Cowboys' game of (franchise) tag could be years away

FRISCO, Texas — With the window for the franchise tag designation opening today, let’s quickly point out that the Dallas Cowboys don’t have a candidate for it in 2017.

In fact, it might be some time before the Cowboys use the tag.

Unless the Cowboys are unable to secure a long-term extension on Zack Martin by the end of the 2018 season, the next possible time the Cowboys could use the tag could be in 2020 for Dak Prescott. Maybe you would put Maliek Collins in that category if he develops the way the Cowboys believe he will.

The last time the Cowboys used the franchise tag was in 2015 when they placed it on Dez Bryant. While the sides were able to agree to a $70 million long-term deal a couple of hours before the deadline, there was regret in using it in the first place.

Bryant was not with the team during the offseason program. He didn’t take part in the offseason program. His only appearance at the June minicamp was as a spectator on the final day. When training camp started, the Cowboys wanted to work Bryant in slowly because of the lack of conditioning work with them. He suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of the preseason games.

Bryant suffered a broken foot in the season opener that led to essentially a lost season.

Stephen Jones wished there could have been a do-over, while understanding the process to get to a long-term deal can take time.

The downside of the tag for the team is the high cap figure. The Cowboys had to carry Bryant’s $12.8 million cap figure against their cap once free agency began, which played a part in their decision making in free agency. The downside of the tag for the player is the lack of guaranteed money over a long-term deal.

It can lead to frayed feelings, although the Cowboys and Bryant never got cross with each other.

In their best laid plans, the Cowboys will sign Martin to a long-term extension this summer after picking up their fifth-year option for 2018 in the spring. That’s how they worked it with Tyron Smith in 2014 and that’s how they worked it with Travis Frederick in 2016. They have a good thing going with their offensive line and have shown a willingness to pay top dollar.

The Cowboys were able to work out a deal with Tony Romo on his first big-time extension during the 2007 season, less than two seasons into his tenure as the full-time starter. By the time the Cowboys can to do a deal with Prescott, they will have potentially 48 games of evidence to come up with the proper price tag.