Though it isn’t a splashy move, the Dallas Cowboys made an important move this evening by continuing to add depth to their linebacker corps. After re-signing Veteran Linebacker Sean Lee earlier this week, the Cowboys solidified their depth behind Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch by re-signing Joe Thomas and Justin March to round out their linebacker room.
Per Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com, the Cowboys have reached agreements with Thomas and March to return for 2020.
Thomas, who started his career in Green Bay under Mike McCarthy will also play with his former linebacker coach with the Packers Scott McCurley. Joe Thomas brings important reliability and versatility to the linebacker group that has allowed him to play both middle and weakside linebacker spots and he’s become a valuable special teams contributor.
Because of the neck issue that Leighton Vander Esch dealt with during the 2019 season and could potentially suffer from moving forward, having reliable depth to fill in at a moment’s notice is very important for the Dallas Cowboys. Thomas, in addition to Sean Lee, provides that.
Justin March, like Thomas, has been solid for the Cowboys on special teams and provides some position flexibility as well. Both March and Thomas were in the top five of snaps played on special teams for the Cowboys. Having linebackers with their ability on both defense and special teams is important for any team in the NFL.
In 2019, Thomas started two of the 15 games he played accumulating 36 total tackles, including 25 solo tackles. March only played 44 defensive snaps in 2019 but played the third-most snaps on special teams racking up seven special teams tackles, good for third on the team.
The Cowboys still have work to do along their defensive line and in the secondary, however, they have their linebacker group solidified through the first few days of free agency.
