{"id":243601,"date":"2026-04-10T13:13:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/243601\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T13:13:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:13:31","slug":"ranking-cowboys-best-free-agent-options-to-solve-2-major-issues-on-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/243601\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking Cowboys’ Best Free Agent Options to Solve 2 Major Issues on Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve tirelessly talked about the Dallas Cowboys’ need at the linebacker position<\/a> this offseason, and that conversation is continuing over a month into free agency.<\/p>\n

This is a familiar boat for the Cowboys to be in. Kenneth Murray did not pan out<\/a> last season, nor did the trade for Logan Wilson. Both players are now no longer in Dallas, leaving DeMarvion Overshown and not much else at the position.<\/p>\n

Not only do the Cowboys need a linebacker, they need a starting-caliber player who can also wear the green dot<\/a>. Needing those two traits limits the group of players Dallas can add at the position.<\/p>\n

Of course, the 2026 NFL Draft will likely be an outlet for Dallas to strengthen the position, but nothing is guaranteed there, and it’s also worth pointing out that putting the green dot on a rookie is risky, especially with young players already having so much on their plates in Year 1.<\/p>\n

Instead, the Cowboys need to dip into free agency for their next green-dot linebacker and there are three clear options for Dallas to explore. We’re ranking them from best to worst right here.<\/p>\n

3. Germaine Pratt\"Jacksonville<\/p>\n

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Germaine Pratt. | Mykal McEldowney\/IndyStar \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Pratt’s 2025 campaign was a wild one that saw him have the lowest low before eventually rebounding.<\/p>\n

After requesting a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals, Pratt was cut loose and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he lasted just four contests and struggled mightily. Then, the worst team in the NFL cut the veteran<\/a> and it looked like his career might be done.<\/p>\n

But Pratt was able to latch on with his old defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo, who was at the head of the Indianapolis Colts’ unit. From there, Pratt returned to some semblance of the form<\/a> he displayed earlier in his career and ended up being an impact player. <\/p>\n

The 29-year-old posted eight contests with a Pro Football Focus tackling grade<\/a> above 76, seven games with a run-defense grade above 65, including five above a 70, and tallied a whopping 101 tackles in 12 games overall. In all, Pratt finished with a respectable run-defense grade of 67.6 and an overall mark of 63.0 despite the horrid showing he had in Las Vegas initially.<\/p>\n

Pratt doesn’t offer much in coverage, but he’s a plus run defender and solid tackler who can also play the role of the quarterback of Dallas’ defense. He would amount to a strong one-year stopgap while the Cowboys develop a younger player to take over in 2027.<\/p>\n

2. Bobby Okereke\"New<\/p>\n

Former New York Giants inside linebacker Bobby Okereke and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Cowboys are familiar with Okereke, who they faced over the last three years while the veteran was with the New York Giants.<\/p>\n

After having a phenomenal first season in New York, Okereke saw a downturn in his performance<\/a> in the next two seasons, which led to him getting cut in 2026. However, in that span, Okereke had a back injury<\/a> and the Giants had a horrifically bad culture and significant defensive coordinator change.<\/p>\n

When at his best, Okereke can make an impact in every facet. He’s got sideline-to-sideline speed and has tallied at least 132 tackles in a season four times. He’s also effective in run defense, coverage and when asked to blitz. And it hasn’t been a long time since he has shown that, either, as, even at less than 100% in his second season with the Giants, Okereke posted a 68.2 PFF grade<\/a> against the pass, a 71.8 in run defense and an 83.2 as a pass-rusher.<\/p>\n

Another box Okereke checks is experience with the green dot. The 29-year-old took on the role both during his days with the Colts and Giants, so it would be a seamless fit for him in Dallas.<\/p>\n

1. Bobby Wagner\"Washington<\/p>\n

Former Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

A personal favorite of Cowboys head coach<\/a> Brian Schottenheimer, Wagner is easily the best linebacker available in free agency.<\/p>\n

“You’re looking at one of the biggest Bobby Wagner fans in the world,” Schottenheimer said. “Being in Seattle with him for three years and watching him compete and just talk trash in a good way, I love that guy. And he’s still playing at a high level. So we’ll see how everything works out. It’s an exciting time of year, but Bobby Wagner, total stud.”<\/p>\n

Wagner, 35, has proven that age is just a number. In 2025, he had the ninth-best, fifth-best and second-best overall, run defense and pass-rush grades<\/a>, respectively, among linebackers, per PFF. Wagner displayed he’s still a tackling machine, also, with his 162.<\/p>\n

It’s true Wagner struggled in coverage to the tune of a 51.1 mark, but he has been better in that area before and the Cowboys wouldn’t need much from him there, anyway.<\/p>\n

What the Cowboys need is an experienced leader who can make a big impact and wear the green dot. Wagner checks all those boxes better than anyone Dallas could get right now, whether that be via trade, free agency, or the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We’ve tirelessly talked about the Dallas Cowboys’ need at the linebacker position this offseason, and that conversation is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,103],"class_list":{"0":"post-243601","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-dallas","9":"tag-dallas-headlines","10":"tag-dallas-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}