Dallas Cowboys: 2 game-changing veterans to pursue

Dallas Cowboys: Veteran to pursue No. 1

Anthony Barr, Linebacker, free agent

The good thing about Barr is that he’s currently an unrestricted free agent, so Dallas doesn’t have to give up any draft capital to require Barr’s services. Barr is a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker that had started almost 100 games for the Minnesota Vikings. During that span, Barr tallied 17.5 sacks, defended 31 passes, forced eight fumbles, five interceptions, and had 495 tackles.

That’s pretty good for a player that had been offered a whopping $70-million-dollar contract with the New York Jets back in 2019, only to return to the Vikings with the promise to become an edge rusher. Although Barr has missed 22 games over two seasons because of a torn pec muscle, the dynamic linebacker can be used as either a hybrid position or as a traditional linebacker.

Depending on how defensive coordinator Dan Quinn wants to use Barr, the former Pro Bowler could pair with Leighton Vander Esch and solidify Dallas’ linebacking corps. Or Barr could get his chance to unleash as an edge rusher, an extra “War Daddy” is something this defense can use after the departure of Randy Gregory.

Better yet, if Barr plays linebacker with LVE and Jabril Cox, this frees up Micah Parsons to wreak havoc as a furious edge rusher. My Gawd! With Barr being able to play linebacker and edge, it gives Dallas’ defense more options to be a complete defense in all phases of the game.

Now, it’s up to cap boy extraordinaire, Stephen Jones, to pull the trigger on a player who still can play but options are limited. Meaning, he should fit Stephen’s budget to some extent.