The Dallas Cowboys started free agency fairly inactive, making only one signing last Monday, but in the middle of the week, their activity picked up. On Wednesday, Dallas traded for Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam. Following that, the Cowboys signed Miles Sanders, Robert Jones, Jack Sanborn, and Peyton Turner on Friday.
That said, Elam's addition is one of the more interesting ones. The 23rd overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft never quite found his footing in Buffalo. Yet, the Bills clearly saw something in him, or he wouldn't have been a first-round selection. The Cowboys hope to unlock whatever potential Elam has given the struggles their secondary had in 2024, along with the injuries the unit faces to begin the 2025 season.
Elam's addition should not be the only move Dallas makes at cornerback this offseason. In fact, one former Cowboys cornerback was surprisingly released from his current team this past weekend. On Saturday, the Tennessee Titans released Chidobe Awuzie from his contract. While the 29-year-old spent most of the 2024 season injured, when he did play, he was still effective.
The Cowboys Must Reunite With Chidobe Awuzie This Offseason
In the eight games Awuzie played in 2024, he recorded 26 tackles, four pass deflections, one forced fumble and one interception. Yet, according to PFF, he struggled in pass coverage, recording a grade of 58.4, the second lowest of his career. While that is an issue, the Titans' defense saw the field a lot in 2024, given how bad their offense was.
Awuzie began his career in Dallas as the 60 pick in the 2017 draft. During his four seasons (2017-2020) with the Cowboys, Awuzie recorded 213 tackles, 37 pass deflections, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles. Furthermore, in two of his four seasons with Dallas, he finished with a coverage rating above 70.
Adding the 29-year-old to a cornerback room that will be missing Trevon Diggs for at least half of 2025 would make sense. Nevertheless, Dallas may prefer to keep getting younger at cornerback, which would rule Awuzie out.
From a value perspective though, it's hard to argue against taking a flier on someone the Cowboys once valued so highly.