Which free agent players should the Cowboys approach to fill glaring holes on D-line?

[America's Cowboy]

Chauncey Golston just signed a decent 3 year contract with the Commanders.

Sam Williams is coming off both an ACL & MCL tears in his knee. It will take him more than a year to hopefully get back to full strength.

Cowboys did resign DT Osa Odighizuwa, plus Tyrus Wheat. Cowboys also about to resign Micah Parsons.

Cowboys still have glaring holes to fill along the defensive line. With the start of free agency underway, who should they approach to help fill holes along our D-line?

 

[baltcowboy]

Chauncey Golston just signed a decent 3 year contract with the Commanders.

Sam Williams is coming off both an ACL & MCL tears in his knee. It will take him more than a year to hopefully get back to full strength.

Cowboys did resign DT Osa Odighizuwa, plus Tyrus Wheat. Cowboys also about to resign Micah Parsons.

Cowboys still have glaring holes to fill along the defensive line. With the start of free agency underway, who should they approach to help fill holes along our D-line?

I don’t know brother. All the quality free agents the quality free agents that are defensive lineman are taken. The team seems to trust Kneeland and Sam Williams. I guess they might bring back Lawson. I saw the list of free agents left and it’s hot garbage.

 

[gimmesix]

Chauncey Golston just signed a decent 3 year contract with the Commanders.

Sam Williams is coming off both an ACL & MCL tears in his knee. It will take him more than a year to hopefully get back to full strength.

Cowboys did resign DT Osa Odighizuwa, plus Tyrus Wheat. Cowboys also about to resign Micah Parsons.

Cowboys still have glaring holes to fill along the defensive line. With the start of free agency underway, who should they approach to help fill holes along our D-line?

The Cowboys have Kneeland, Odighizuwa, Mazi and Parsons as their four starters. I don't think the Joneses believe they have glaring holes. I think they believe they need depth, which they will probably seek in the draft. Maybe throw in a very low-cost vet.

BTW, Golston signed with the Giants.

 

[Setackin]

Who SHOULD they approach? Every single one of them. Who will they approach? Guys we’ve never heard of

 

[gimmesix]

Who SHOULD they approach? Every single one of them. Who will they approach? Guys we’ve never heard of

You don't know who J.A. Guy is?

 

[America's Cowboy]

I don’t know brother. All the quality free agents the quality free agents that are defensive lineman are taken. The team seems to trust Kneeland and Sam Williams. I guess they might bring back Lawson. I saw the list of free agents left and it’s hot garbage.

The Cowboys have Kneeland, Odighizuwa, Mazi and Parsons as their four starters. I don't think the Joneses believe they have glaring holes. I think they believe they need depth, which they will probably seek in the draft. Maybe throw in a very low-cost vet.

BTW, Golston signed with the Giants.

I hear you brother @baltcowboy . Cowboys should bring back Lawson. He performed fairly well.

Thanks for the corrections, brother @gimmesix .

Should the Cowboys approach 38 year old veteran DT Calais Campbell? He actually performed pretty good as a rotational piece for the Dolphins, was stout against the run and even accumulated 5 sacks. Yes, he will be 39 years old when the 2025 begins, but he is still producing fairly well for an old but big DT inside the D-line.

https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/calais-campbell/4364

He even was cheap ($2 million) playing for the Dolphins last year, so I assume he would cost the same to come play for the Cowboys. What do you think?

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

DJ Jones DT from the Broncos. He’s started for Denver the last 3 seasons.

DT Greg Gaines TB. He an outstanding run stopping 1 technique.

DE Carl Lawson- he was pretty darn good in his role last season here.

 

[Havic]

Whoever likes 1 year deals based on incentives only is what the jones boys want. I’d love to have a serious discussion about it but our gm doesn’t care. This team is yet again getting worse while others in the division are improving

 

[Majic]

What they will do is use multiple early picks on DEF again.

Because they are so poor at the free agency process it impacts their draft strategy. Rather than pick BPA they have to reach on guys (S.Williams and Kneeland being recent examples)

 

[John813]

I wouldn't mind someone like Greg Gaines.
Have read his consistency is an issue, but he can have really good games as a 1 Tech, splitting time with Mazi.

PFF had his playoff game as a 90.x overall score.

 

[nhcowboyfan]

I hear you brother @baltcowboy . Cowboys should bring back Lawson. He performed fairly well.

Thanks for the corrections, brother @gimmesix .

Should the Cowboys approach 38 year old veteran DT Calais Campbell? He actually performed pretty good as a rotational piece for the Dolphins, was stout against the run and even accumulated 5 sacks. Yes, he will be 39 years old when the 2025 begins, but he is still producing fairly well for an old but big DT inside the D-line.

https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/calais-campbell/4364

He even was cheap ($2 million) playing for the Dolphins last year, so I assume he would cost the same to come play for the Cowboys. What do you think?

I would be fine with this. We know going in that we aren't getting a guy that is going to play 50 snaps a game. But he would be a veteran that some of the younger guys like Mazi, Kneeland, and Williams could benefit from. It still wouldn't stop me from drafting one next month in either Rounds 2 or 3.

 

[Aven8]

The new coaches have to be going man the glitz and glamour in the hallways doesn’t match the actual team strategy…..

 

[Coogiguy03]

I hear you brother @baltcowboy . Cowboys should bring back Lawson. He performed fairly well.

Thanks for the corrections, brother @gimmesix .

Should the Cowboys approach 38 year old veteran DT Calais Campbell? He actually performed pretty good as a rotational piece for the Dolphins, was stout against the run and even accumulated 5 sacks. Yes, he will be 39 years old when the 2025 begins, but he is still producing fairly well for an old but big DT inside the D-line.

https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/calais-campbell/4364

He even was cheap ($2 million) playing for the Dolphins last year, so I assume he would cost the same to come play for the Cowboys. What do you think?

I'd hope we got him several years ago but he's still productive! Get him maybe, hargrave

 

[cowboyec]

i'd like dt jerry tillery.
de lj collier would be nice.
but we're not signing either one.
we better hit in the draft.

 

[Carson]

DJ Jones DT from the Broncos. He’s started for Denver the last 3 seasons.

DT Greg Gaines TB. He an outstanding run stopping 1 technique.

DE Carl Lawson- he was pretty darn good in his role last season here.

Jones went back to Denver

 

[gimmesix]

I hear you brother @baltcowboy . Cowboys should bring back Lawson. He performed fairly well.

Thanks for the corrections, brother @gimmesix .

Should the Cowboys approach 38 year old veteran DT Calais Campbell? He actually performed pretty good as a rotational piece for the Dolphins, was stout against the run and even accumulated 5 sacks. Yes, he will be 39 years old when the 2025 begins, but he is still producing fairly well for an old but big DT inside the D-line.

https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/calais-campbell/4364

He even was cheap ($2 million) playing for the Dolphins last year, so I assume he would cost the same to come play for the Cowboys. What do you think?

That would be more in line with our free agent philosophy. I just don't think we'll add any FAs on the defensive line right now. I think since we have our starters, we'll wait until after the draft to see what we have.

The Joneses tend to like to use FA to put a body at each starter position. If we lose a running back, then we're going to get a running back who could start if he had to, that way we're not forced in the draft to have to spend our first-round pick on that position. We have the starting bodies we need along the defensive line. Doesn't mean we couldn't use depth and won't go get it in FA, but we've shown that we'll go to camp with our starters, some draft picks and some UDFAs/street signings and if we see we need depth, grab some other vets who have not been signed at that point. It's a poor strategy, but it's what we do.

 

[stargazer]

We signed Solomon Thomas from the Jets.

 

[gimmesix]

That would be more in line with our free agent philosophy. I just don't think we'll add any FAs on the defensive line right now. I think since we have our starters, we'll wait until after the draft to see what we have.

The Joneses tend to like to use FA to put a body at each starter position. If we lose a running back, then we're going to get a running back who could start if he had to, that way we're not forced in the draft to have to spend our first-round pick on that position. We have the starting bodies we need along the defensive line. Doesn't mean we couldn't use depth and won't go get it in FA, but we've shown that we'll go to camp with our starters, some draft picks and some UDFAs/street signings and if we see we need depth, grab some other vets who have not been signed at that point. It's a poor strategy, but it's what we do.

Well, I was immediately wrong on this. Looks like we got a body (Solomon Thomas) to replace a body that we lost (Chauncey Golston).

 

[America's Cowboy]

Well, I was immediately wrong on this. Looks like we got a body (Solomon Thomas) to replace a body that we lost (Chauncey Golston).

Iffy pick. Solomon Thomas at 6'2", 256 lbs had a 2024 PFF grade of 45.6 for a D-lineman. He had a run defense grade of 41.5, a pass rush grade of 61.2 and an overall grade of 45.6 with 22 pressures and 4 sacks.

https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/solomon-thomas/11758

Poona Ford at 5'11", 310 had a 2024 PFF grade of 85.1 with 23 pressures and 3 sacks. He had a run defense grade of 78.8, a pass rush grade of 71.1 and an overall grade of 85.1.

https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/poona-ford/48875

 

[gimmesix]

Iffy pick. Solomon Thomas at 6'2", 256 lbs had a 2024 PFF grade of 45.6 for a D-lineman. He had a run defense grade of 41.5, a pass rush grade of 61.2 and an overall grade of 45.6 with 22 pressures and 4 sacks.

https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/solomon-thomas/11758

Poona Ford at 5'11", 310 had a 2024 PFF grade of 85.1 with 23 pressures and 3 sacks. He had a run defense grade of 78.8, a pass rush grade of 71.1 and an overall grade of 85.1.

https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/poona-ford/48875

I have trouble believing that Thomas is 256. He is listed elsewhere closer to 300.

Ford got a three-year, $30 million deal with $17 million guaranteed. Thomas got two years, $8 million. Dallas was never going to consider Ford at that price.