The Dallas Cowboys have remained true to themselves when it comes to their free agency approach. They've been patient, with a reluctance to venture into an inflated early part of the free agency signing period. It remains to be seen if that patience will pay off. Though there was some optimism after their signings the last offseason, arguably only Aldon Smith was able to impact the game in a positive way for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys have addressed a couple of the areas that were perceived as weaknesses. They signed Ty Nsekhe to serve as the team's swing tackle. They re-signed C.J. Goodwin to be their special teams ace. And last night, they announced a deal with Jourdan Lewis to bring him back for potentially the next three seasons.
Though there is some speculation as to where Lewis could play, the reality is they needed to bring back one of their three departing defensive backs to lessen the blow of their departure.
So what's next?
Well, the Dallas Cowboys still have plenty to do this offseason to retool and upgrade a defense that was one of the worst in the NFL in 2020. After missing out on Dalvin Tomlinson and Malcom Brown was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Cowboys should continue to look at adding a 1-technique defensive tackle to solidify their interior.
While one of the areas of weakness on this team has been the play of Linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch, adding a run-stuffing defensive tackle would certainly help get them trending in the right direction. One player that comes to mind is former New England Patriots and Detroit Lions Defensive Tackle Danny Shelton. Another name that could make sense along the interior is former Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Tackle Mike Pennell. Or they could go with Sheldon Rankins, most recently from the New Orleans Saints.
Along with defensive tackle, the Cowboys need to continue to address their secondary.
Is Jourdan Lewis a cornerback? If so, they probably still need to look into a veteran free safety that can compete with Reggie Robinson for the starting role in 2021. Rumor has it that the Cowboys have been in contact with Damontae Kazee, recovering from an achilles injury suffered in October of 2020. A Dan Quinn guy, much would depend on Kazee's recovery.
But what if they are thinking of trying Jourdan Lewis at safety? Well, then they probably need to add another cornerback if they want to be able to draft freely when they go on the clock at the end of April. The Cowboys have been connected with Richard Sherman in the early stages of free agency.
Though they haven't done much, it's already been a productive offseason adding compensatory picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Per OverTheCap.com, the Cowboys are projected to receive four compensatory picks next April. That is subject to change as the Cowboys wade into free agency after the initial NFL spending spree. However, there's a good chance the Cowboys could continue to wait until after the deadline for free agents to count against you in the compensatory pick formula. Adding a guy like Shelton wouldn't count against your formula since his previous team released him.
The Dallas Cowboys' front office still has a lot of work to do to solidify their depth chart heading into the final stretch before the NFL Draft. There are still opportunities out there to add talented players to upgrade their starting lineup or provide depth to a roster decimated by injury in 2020.
