FRISCO, Texas- The Cowboys are still looking to strengthen the team, which they have actually tried to rebuild according to their own original plan, in which the priority is their own players who became free agents.
Except for the case of Randy Gregory, who was offered a large contract, which he had accepted and in the end rejected because there was a clause that bothered him about his personal conduct, the rest of the events should not surprise anyone,
Perhaps the only unexpected re-signing for many is that of linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, who is going to be given another year of opportunity to show that he is worth what in principle it would have cost, with the fifth-year option that he had in the contract he signed. when he was drafted in the first round of the 2018 Draft.
The Cowboys turned down the option for an obviously much more expensive cost than the one accepted last week, after what seemed like the best bet ever in his rookie year, when they brought in a linebacker with spectacular physical qualities, but with injury setting at Boise State University.
He debuted in the NFL with 140 tackles, including 102 direct. Since then, just last year he topped 77 tackles. 2021 was the first full season he has played since his rookie year. He has been plagued by injuries that have even put his professional career at risk.
It’s a given that Vander Esch had little to no response during the first week of free agency or would have preferred to secure his long-term career rather than play in a contract year for the second straight season, especially with his injury history.
The good news for the Cowboys is that as 2021 progressed, Vander Esch seemed to get more and more into a physical rhythm, but especially in defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s system.
Thus, Quinn’s surprising defense remains largely untouched in names, except for Gregory, safety Damontae Kazee and linebacker Keanu Neal.
The Cowboys have already agreed to return starter Jayron Kearse, backups Dorance Armstrong and Malik Hooker, who were part of the regular game-day rotation, as well as Luke Gifford on special teams.
The Cowboys defense also signed linebacker Ryan Fowler, whom Quinn likes, who coached him at the University of Florida and brought him to Atlanta in 2020 after he had a breakout 2019 season with the Rams, which included 11.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits and 16 tackles for losing yards.
They only worked together five games before Quinn was fired as head coach and Fowler fell two seasons short of expectations.
The Cowboys are still looking for reinforcements who can make an immediate impact, as Kearse did last year, when he arrived as an unknown to Cowboys fans.
The priority is to find another defensive end or linebacker who can pressure quarterbacks on the opposite side of DeMarcus Lawrence or who can take work off and give Micah Parsons more freedom.
Coach Mike McCarthy said over the weekend that free agency was only in its first quarter of a game. Quarterback Dak Prescott coincided in a charity presentation that he had in recent days.
There’s still talent available and there should be defense budget in Dallas’ salary cap after Gregory’s rejection. The signings they have made were mostly contemplated and far from the cost of the defensive end that ended up in Denver.
ZaDarius Smith is still on the market after backing out of a deal he had with Baltimore. Bobby Wagner, Jason Pierre-Paul, Jadeveon Clowney and Derek Barnett, among others, are still free.
But there’s also a chance that considerations for bolstering that defense already point toward the draft in the last week of April.
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Cowboys still looking for defensive players