5 Free Agents Who Won't Be Signing with the Dallas Cowboys

Every year fans get their collective hopes up that their favorite team will make the splash free-agent signing that will put their team over the top; however, that rarely comes to fruition and the Dallas Cowboys won't be a part of the expectations this year. 

The Cowboys have made some splash signings in the past (Terrell Owens ring any bells?), but the front office has shown that it looks to make value signings in lieu of the big-name ones. 

The front office has also shown the ability to make tough decisions on key players as they let Jason Hatcher and DeMarcus Ware walk last year. 

Now, you can never totally discount Jerry Jones getting enamored with a player such as Justin Houston and opening his checkbook, but it would go against the principles that the front office has set the last couple of years. 

With that in mind, let's check out some players whom the Cowboys won't be signing this offseason.

Ndamukong Suh

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

The biggest prize, or second-biggest price depending on your opinion of Houston, of the 2015 free-agency period is defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. He has everything you want in an interior defensive lineman. He has the size, quickness, strength and technical knowledge, which makes him one of the most disruptive forces in the NFL. 

Despite these facts, the Cowboys will not be in the Suh sweepstakes. Despite the fact that he would be a huge addition to the defense, he would cost too much money, and the Cowboys already have an extremely competent player at Suh's position in Tyrone Crawford. 

If the Cowboys make a big-name acquisition, it is going to be at a position that is a need for the Cowboys, not one where they already have great production and impact from. 

Suh is a fantastic player who will make a huge impact for whichever team he signs with; however, that team will not be the Cowboys.

Greg Hardy

MIKE MCCARN/Associated Press

Greg Hardy is one of the most talented defensive ends in the NFL. He has the ability to be one of, if not, the premier pass-rushers in the NFL. However, all that talent comes with a significant amount of baggage. 

Hardy has had numerous run-ins with the law, the latest of which was a domestic-violence case. Nevertheless, Hardy's charges were recently dropped, and the Carolina Panthers have no interest in him returning in 2015, per ESPN.com's David Newton. 

This means that Hardy will hit the open market, and teams have the opportunity to bring in an extremely talented, yet troubled, young star. 

The Cowboys have shown that they will take a chance on troubled players in the past if they can be productive players. Look at the 1990s Cowboys roster, which was littered with players who had questionable character. 

Nonetheless, don't expect the Cowboys to add one more to the list in Hardy. The Cowboys will undoubtedly take a look at Hardy as he is one of the best players on the market at a position of need. However, with the NFL's hardened stance on domestic violence, it isn't worth it for the Cowboys to bring in this type of headache. 

In a normal free agency, the Cowboys might be more tempted to do so, but this offseason is packed with productive and impactful defensive ends in the draft and free agency. Therefore, the Cowboys would be smart to look elsewhere.

Jason Pierre-Paul

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Cowboys fans know all too well how great of a player Jason Pierre-Paul can be. He is one of the few defensive ends who has given Tyron Smith fits on a regular basis. Pierre-Paul is a top-tier run defender to go along with explosiveness as a pass-rusher. 

The reason the Cowboys won't bring in Pierre-Paul has nothing to do with talent or scheme fit because he has both; instead it has to do with dollars and cents. 

Pierre-Paul is likely to get paid a huge amount of guaranteed dollars because he is only 26 years old and just now hitting his prime. Not often do you see elite players hit free agency before their peak, and when you do, they get paid. 

For the Cowboys, there are much better options at lower price points. They could sign players such as Brandon Graham or Pernell McPhee at a fraction of the price and get a lot of the same production. 

If the Cowboys were going to whip out their checkbook and throw a huge contract at a defensive end, it would likely be at Justin Houston, who is the best pass-rusher not named J.J. Watt in the NFL, and not Pierre-Paul.

DeMarco Murray

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The most divisive topic among Cowboys fans and analysts right now is whether Dallas should re-sign DeMarco Murray or let him walk. 

The smartest and fiscally responsible decision the Cowboys could make would be to let Murray walk, even with the stellar year he had last season. 

First off, history is not on Murray's side. Players who have carried the ball 392 times or more have seen a significant drop-off in production in the next year. 

Also, this is a really good free agent and draft class with regard to running backs. The Cowboys could sign a player such as Mark Ingram or draft a player such as Duke Johnson and not see a huge drop-off in production. 

One reason that many use as a reason why the Cowboys should bring back Murray is his pass-protection ability. However, Murray's ability as a pass-blocker has been vastly overstated. Murray was rated 24th among running backs in pass-blocking efficiency (a weighted formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many snaps a running back stays in to protect), per Pro Football Focus. 

The fact is, Murray is not an incredible pass-blocker, and the Cowboys can find a running back who can be just as effective as Murray. 

The Cowboys should make the decision with their collective brain, not their collective heart, and let Murray walk.

Bruce Carter

USA TODAY Sports

Another big piece of Dallas' 2014 roster who likely won't be back in 2015 is linebacker Bruce Carter. It was really a maddening season for Carter as he showcased the elite talent that could make him special, but he also showed the ability to be a below-average player as well. 

His play was so bad at one time that he was benched for Kyle Wilber in December against the Chicago Bears. 

Despite his benching, Carter made a ton of huge plays that allowed the Cowboys to win some crucial games, as he led the Cowboys in interceptions with 5. 

Despite his success, the Cowboys will have a lot of decisions to make at linebacker as Justin Durant and Rolando McClain will be free agents as well. McClain was arguably one of the top two or three players on the defense throughout the season for the Cowboys, so they will for sure try to bring him back. 

The decision likely lies between Durant and Carter as to whom the Cowboys will bring back in 2015. The thing that really separates Durant is the fact that he will come much cheaper since he is coming off an injury and Carter isn't. 

The fact that Durant will come at a bargain will allow the Cowboys to allocate more resources elsewhere, which is exactly the type of decision the Cowboys have made in the last couple of years.