Cowboys Rumors: Latest Intel on Dontari Poe and Greg Zuerlein's Contracts

The Dallas Cowboys continued to bolster their defensive line depth through free agency Friday by agreeing to terms with Dontari Poe.

Poe joins fellow experienced defensive lineman Gerald McCoy in heading to the NFC East side this offseason. The Cowboys made the interior a priority after Robert Quinn left for the Chicago Bears.

Dallas also added to its kicking situation by inking a deal with Greg Zuerlein, who has spent all of his career with the Rams organization. Zuerlein was not the cheapest option on the market, as Dallas could have stuck with Kai Forbath, but it went for a kicker who has a connection with special teams coach John Fassel.

Latest Cowboys Rumors

Dontari Poe

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According to ESPN's Todd Archer, Poe agreed to a two-year contract worth $10.5 million.

The 29-year-old is coming off two years with the Carolina Panthers in which he earned a little more than $20 million, with $12 million of that made in 2018. In that span, Poe recorded 11 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits and five sacks over 27 appearances.

Poe has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons and now gets to team with McCoy in the middle of Dallas' defensive line.

The Cowboys are trying to replace Quinn's production, as he led the team with 11.5 sacks during the 2019 campaign. Dallas still has DeMarcus Lawrence on one edge of the line, and while Poe and McCoy are not direct replacements for Quinn, they are expected to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks.

The Cowboys can also call on Tyrone Crawford, who had 5.5 sacks in 2018 and missed the majority of last season.

With experience across the defensive line and young linebacker talent in Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas could have one of the best front sevens in the NFC in 2020.

Dallas' rushing defense limited 12 foes beneath 250 passing yards and held seven opponents under 110 rushing yards in 2019. If they improve on those totals, the Cowboys could have one of the best units in the NFL.

Greg Zuerlein

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According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Zuerlein signed a three-year deal worth a base salary of $7.5 million.

Zuerlein is set to replace Forbath, who took over Dallas' kicking job at the back end of 2019. Despite Forbath going 10-for-10 on field goals and extra points, the Cowboys opted to go in a different, more expensive direction.

Forbath is scheduled to make $1.1 million in 2020, and as Garafolo noted, the Cowboys owe him $137,500 from a signing bonus.

Zuerlein made all 42 of his extra points and went 24-for-33 on field goals in his final season with the Rams. The 32-year-old has hit at least 80 percent of his field goals in five of his eight seasons, and he has dipped beneath 95 percent on extra points once.

However, the concern with Zuerlein is the cost and bringing in a kicker when the Cowboys already had one on the roster. It appears Zuerlein and Forbath will be in a kicking competition, but given the money spent on the former Rams kicker, it seems likely that he will win the job.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference. Contract information obtained from Spotrac.