Cowboys: Should Dallas Bring In Antonio Cromartie?

The Dallas Cowboys seem to be in the market for significant improvement in the secondary and seasoned veteran Antonio Cromartie might be a solution.

The Dallas Cowboys went from a defense that created enough turnovers to disguise their weaknesses in 2014 to one that just couldn’t make game changing plays in 2015. Two years ago the Cowboys were 12-4, but last season they fell to 4-12.

The dramatic turn southward certainly had much to do with multiple injuries and numerous missed games for quarterback Tony Romo. A lack of offense and easier contests for opponents meant fewer passes thrown simply because Dallas didn’t enjoy big leads very often at all.

Having said that, it’s still true that there were numerous games in which the score was close for most of the game, and yet the Dallas defense was seldom able to change a game with a big play of any kind.

For this conversation, the cornerback position is under the microscope.

Dallas entered the season with the idea that veterans Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne would be enough to handle opposing wide receivers in defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s 4-3 alignment. Added pressure fell on these two defenders after cornerback Orlando Scandrick, arguably the best pass-defender on the team, went down with a season-ending ACL injury as training camp ended last summer.

The Cowboys ended up with just eight interceptions last season, and that’s not because Claiborne and Carr were so good that opposing quarterbacks wouldn’t throw the ball their way. Neither Claiborne, who’s never played a 16-game schedule before, or Carr intercepted a single pass last season, a trend that must be addressed immediately.

So, why not take a shot on veteran free agent Antonio Cromartie?

Cromartie made his feelings about playing for the Cowboys known – again – this week as he replied to a Tweet posted by ex-Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin. The Hall of Fame wide receiver knows a thing or two about cornerbacks, a position he spent a career defeating. Cromartie to Dallas isn’t exactly a new idea, but perhaps it’s time to make it happen.

The entire Cowboys secondary picked off just five passes in ’15. Cornerbacks Ayodeji Olatoye and Terrance Mitchell were the only ones at this position to register interceptions – both of these young corners showed promise after finally getting some playing time during the December.

Beyond Dallas’ younger cornerback prospects, the Cowboys may not have much veteran leadership at the position for next season. Claiborne is an unrestricted free agent whose return is quite doubtful and Carr’s salary cap figure is simply atrocious, thus sustaining the possibility that he could be cut altogether.

Cromartie has always been known as a savvy ball-hawk defender going all the way back to his days with the San Diego Chargers. Having signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the New York Jets last season, Cromartie was still released in February.

Cromartie has 31 career interceptions and there’s also six touchdowns on his stat sheet as well. At 31 years old, the 10-year veteran might not be a player that the Cowboys want to invest in for more than a year or two, but even in a reserve role he might be worth a look if the price is right.

Standing 6’2” and weighing in the 210-pound range, the former Florida State corner has always been a difficult matchup for the league’s elite receivers. There’s not very many cornerbacks that stand as tall as Cromartie and his cousin, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of the New York Giants.

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New York is a big, big city, yet it’s not big enough for two members of this family to be playing football there. I’d argue that Big D is even bigger, and if Cromartie really wants to wear the blue star, as he wished to do as a kid growing up, then a Cowboys secondary that’s void of any playmakers could use this veteran for a couple of years on a relatively cheap deal.