{"id":531116,"date":"2026-03-10T13:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T13:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/531116\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T13:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T13:30:10","slug":"3-linebackers-dallas-cowboys-can-still-pursue-in-nfl-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/531116\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Linebackers Dallas Cowboys Can Still Pursue in NFL Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6d\">While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a> should be applauded for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/grading-dallas-cowboys-day-1-nfl-legal-tampering-haul\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">filling two major holes on Monday<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-get-early-rave-reviews-aggressive-rashan-gary-trade\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">trading for EDGE Rashan Gary<\/a> and agreeing to a deal with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/jalen-thompson-contract-full-salary-details-for-cowboys-free-agent-signing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">safety Jalen Thompson<\/a>, there was one major issue: Dallas needs help at linebacker in the worst way, and they struck out on their top target. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6g\">The Cowboys <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/cowboys-made-competitive-offer-free-agent-lb-nakobe-dean\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">were trying to land Nakobe Dean<\/a>, but the former Philadelphia Eagles star agreed to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders. Las Vegas also landed Quay Walker, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/raiders-signing-lbs-nakobe-dean-quay-walker-to-three-year-deals\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">taking two of the best linebackers off the board<\/a>. Also gone on Day 1 of the legal tampering period are Devin Lloyd (Carolina Panthers), Devin Bush (Chicago Bears), Quincy Williams (Cleveland Browns), and Tremaine Edmunds (New York Giants).<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6j\">The thinning of the position has led to some concern, but there are still players available who could help the Cowboys. Here&#8217;s a look at the three best available in free agency.<\/p>\n<p>Kaden Elliss<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/01kkbsmprt4j87ep7gd6.jpg\" alt=\"Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss against the Arizona Cardinals.\" title=\"Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss against the Arizona Cardinals.\" width=\"4990\" height=\"3326\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6w\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss against the Arizona Cardinals. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"70\">A seven-year veteran, Kaden Elliss has spent the past three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He has been a workhorse for them, recording 380 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, and two interceptions. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"73\">Elliss is an underrated player who<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/nfl\/players\/kaden-elliss\/51485\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> earned a 67.8 grade from PFF<\/a> in 2025, which was 31st among linebackers. Most importantly for Dallas, he was 31st at the position in coverage as well. Elliss isn&#8217;t a big name, but he could make a huge impact.<\/p>\n<p>Bobby Wagner<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/01kkbtmwacjz050bjrgp.jpg\" alt=\"Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner reacts after a play against the Miami Dolphins.\" title=\"Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner reacts after a play against the Miami Dolphins.\" width=\"3732\" height=\"2488\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7g\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner reacts after a play against the Miami Dolphins. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7k\">One name that has surfaced throughout the years as a possibility is Bobby Wagner. For some reason, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/cowboys-identified-as-best-landing-spot-for-super-bowl-champion-linebacker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Cowboys never seem to act<\/a>, and he just goes from one team to another and performs at a high level.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7n\">Once a fixture for the Seattle Seahawks, Wagner has spent time with the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders over the past few seasons. He even returned to Seattle for one in between those stops.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7q\">Despite being in his mid-30s, Wagner still had 162 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two interceptions for Dan Quinn and the Commanders in 2025. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer knows him well from his time in Seattle and should be willing to explore the fit.<\/p>\n<p>Bobby Okereke<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/01kkbvah8xhz2zxqp88j.jpg\" alt=\"New York Giants inside linebacker Bobby Okereke breaks up a pass on Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.\" title=\"New York Giants inside linebacker Bobby Okereke breaks up a pass on Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.\" width=\"3600\" height=\"2400\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"83\"\/><\/p>\n<p>New York Giants inside linebacker Bobby Okereke breaks up a pass on Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"87\">Bobby Okereke was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/nfc-east-rival-release-intriguing-player-ties-cowboys-coaching-staff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">recently released by the New York Giants<\/a>, and he makes perfect sense for the Cowboys. Okereke recorded 143 tackles with two interceptions this past season, but the Giants decided to move in a different direction.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8a\">Okereke will turn 30 this summer, but he still has plenty in the tank and could be a short-term option to help the Cowboys shore up their defense.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/newsletter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter\u00a0<\/a>for more free coverage from<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0Dallas Cowboys on SI<\/a>\u00a0\u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While the Dallas Cowboys should be applauded for filling two major holes on Monday by trading for EDGE&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":531117,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-531116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=531116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/531117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=531116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=531116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=531116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}