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cap, so it was a significant move. Since the Cowboys don't play Denver during the regular season this fall, the only way they might regret the decision this year is if both teams make it to the Super Bowl. The fact that they were willing to put Ware on free agency and pick up Melton meant that they had doubts about Ware's prognosis.
As far as bringing in the fans, Melton went to high school about 20 miles away from AT&T Stadium and also went to the University of Texas. Drawing an audience to the stadium is much more dependent on whether the Cowboys are having a successful season than it is on the individual efforts of a defensive player on the team. The fans didn't stop attending the games when Ware was injured after all. BTW, I saw Melton play a couple of high school games when he was a running back and he does generate crowd excitement with his high-step runs and overall speed.
You are correct about Weeden's age, but fortunately the Cowboys only signed a two-year contract. Orton is still undecided about whether he will retire, although he would have to pay back a substantial part of his bonus (I read it was over $2M).
As the old saying goes, "the proof is in the pudding" so we'll have to wait to the fall to find out whether any of these trades actually matter. 