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L’Jarius Sneed #38 would be a worth gamble for the Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys have spent much of the past week finding ways to upgrade the defense, and while there is plenty of room for criticism in terms of the quality (and price tags) of their targets, there is no doubt that the defense has gotten better since the offseason began. Of course, the Cowboys were arguably the worst defensive team in the NFL last season, so, as Jerry Jones said, there was nowhere to go but up.
Still, the Cowboys have multiple holes that need to be filled in the coming days and weeks ahead of the NFL draft. The team has two first-round picks, at No. 12 and No. 20, and both Jones and his son Stephen Jones–the team’s personnel VP–have said they’d be willing to part with one of those picks for an immediate upgrade.
But assuming the Cowboys want to keep those picks–and considering they do not have a second-round pick–they would do well to add another veteran free agent (and maybe even two) to take pressure off at the draft. It’s not the best strategy to put yourself in a situation in which you need to fill certain holes with rookies.
L’Jarius Sneed a Free Agent
As of now, the Cowboys have at least three holes that are going to be left to the draft unless they fill them–linebackers is the most glaring, but they need another edge rusher and another cornerback. And with the Titans letting go of L’Jarius Sneed this week in the midst of his four-year, $76 million contract, he could be a bargain-basement gamble.
Sneed, of course, has won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs. But he has struggled badly to stay healthy, and played only 12 games in the past two seasons. He is still rehabbing from a quad injury, and Titans GM Mike Borgonzi called the situation, “”Frustrating for him. But he’s continued to work and get himself healthy.”
Not healthy enough, though, and the Titans took the $11 million in savings to cut him.
Cowboys in Need of CB Depth
But the Cowboys can afford a gamble in the cornerback room, and Sneed is a worthwhile one. He had 10 interceptions in his first four seasons with the Chiefs before his injury-plagued stint in Tennessee. Maybe he’s become injury-prone, or maybe it has just been bad luck. It’d be worth it for the Cowboys to find out, as team analyst Adam Schultz writes.
He notes: “Yes, the Cowboys already have Cobie Durant to go with DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel Jr., but Sneed’s experience could prove invaluable. Plus, he won’t break the bank, given that he was released. Dallas can get him in at cost. But will they want to?
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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