The Dallas Cowboys have done a solid job of adding outside talent this NFL offseason. After barely picking up the pen last spring, the Cowboys have already signed several players as Week 4 of free agency begins, ranging from names like defensive lineman Solomon Thomas to pass rusher Payton Turner.
Even though the Cowboys are more of an attractive destination this offseason compared to the last one, they haven't been able to sign every free agent they've targeted. In fact, it was just revealed that America's Team was inches away from signing the perfect name who left Jerry Jones & Co. standing at the altar.
Free Agent LB E.J. Speed Chooses Texans Over Cowboys
Over the weekend, veteran free-agent linebacker E.J. Speed signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Houston Texans. It turns out that the Texans weren't the only southern team eyeing Speed's services, as NFL insider Aaron Wilson reported on Saturday that the talented defender also drew an offer from the Cowboys this offseason.
Even though the Cowboys appeared to be close to putting pen to paper, Speed chose to spend the next season of his career in Houston over Dallas.
Ultimately, veteran former #Colts linebacker E.J. Speed chose #Texans one-year, $5 million deal over #Cowboys #49ers per league sources https://t.co/eYSIsXCCzV https://t.co/OQjv9YIJaE
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 30, 2025
It isn't hard to see why Speed would've been the perfect offseason addition for the Cowboys.
For starters, Dallas opened free agency needing to add linebacker depth after Eric Kendricks and Nick Vigil hit the open market. With veteran defenders DeMarcus Lawrence and Chauncey Golston also leaving town, the need for experience on the defensive side of the ball became increasingly clear.
Speed certainly would've helped fill that void, especially after a career year that saw him rack up a personal-best 93 solo tackles and five broken-up passes in 15 games with the Indianapolis Colts. He was also an effective run stopper, clocking in with a 72.2 run defense grade on Pro Football Focus.
Speed's local connections are another reason why a Cowboys signing would've made sense. Not only was he born and played high school football in Fort Worth, but he also attended college at Tarleton State — less than two hours outside of Arlington. With the team's affinity for bringing in local talent, it isn't shocking that they fought to sign Speed until the end.
Now that Speed is with the Texans, the Cowboys must find other avenues to take to improve their LB room. While management could attempt to sign available names like Von Miller or Kyzir White, they could also wait a few more weeks until the 2025 NFL draft to address the situation.
While losing out on Speed is disappointing, it's encouraging to see that the Cowboys aren't done in free agency just yet. Last year's anemic approach was the main reason why Dallas didn't experience playoff football, leaving time to tell if the increased activity is enough to make an on-field difference.