DALLAS — After a rough first few days for the Dallas Cowboys in free agency – Surprise! – the team bounced back as they usually do in time for the second wave. Also, as per usual, the Cowboys’ response to a slow start included filling a major hole on the roster and re-signing role players.
The first transaction was to keep a special teams contributor, long snapper Trent Sieg, for a second consecutive season. The move ensured that the team will keep their core special teams group from their kicking units, along with punter Bryan Anger and kicker Brandon Aubrey.
When the signing was announced, it was not only met with mock cheers from faithful Cowboys fans whose team was the last to act as the NFL new year got underway, but it was the only signing in the first two days for the team.
However, after many of the top names were signed elsewhere, things began to pick up. The team’s next signing was for an outside free agent who they got to commit after he was expected to sign elsewhere. Linebacker Eric Kendricks spurned the San Francisco 49ers to ink a one-year deal with Dallas, giving the Cowboys the dubious distinction of being the last team in the league to sign a free agent who wasn’t with the team the season prior.
Kendricks’ addition gives the defense a much-needed boost at LB and reunites him with his former coach in Minnesota, Mike Zimmer, who himself reunited with Dallas to replace Dan Quinn at defensive coordinator. It was important for Zimmer to find one of his guys to help implement his scheme and style, which can be difficult to adjust to early on.
The veteran LB brings with him eight straight 100+ tackle seasons, 18.5 career sacks, and nine interceptions. Kendricks has a nose for the ball and natural instincts for the position, which helps even though he’s not as quick as he used to be at 32-years old.
More importantly to the Cowboys, Kendricks’ signing doesn’t upset their compensatory pick formula since he was released by the Los Angeles Chargers and didn’t head into the offseason a free agent. The deal with Kendricks is for one-year, matching the contract of his DC.
The next bit of movement came from a few more free agent losses, and two signings that are more from the plan of action that we’ve gotten used to with the team. Dallas lost their third player to the rival Washington Commanders and Quinn, this time veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Nevill Gallimore jumped ship to the Miami Dolphins.
Fowler will continue to play for Quinn, who helped reenergize his career with the Cowboys. The veteran pass rusher had 10 sacks in the last two years with Dallas. Gallimore was a third-round pick who never materialized into the player that the team envisioned but is someone who offered solid reps as a backup that the Cowboys will now need to replace at a position that is already considered a weakness.
To stop the exodus, the Cowboys re-signed nickel cornerback Jourdan Lewis and special teams ace C.J. Goodwin. Lewis announced himself that he was back as Dallas finally retained one of their own defenders.
Lewis returns on a one-year deal, which coincides with his head coach, defensive coordinator, and matches the length of Kendrick’s contract. After returning from a serious foot injury last season, it took the veteran CB time to round into form, but near the end of the 2023 campaign, Lewis was among the best defenders on that side of the ball.
As one of the better slot corners in the league, Lewis also brings a presence that is necessary in Zimmer’s complicated scheme. The defense will need veteran players who have been around to help get the unit up to speed. This also isn’t considered a deep draft class at CB, so the Cowboys keep an important player at a position of need with Trevon Diggs coming off an ACL injury and Stephon Gilmore still a free agent.
The Cowboys kept the momentum going by signing one of their best special teams players in erstwhile corner C.J. Goodwin. He was limited to just five games due to a pectoral injury in Week 5 that cost him the rest of the season, but Goodwin has long been the best special teams player in Dallas and his return will be a boost to what has become a difference-making unit for the Cowboys.
With Dallas up against the salary cap, the team can’t be much more active without restructuring their current contracts or extending quarterback Dak Prescott or wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to alter their cap numbers. As those talks continue to drag, the Cowboys will continue to pick and choose their upgrades at a leisurely pace, much to the chagrin of a transaction-hungry fanbase that was sold “all-in” expectations.
Nevertheless, some moves are better than no moves as the team did at last pick things up late in the opening week of free agency. And their history says to expect more to come. It may not be the most exciting method but the Cowboys have a plan and they’re sticking to it.
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