Packers should once again be a Super Bowl contender, but Green Bay needs a defense that will put pressure on opposing quarterbacks in the NFC North such as Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears and Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions.
Arizona Cardinals
Last season the Arizona Cardinals had a ferocious defense. The Cardinals defense was sixth overall in the NFL and they had 47 sacks. A 10-6 record by the Cardinals was good, but it wasn’t good enough to earn a playoff berth. What hurt the Cardinals last season was that they were 1-3 in games against the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers (the two teams that finished ahead of them in the NFC West). In order for the Cardinals to surpass both the Seahawks and Niners this season they will need to secure as many pass rushers as possible to put pressure on Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
The Cardinals have $17 million in cap space. More than likely Ware would not earn the $12 million that he is due to make this season with the Cowboys, but playing for the Cardinals and their defensive coordinator Todd Bowles could get Ware back to being the Pro Bowl caliber player that he was several years ago.
It will be interesting to see how the Ware situation plays out. One thing is for certain is that he will be done with Dallas, but we can expect some form of interest in the veteran pass rusher.
Sources: Pro-football-reference.com, Sportrac.com, Overthecap.com
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