5 biggest Dallas Cowboys questions for second week of NFL free agency
The Dallas Cowboys' offseason is off to a slow start but now that the market is slowing down, the front office is expected to get busier. After all, this is the way they operate: Laying low during the first few days as top free agents fly off the shelves only to go bargain bin shopping […]
The Dallas Cowboys' offseason is off to a slow start but now that the market is slowing down, the front office is expected to get busier.
After all, this is the way they operate: Laying low during the first few days as top free agents fly off the shelves only to go bargain bin shopping later on.
As we enter the second week of the 2024 NFL free agency frenzy, there are big questions to be answered by the Cowboys. Below are the five biggest ones that will be keeping me up at night.
Will the Cowboys keep Stephon Gilmore?
This is surely the big one. After trading a Day 3 pick for the former Defensive Player of the Year last offseason, will the Cowboys move on from Gilmore?
As these things often do when it comes to the Cowboys, it comes down to the price tag. Gilly was projected by A to Z Sports to sign a one-year deal worth $8.5 million earlier in the year.
As of right now, I'd lean toward this not happening based on the fact that the Cowboys have signed deals worth very little. Even Eric Kendricks, the team's biggest addition thus far, has a contract with a max value of $3.5 million. Gilmore's market might be too pricey for the way Dallas is doing things.
That being said, with so many needs to address through the NFL Draft, hopefully they realize their best shot at reinforcing the secondary is by bringing him back.
Will the Cowboys make a signing at EDGE?
Speaking of positions that will be tough to address in the Draft, I have a feeling we should be discussing these edge rushers a little bit more. Behind Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, there's very little depth following the departures of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr.
Combined, the Cowboys are looking at replacing 716 snaps from last year. While Sam Williams and Viliami Fehoko Jr. were both recently drafted to be depth players, I wonder if Dallas makes a bet on a low-cost veteran such as Carl Lawson, who is projected to sign for a one-year deal worth $3 million.
Could Cowboys reunite with former lineman?
With so many holes to account for on the offensive line, one needs to also wonder about getting work done ahead of time in the trenches. Whether that means looking at adding a tackle, guard, or center, it might be wise to seek somebody to start or even be an insurance policy in case the front office doesn't find its guy in the draft.
That might just include former Cowboys second-round pick Connor Williams. He's currently expected to sign until the summer as he rehabs from a knee injury but Williams has played guard and center in his career, both positions of need for Dallas.
Could they miss out on Johnathan Hankins?
For the most part, the veteran nose tackle has been expected to return to Dallas. But the Cowboys now have competition as the Seattle Seahawks are reportedly interested on the starter.
Hankins shouldn't be an expensive signing but the Cowboys won't be bringing him back without a fight, it seems like.
Are they rolling the dice on a running back?
If the Cowboys had to play a football game today, they'd be choosing between Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis to start at running back.
While the front office is expected to target a running back in Day 2 of the upcoming draft, they'd be smart to look into the running back market, even if the top names are mostly wiped out.
Could they be interested in a talented but injured J.K. Dobbins, who Dez Bryant suggested earlier in the month? Or could it be that the best path forward is bringing back Rico Dowdle, who Mike McCarthy seems to be very high on?
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