3 Available NFL Free Agents Cowboys Must Pursue amid 4-2 Start
The Dallas Cowboys picked up a crucial 20-17 win on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6.
The win, combined with an Eagles loss, went a long way in closing the gap between the Cowboys and Eagles atop the NFC East. There's still plenty of season left to play but they are now within one game of tying Philadelphia for the lead.
The way both teams are playing right now, it shouldn't be surprising if the battle for the division goes all the way down to the wire. That means the margin for error is low and every positive move could become the difference.
That's why it's good to check in with the free agent market to see if there is anyone who might be able to help the Cowboys cause.
Dallas has the roster to compete right now and if there's someone who could tip the scales they should be reaching out. Here are three players who could fit that bill.
DT Linval Joseph
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When the Cowboys drafted Mazi Smith with their first-round pick in the 2023 draft it was an admission that the interior of the defensive line needed an upgrade. The Cowboys defense is among the best in the league, but they still needed to get better play out of their defensive tackles.
Smith is an uber-athletic rookie with sky-high potential. The problem is that he's going to take some time to develop from being a really talented athlete to being a bonafide defensive tackle in the league.
That's why it wouldn't be a bad idea to reinforce the defensive line with another veteran. The Cowboys have relied on Johnathan Hankins to be their primary run-stuffing nose tackle and he hasn't lived up to the expectations with a PFF grade of just 46.6.
Linval Joseph is 35 years old, but he was a productive member of the Eagles defensive line rotation last season. He might be coming toward the end of his career but he could still wind up being an upgrade over Hankins in the middle of the defense.
LB Anthony Barr
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The Cowboys came into the season a little shallow at linebacker. The situation got even worse with Leighton Vander Esch suffering a neck injury that has since put him on injured reserve.
Dallas already signed Rashaan Evans to the practice squad, giving them another veteran option who could see real playing time. The truth is that they could have justified signing Evans before the Vander Esch injury. They have converted safety Markquese Bell into a linebacker just to have enough to put together some personnel packages.
That leaves the Cowboys a little vulnerable to teams that will play heavy personnel packages and run the ball right at them.
They could diversify the linebacker room and get some important depth by calling a familiar name in Anthony Barr.
The 31-year-old played in 14 games for the Cowboys last season, racking up 58 total tackles with a sack, four quarterback hits and two tackles for a loss.
CB Casey Hayward
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You can never have too many good cornerbacks. It's an adage that the Cowboys should already be familiar with considering how many injuries they have dealt with at the position.
Losing Trevon Diggs was the biggest blow for this team so far. DaRon Bland stepping up has softened the blow. He's ranked 14th among all corners graded by PFF at this point in the season. But moving him up the depth chart has cost the Cowboys depth and forced them top put Jourdan Lewis in the slot.
Lewis has plenty of experience there, but if he gets hurt there aren't really options with experience behind him.
The Cowboys could change that by signing Casey Hayward. The 34-year-old started six games for the Falcons last season and only surrendered an 80.7 passer rating. He had decent ball production too with three passes defended an interception.
At the very least, he would be another veteran presence to help the younger corners make an impact.
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