In 2014, the Cowboys made franchise legend DeMarcus Ware a salary cap casualty. The Cowboys deemed that the $7.4 million they could save by cutting Ware was worth more than his potential contributions moving forward.

Ware promptly signed with the Denver Broncos, where he went on to record 21.5 sacks in three seasons while becoming a Super Bowl champion in 2015. The Cowboys struggled to find anyone who could replace Ware, failing to produce a player with a double-digit sack season until DeMarcus Lawrence in 2017.

One team's trash can certainly become another team's treasure.

The Cowboys likely won't find or sign anyone the caliber of Ware, but that doesn't mean they can't find their own treasure while sifting through the rest of the NFL's trash.

With that in mind, let's take a look at a few potential salary cap casualties who can make positive impacts if signed by the Cowboys:

Gerald McCoy, DT

The crown jewel in terms of potential salary cap casualties this offseason is undoubtedly Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. The Buccaneers could save $13 million against the cap by cutting McCoy, and there's a "real chance" that happens, per ESPN's Jenna Laine.

McCoy is the victim of a confluence of age, a new coaching staff and an escalating cap hit on a team that has a little over $15 million in cap space (ninth-least in the NFL).

If released, McCoy would be an outstanding fit with the Cowboys. Despite the fact he will be 31 when the 2019 season begins, McCoy's skill set matches up perfectly with what Dallas looks for in an under tackle (3-technique defensive tackle).

gerald mccoy's first step is still lightning quick. i also have no idea who #77 for jacksonville is & cam robinson looks lost as hell lmao pic.twitter.com/W59i0zCpTd — charles mcdonald (MAN 101 STUDENT) (@FourVerts) August 18, 2017

McCoy possesses one of the most electric get-offs in the league (though it has waned a tad since his early 20s) and it has allowed him to be one of the most consistently disruptive defensive tackles in football. McCoy buoys his get-off with refined hand technique and footwork, making him one of the toughest defenders to block one-on-one.

McCoy also has a keen understanding of leverage and weight distribution, enabling him to find success with power moves on top of his speed and finesse moves.

McCoy's feet are consistently moving in concert with his hands, allowing him to sequence moves together without hesitation and remain fluid and balanced with his movements. Moreover, McCoy possesses uncommon hip, knee and foot flexibility, which enables him to trim tight edges to the quarterback once he defeats a blocker's hands.

Much like Lawrence, McCoy's favorite move is the cross-chop, which he loves to sequence with a club and a rip.

Unfortunately for McCoy, he often had to deal with a plethora of double-teams and combination blocks because of the lack of (healthy) talent on Tampa's defensive line. This is why McCoy's production saw a slight decline in 2018, when he finished with 28 tackles and six sacks -- his lowest tackle total since 2011 and lowest sack total since 2012. Other than Jason Pierre-Paul, teams didn't have to worry about McCoy's linemates, making it easier to scheme ways to slow McCoy down.

Discussing how the pre-snap alignment of Maliek Collins led to David Irving's successful pass rush here. Also talk about the well-timed cross chop and Irving's footwork while wrapping around the block. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/q3l1lxoRX6 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) October 15, 2018

Much like he did with David Irving, Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli will do a much better job than Tampa did at manufacturing one-on-one situations for McCoy. By putting McCoy in more one-on-one situations, it will enable him to produce at a high level despite being over the age of 30.

The addition of McCoy would move Maliek Collins into a backup role, where Dallas would be able to better manage his snaps as a way to keep him fresh. That is important because Collins' effectiveness tends to wane as he gets more fatigued.

The Cowboys desperately need someone who can consistently generate interior pressure, and McCoy is exactly the type of player who could solve that problem.

If released, the Cowboys would be foolish to not show interest in the former Oklahoma Sooner -- he's a perfect fit scheme- and skill set-wise.

Travis Benjamin, WR

The Los Angeles Chargers can save $5.25 million by cutting wide receiver Travis Benjamin, and coming off a year when he accumulated just 12 receptions for 186 yards and a touchdown, there's a very real chance it happens.

After playing at least 23 snaps in each game in 2017, Benjamin played more than 23 snaps just four times in 2018. After playing 49 snaps in Week 1, a foot injury forced him to miss the next two games and his playing time never recovered. Benjamin did not have another game with more than 40 snaps played.

The emergence of 2017 first-round pick Mike Williams pushed Benjamin to No. 4 on the depth chart, minimizing his role to largely a deep decoy in the Los Angeles offense.

If the Chargers do part ways with the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Benjamin, the Cowboys would be wise to show interest in the seven-year veteran who would be the perfect replacement for free agent-to-be Tavon Austin.

When healthy, the Cowboys liked to use Austin as someone who could stretch the field vertically (go routes) and horizontally (jet sweeps). Benjamin could be used in a similar way.

Benjamin's speed allows him to outpace defenders and quickly get to the edge on jet sweeps, which leads to him consistently accumulating positive yardage as a ball carrier.

If signed, Benjamin would automatically become the premier deep threat -- outside of Amari Cooper -- in the Cowboys' offense. Benjamin's 4.36 speed allows him to eat up and blow by a cornerback's cushion on vertical routes.

Benjamin is fantastic at reading the leverage of defensive backs during his route, which tells him how to manipulate his deep routes to find the open space in coverage. Benjamin's ability to accelerate out of his breaks on vertical routes allows him to create an inordinate amount of separation from cornerbacks at times.

Because of his diminutive frame, Benjamin doesn't have a very big catch radius, but he does possess reliable hands when the ball is placed within his catch radius.

On top of his receiving ability, Benjamin also brings value as a return man. He specializes as a punt returner, having averaged more than 10 yards per punt return in three of his seven years in the NFL, but has experience returning kickoffs as well.

Much like Austin, Benjamin struggles most when pitted against long cornerbacks in press coverage, which is why he should largely be used in the slot. Even though he's adept at running impressive routes on short and vertical concepts, his intermediate breaking routes need work.

Cowboys wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal, who is renowned for his ability to develop route-running in his receivers, is the type of coach who can get Benjamin to improve on his weaknesses and maximize his skill set.

Benjamin would be an outstanding addition to the Cowboys' offense, providing Dallas with an upgrade over Austin.

Matt Bryant, K

Unlike McCoy and Benjamin, Matt Bryant has already become a salary cap casualty, as the Atlanta Falcons decided that the $2.8 million they saved was more important than Bryant's potential future contributions.

The 43-year-old Texan is a little long in the tooth, but he still proved capable of being an elite kicker in 2018. Bryant finished third in the NFL in field-goal percentage, going 20 for 21 (95.2 percent). On top of that, Bryant went 33 for 35 on extra points.

The biggest worry regarding a 40-plus-year-old kicker is whether he has the leg strength to be consistent from 40 or more yards. Bryant's 2018 campaign should quickly quiet any concerns, as he finished 11 for 12 on field goals of 40-plus yards (4 for 5 on 50-plus-yard field goals) with a long of 57.

The Cowboys' current kicker, Brett Maher, couldn't hold a candle to Bryant in 2018. Maher finished 25th in field-goal percentage last year, going 29 for 36 (80.6 percent) on field goals.

Though Maher proved to have a bigger leg than Bryant -- he made a 62-yarder last season -- he's nowhere near as accurate, which should be more important, finishing 13 for 18 on 40-plus-yard field goals.

The only downside to bringing in Bryant is that he hasn't consistently been used on kickoffs since 2008. But kickoffs are becoming less and less important by the year, so that's not a good enough reason to not sign a huge upgrade at the kicker position.

Even though it's usually unwise to invest in the elder statesmen of the NFL in free agency, kicker is one of the only positions where a team can get away with it without too much downside.

Bryant is the perfect option to shore up the Cowboys' kicking game. It almost makes too much sense, given that he is a Texas native playing a position the Cowboys could certainly use an upgrade at.

Enjoy this post?

See more film room breakdowns from Owning here!

Twitter: @JohnOwning