Cowboys, DE Jack Crawford agree to one-year deal
Sources are reporting that the Dallas Cowboys have now agreed to re-sign free agent defensive end Jack Crawford to a one-year deal.
The Dallas Cowboys are in desperate need for defensive ends and pass rushers. With three of their defensive ends from last season — Greg Hardy, Jeremy Mincey and Jack Crawford — all hitting free agency this offseason, the Cowboys already had their voids to fill.
Combine that fact with the recent four-game suspension levied against second-year pass rusher Randy Gregory for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, and the Cowboys defensive line was in even worse shape than initially thought.
When free agency started last month, the Cowboys went about trying to fill those holes along their defensive line. Dallas signed former Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Cedric Thornton in the first week of free agency and later added restricted free agent Benson Mayowa from the Oakland Raiders to the mix.
Still, the Cowboys were expected to heavily address their need at defensive end in the upcoming draft, putting the team in a bit of a corner when it came to fill positional needs over simply drafting the best players available. That philosophy may have shifted a bit now that it is being reported that Dallas has agreed to re-sign free agent defensive end Jack Crawford to a one-year deal.
The Cowboys have agreed to a one-year deal with defensive end Jack Crawford, according to a source. He visited... https://t.co/6LK8B9GRTx
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) April 4, 2016
Jack Crawford's contract includes a $240,000 signing bonus and can earn up to $500,000 in playtime incentives maxing out the deal at $1.6m
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) April 4, 2016
The Cowboys have in fact agreed to a one-year deal w/ Jack Crawford. They have re-signed nine of their free agents from 2015.
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) April 4, 2016
Source: Cowboys are in final stages of deal to retain DL Jack Crawford. Head Coach Jason Garrett said recently he wanted Crawford back.
— David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) April 4, 2016
I have it on good authority the #Cowboys will bring back DL Jack Crawford on a 1-year deal. @BlueStarBlog
— Newy Scruggs (@newyscruggs) April 4, 2016
Last season, Crawford recorded a total 21 tackles and had 4.0 sacks as a reserve for the Cowboys. All of which were career highs.
The native of London, England has played in the NFL for four seasons. Crawford’s first two years in the league were with the Oakland Raiders. Despite playing in a total of 41 games as a professional, the 27-year-old defender has started in only one game in his entire career.
Crawford should have a similar role for the Cowboys as he did last year, providing quality depth in defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s scheme which employs a heavy rotation of substitutions. Many are hoping the glimpses of impressive play they say last season from him translates to a career-year for the talented player from across the pond.
Next: How the Dallas Cowboys quietly won free agency
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