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Quay Walker #7 of the Green Bay Packers is set for free agency, and the Dallas Cowboys have interest.
There was a trade of significance that went down in the NFL on Saturday, and though the Dallas Cowboys were not involved, there are ramifications for the team and its free agency plans. The Packers traded away defensive lineman Colby Wooden–the player the team called upon to replace Kenny Clark after he was dealt to Dallas last year–to the Colts for linebacker Zaire Franklin, a move that signals the Packers’ surrendering hope of re-signing linebacker Quay Walker.
As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero wrote on Twitter/X: “The Packers wanted to keep LB Quay Walker and made several runs at re-signing him before the Zaire Franklin trade. But it now appears the former first-round pick will hit free agency Monday, and he is expected to have a strong market.”
That’s where the deal turns into a Cowboys story. Dallas badly needs a new linebacker, and Walker is now among the best who will be on the board.
Quay Walker a Rumored Cowboys Target
In fact, the Cowboys have been rumored to have an interest in Walker before. Again, just as a matter of need and position, that interest is obvious–the Cowboys will not be bringing back Logan Wilson and Kenneth Murray, after all.
Packers reporter Easton Butler noted on Twitter/X last week, “The Cowboys are interested in FA LBs Bobby Okereke and Quay Walker, per source.”
Walker is a former first-round pick out of Georgia who has played 58 games, with 57 starts, in four seasons for the Packers.
Maybe Not a Fit for the Cowboys
But there’s some question as to whether Walker would be the ideal fit for new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker. He has been credited for working on his mental health after he was twice ejected from games in his rookie season, but even if Walker is not as hotheaded as he was when he came into the league, there’s some question about his playing style.
No doubt, Walker is a playmaker, and one of the better athletes at the position. But the Cowboys and Parker might be looking for more of a system linebacker, a guy who wears the green dot and organizes his teammate. That’s probably not Walker.
Price will be a factor, too. Spotrac projects Walker to get a deal worth $25 million over three years, which is not a back-breaker, but could be very much undervalued. Pro Football Focus, despite being down on Walker as a player (rated No. 76 out of 88 linebackers), projects him as a $15 million-per-year guy, earning $45 million over three years.
GettyPhiladelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean is a likely Dallas Cowboys target.
Plenty of Alternatives to Quay Walker
Adding more names to the pool of players at a position the Cowboys badly need, though, is a good thing for Dallas, even if Walker is not a fit. If, say, the Eagles or Commanders like what they see in Walker, it could make the path to signing Nakobe Dean from Philadelphia or Bobby Wagner from Washington that much easier.
Walker is only No. 18 on the PFF list of top free-agent linebackers, with Devin Lloyd and Devin Bush at No. 1 and 2.
Dean, for what it’s worth, is rated the No. 3 linebacker on the list, and given his history with Parker in Philadelphia, remains the Cowboys’ most likely option.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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