The Dallas Cowboys have done well thus far this offseason without a whole lot of cash to work with under the NFL salary cap.
That included bringing in former Pro Bowlers Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore in separate trades. Cooks fills a need behind CeeDee Lamb at wide receiver while Gilmore provides experience at cornerback.
With June now here and mandatory minicamps approaching, teams will continue to look at the free-agent market for upgrades. At $22.13 million under the 2023 NFL salary cap, Dallas finds itself in one of the best positions to land a quality veteran or two.
With Super Bowl expectations the name of the game this coming season, we fully expect owner Jerry Jones and Co. to scour the market for fits. Here’s a look at three ideal targets.
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Dallas Cowboys add Rashaan Evans for depth
A part-time starting linebacker for the Cowboys last season, Anthony Barr remains on the open market. For continuity’s sake it might make sense for Dallas to re-sign him. Though, the veteran struggled big time in coverage last season (83.2% completion, 101.4 QB rating).
Right now, 2022 fifth-round pick Damone Clark is slated to vie for the starting weakside linebacker spot with rookie DeMarvion Overshown. Getting someone with experience to handle the starter duties could be a goal.
A first-round pick of the Titans back in 2018, Evans started all 17 games for Atlanta last season. He recorded 159 tackles, six tackles for loss and four passes defended. While there were still some struggles in coverage, he’s a younger option than retaining Barr.
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John Johnson brought in to compete at safety
Another area of concern for Dallas has to be the free safety position. Malik Hooker is projected to be the Week 1 starter next to Donovan Wilson. Sure, Hooker looked decent in a part-time starting role last season. Unfortunately, injuries have crippled the former first-round pick’s ability to be an above-average player at this level. He’s just not the same player we saw earlier in his career with the Indianapolis Colts.
Enter into the equation a veteran safety in John Johnson who is surprisingly still a free agent. The former Boston College star has been stellar in the back end throughout his six-year NFL career. Last season in Cleveland saw him give up just a 55.1% completion and 82.8 QB rating when targeted. He’d be an immediate improvement in pass coverage.
Dallas Cowboys replace Ezekiel Elliott with Kareem Hunt
Dallas’ decision to release longtime star running back Ezekiel Elliott early in the offseason wasn’t too much of a surprise. He has regressed big time in recent years and was due an absolutely huge cap hit in 2013. Meanwhile, the ‘Boys placed the franchise tag on Pro Bowler Tony Pollard. He’s going to be RB1 in 2023.
Even then, there’s need for depth behind Pollard in the backfield. Malik Davis is unproven at the NFL level. Sure, rookie sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn is a feel-good story. But the 5-foot-6 back isn’t going to be anything more than a change-of-pace guy.
This is where Hunt would come into play. Given the running back market, he’d be a cheap addition to the backfield. Over the course of the past three seasons with Cleveland, Hunt put up 2,383 total yards and 20 touchdowns. That span also saw him catch a solid 95 passes. This is one signing that just makes too much sense for Dallas.