Less than a week away from the unofficial start of the 2022 season, the Dallas Cowboys appear to be set on rolling with what they have getting in training school. While the Cowboys might not have any kind of glaring requires to attend to prior to the first of camp, they can benefit from including a player or two at a couple of placements. One of those would be the linebacker place.
All-Pro Micah Parsons is wonderful, there’s no rejecting that, yet with how much the second-year pro is going to rush the passer, it’s hard to call him a real “linebacker.” Parsons will likely play a hybrid role, leaving Leighton Vander Esch and also Jabril Cox to obtain lots of playing time as true linebackers.
Vander Esch did play better during the 2nd half of the season, rating as the ninth-best interior linebacker according to PFF (through Aidan Davis).
But then the switch flipped. In weeks eight through 18, which is after the Dallas bye week, he was the ninth-ranked interior linebacker in the league according to PFF. In 11 weeks, which is a solid chunk of the season, he was better than names like De’Vondre Campbell, Demario Davis, Bobby Wagner, Jordan Hicks, and Anthony Barr. In case you were wondering, Micah Parsons was the number one ranked linebacker over this period.
Vander Esch still has actually had his fair share of issues in the past number of periods. The largest being remaining healthy and balanced and on the area, something Jabril Cox unfortunately was incapable to do during his novice year, playing in just seven video games before enduring a torn ACL.
The Cowboys certainly might gain from obtaining a qualified linebacker from outside the organization. If they look to get one using trade, Deion Jones of the Atlanta Falcons could be a fit. Jones’ name was linked to the Cowboys in a recent short article by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report. Knox recommended the Cowboys deal a 2023 sixth-round choice to Atlanta for the linebacker.
Right here’s what Knox needed to say regarding why the bargain makes good sense for both sides.
Linebacker is a position Dallas could consider targeting ahead of Week 1. “Linebacker is definitely not as deep as last year, even though Jayron Kearse’s versatility to play down in the box has to be factored into the equation. So maybe that’s a position to watch,” Rob Phillips of the team’s official website wrote in late May.
If the Cowboys are willing to make a trade, Deion Jones of the Atlanta Falcons is a target who makes perfect sense, so long as Dallas is willing to take on some of the $24.9 million in dead money remaining on his contract. “Once a top-10 fixture, Jones appears to be on the trading block after six seasons in Atlanta,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote.
Jones is recovering from shoulder surgery, but he’s a quality run-stopping linebacker with experience playing under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. He’s topped 100 tackles in each of the last three seasons and would bring system familiarity to the Cowboys linebacker corps. Dallas, which has $20.2 million in cap space remaining, could ease Atlanta’s financial burden while giving up minor draft capital and improving its run defense in the process.
Jones was just put on the dog listing by the Falcons as he works his back from shoulder surgery, but there seems to be an idea he will be ready by the time the period formally obtains below.
At this point of his career, Jones most likely isn’t the Pro-Bowl-caliber player we saw back in 2017, yet he is still a solid contributor and could be an upgrade at the linebacker place. Jones’ knowledge with protective organizer Dan Quinn would certainly likewise be a huge plus.
Jones has actually likewise shown the ability to regularly remain on the area, playing in 15 or more games in five of his six seasons in the league.
With the third-most remaining cap space in the NFL, the Cowboys would certainly have not a problem making the money work in a potential deal. They could help soak up some of Jones’ 2022 dead cash in the trade, and then reduced him after the period, conserving $13,135,734, if they want out.
In general, the Cowboys have enough cap room to make a quite significant upgrade to their roster. If they are looking to invest as well as deciding what setting team to add to, the linebacker place seems like one of the very best choices.
