3 Important free agents for the Dallas Cowboys to sign
For the last month, anyone who has listened to the Dallas Cowboys front office talk about free agency expects it to be uneventful due to the team’s salary cap situation. It’s rinse-repeat material from the organization especially given how other playoff teams operate, but unlike those teams, the Cowboys are certainly superior at drafting.
Even then, there comes a time when everyone is fed up with the same old jargon, especially it hasn’t produced anything meaningful as of late. It would seem that time is now! We can’t control who the team signs, but he can hope they sign players that do their job well! Fan perception when the Cowboys signed players like Brent Urban, Jayron Kearse, and Tarrell Basham was fairly neutral, but all players ended up being valuable assets when they played.
Can the Cowboys re-create last season’s magic in hopes they stand a better chance at running the table than they did this past season?
Here are three free agents that could have a positive impact on the Dallas Cowboys for the 2022 season:
Bryce Callahan, CB
Previous Team: Denver Broncos
The Cowboys could potentially be in the market for a new nickel defender this offseason. Jayron Kearse signed a one-year deal with the team and played admirably when given the chance last season, so much so he held the dot midway through the season. What made Kearse such a valuable asset was his body type gave the Cowboys a versatile defender who could cover bigger targets while filling the run.
So for the sake of this exercise, let’s replace him with a player of a totally opposite stature. Bryce Callahan stands at 5-foot-9, 183 pounds but don’t let that confuse you into thinking he doesn’t share a similar ability to Kearse. Two seasons ago, Callahan was asked to play on the outside for Vic Fangio’s defense where he performed admirably. Having to guard bigger receivers wasn’t as big a problem as one might expect because of his good athletic ability and competitive toughness.
2021 was a different situation for the former Rice Owl. He only started six games this season, missing six games this season with a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve. Statistically, last season was one of his worse seasons as a pro and he’s hoping to regain form with father time working against him; Callahan is turning 31 this year. So while Callahan is a good player, his value is currently in the air coming off a season where he made $6 million according to the cap.
Assuming the Cowboys keep Anthony Brown and Trevon Diggs as their two starting cornerbacks, the Cowboys would have Jourdan Lewis, Kelvin Joseph, and Bryce Callahan as their nickel and dime defenders. It’s fairly undersized, but all athletes are incredibly tough with Joseph and Callahan providing good to very good coverage ability in Man coverage.
Callahan doesn’t have to return to Denver after Vic Fangio’s firing and Dallas would give him the ability to play the same match-zone coverage that gave him a chance in the NFL. Returning from an injury at the age of 30, the Cowboys might not find a better time to cash in on the veteran’s services.
Only if they look past his sub-31 inch arms….