Things have slowed down in free agency for the Dallas Cowboys, and the rest of the NFL. Dallas has made some moves that should be considered upgrades, however, nothing that really moves the needle all that much. Safety Jalen Thompson and EDGE Rashan Gary should help.
While we were all hoping Jerry Jones would “bust the budget” in free agency this year, sometimes things just don’t fall into place like we hope. They tried and failed to trade for Maxx Crosby, which could be a blessing considering recent news, and sign Nakobe Dean. Had they landed Crosby and Dean, fans around Cowboys Nation would be applauding the free agency additions and Jerry Jones.
Free agency surprisingly got off to a fast start this year. Deals were agreed-upon early and often around the league, and certain positions of “need” went unfulfilled for Dallas. Such is the case at linebacker, arguably Dallas’ biggest roster “need” right now. The position is all but wiped out.
There have been rumors the Cowboys have been looking to address the position via trade. If that doesn’t pan out the draft is the next best solution, and fortunately for them, free agent additions around the league may have helped them in landing this year’s best off-ball linebacker, Sonny Styles.
The former Ohio State LB was continuously mocked to the Cowboys early on in the draft process. But, after his jaw-dropping performance at the combine, it was believed it was highly unlikely he’d still be on the board when they are on the clock at 12. Recent free agent moves may make that a possibility once again.
Three teams who were expected to be landing spots for Sonny Styles picking ahead of the Cowboys in the Top 10 recently address the LB position via free agency. The Giants signed Tremaine Edmonds, the Commanders signed Leo Chenal, and the Saints signed Kaden Ellis. That could take them out of the running for Styles services.
True or not, that still leaves eight other teams selecting ahead of the Cowboys who could be interested in drafting Styles. Any one of them could ruin the dream of the former Ohio State LB sliding right into the Cowboys lap, but nearly all of them have other draft “needs” at other positions of higher priority than an off-ball LB.
Could the stars actually be aligning for the Cowboys? As things stand right now it certainly looks like that’s a possibility. If Dallas could address their biggest roster “need” with the best player at the position in the entire draft in Styles, it would be a tremendous upgrade for the entire defense.