Dallas Cowboys: 5 Most Overpaid Veterans Currently on the Roster

Last week, the Dallas Cowboys decided to rid themselves of a lot of grizzled veterans. Gone are offensive linemen Marc Colombo and Leonard Davis and running back Marion Barber and wide receiver Roy Williams were let go as well.

The ones who were overpaid are now all gone with the leader of the pack being Roy Williams.

But Dallas still has a few players left on the roster that are taking to large of a bit of Jerry’s finance pie. These guys may be key to the Cowboys success in 2011 but that doesn’t mean they aren’t overpaid.

Let’s take a peek at six of the Cowboys most overpaid veteran players.

Bradie James, LB, 5 Yr/$19.2 Million

James has played his entire career in Dallas and due to his great play he was rewarded with a contract extension worth $20 million dollars.

Now that Bradie is a little older and maybe, just maybe, a tad bit slower Dallas is looking in another direction. The Cowboys have drafted his potential replacement, and Bradie’s cap number this year $3.5 million.

Linebackers Sean Lee and Bruce Carter still need time to development so it’s a very real possibility that James may be back in Dallas next season, but it won’t be for the type of money he’s receiving now.

Igor Olshansky, DE, 4yr/$18 Million

Olshansky was signed as a free agent in 2009 to replace the departing Chris Canty. So far, Igor hasn’t really panned out how the Cowboys wanted.

He can be solid but last season he failed to register a sack and only totaled 38 tackles. Olshansky isn’t a sack machine, and I don’t believe that Dallas is looking for that type of production from the seven year veteran.

But for $3.35 million in 2011, team owner Jerry Jones is surely looking for a much better output than what he received in 2010.

Terance Newman, CB, 6 Yr/$50 Million

Newman’s 2011 cap hit is a solid $8 million. He’s officially reached the peek of his contract, and his number slides to $6 million in 2012 and rises to $7.6 in 2013.

Newman is a good cornerback. He can get nicked up every once in awhile, but overall, he’s a solid player. Last season, he had 79 tackles and five interceptions and maybe in any other division for any other team, those numbers would suffice.

But Newman played for Dallas last year, and their secondary was atrocious. He played through a lot of pain in 2010, and he played much better than his counterpart Mike Jenkins.

Newman will have to ball harder than Deion Sanders did during his Dallas days for fans to agree that he deserves an $8 million payout in 2011.

Miles Austin, WR, 7 Yr/$57 Million

Don’t take this the wrong way that Austin’s name is on this list because he is one hell of a receiver.

He still needs to improve in certain areas, but he was one of the few bright spots for the ‘Boys last season and will be again this season.

Austin’s cap hit this year will only total $8.5 million, and his production will likely warrant that type of payday.

But Dallas still needs a safety maybe another cornerback, and if Austin is willing to restructure his deal, the ‘Boys may be able to make another move or two.

If Austin continues to play as well as he has for the past two seasons then he’ll probably receiver another large contract before his best playing days are behind him.

For the time being, I think he should restructure his deal for the sake of the team.

Tony Romo, QB, 6 Yr/$67 Million

Romo, like Austin, is on the list because of his ability to possibly restructure his deal. His cap number this season is a clean $9 million, and if he restructures he’ll give the ‘Boys some breathing room to sign another player or two.

Don’t get it twisted, Romo deserves every penny of his money just like Austin. But for the short term, Tony is probably willing to sacrifice a little if this brings Dallas any closer to winning a Super Bowl.