The Cowboys could be busy this offseason at linebacker. Several key players are about to become free agents, but one guy you may have forgotten about is 2021 rookie Jabril Cox. How much should the second-year LB factor in Dallas' decisions?
Cox didn't get much in his rookie season; only nine total snaps from Weeks 1-8. He then suffered a torn ACL against the Vikings and was lost for the remainder of the year.
But between his strong preseason play and a TD-saving stop on Giants' QB Daniel Jones during Dallas' Week 5 victory over New York, Jabril flashed his future potential. He validated the consensus opinion that he was a big steal for the Cowboys as a 4th-Round pick in the 2021 Draft.
Athletic and rangy, Cox could be seen as an ideal compliment to likely Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons. But now with a major injury to come back from and little experience from his first season, Jabril may not be trustworthy enough to be a focal point of Dallas' offseason.
It would be nice if the Cowboys could lean on Cox as a major piece for next season. Leighton Vander Esch and Keanu Neal are both unrestricted free agents, Luke Gifford is restricted, and Francis Bernard is an exclusive rights, free agent.
Even assuming Gifford and Bernard return, that would leave Dallas with just those developmental projects, Parsons, and Cox as their linebacker corps for 2022. They would obviously have more work to do to field a fully group for the season.
Dallas' trust in Jabril will be a big factor in how much they try to retain Neal and Vander Esch, if at all. Both had good moments last season but neither was consistently impactful in large roles.
Micah Parsons' wingman doesn't have to be as good as he is. After all, talents like Parsons don't come around often. But the Cowboys need another linebacker who can hold his own in coverage when Micah is used to rush the passer, or when defenses are just keeping the ball as far away from Dallas' new superstar as possible.
Parsons isn't the only 2021 rookie that Dallas will be counting on next year. We can expect CB Kelvin Joseph, DT Osa Odighizuwa, and DE Chauncey Golston to be major rotation pieces. It will also be interesting to see how much responsibility OT Josh Ball and WR Simi Fehoko get given issues at thier positions.
While Cox has already given us more to be excited about than some of those other rookies, it is probably still not enough for the Cowboys to trust him with a major role in 2022.
I think this probably leads to one of Neal or Vander Esch getting a short-term deal to return to Dallas. Keanu was playing his first season as a LB after converting from safety and Leighton was in his first year in Dan Quinn's defense. It's reasonable to think either could be better in 2022.
Hopefully, regardless of the Cowboys' other moves, Jabril Cox will still be ready to go next year and keeps building on his exciting potential. But given how little of him we saw as a rookie, Dallas will need to make some other moves to be ready for the season.
