3 Long Snappers the Cowboys Can Target to Replace Trent Sieg in Free Agency

You can be forgiven if you're not up to date on Trent Sieg's contract status with the Cowboys. Heck, you might not have even known Sieg was on the roster.

Such is life for a long-snapper. But the position not getting public acclaim doesn't mean it's not crucial. There's a reason teams devote a precious roster spot to a specialist rather than having a reserve at another position handle the duties.

With Sieg hitting unrestricted free agency after playing out his one-year contract, he's far from a lock to stick around in Dallas next season.

So looking ahead, here are the top free agent options Dallas can target to replace Sieg.

1. Patrick Scales

Patrick Scales is one of the oldest free-agent long snappers (36 years old), but this is not a position that requires youth and explosiveness. Playing 100-200 snaps per season puts a different wear-and-tear on your body (especially when some of those are field goal snaps where the long snapper can't be hit) than playing 400-plus defensive snaps.

If anything, having put together a 122-game career as a long-snapper should be considered a positive for Scales, who didn't cut it with the Baltimore Ravens as a rookie in 2014 but has since played every game from 2016 through 2023 for the Chicago Bears.

But Chicago is about to let him hit free agency, and the Cowboys should take advantage.

Cap space is obviously at a premium in Dallas, but even a top-end long snapper isn't going to cost much, so locking Scales up for a couple of years would be a strong move for this special teams unit while Dallas continues to field a "win-now" type roster.