Dallas Cowboys: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time
123. . Safety. (2007–09). Ken Hamlin. 8. player
When you can sign a free agent and he can post a Pro Bowl season for you in his first year, that is a successful signing. And that’s exactly what safety Ken Hamlin did for the Cowboys back in 2007.
A former second-round selection out of Arkansas, Hamlin spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. He recorded 96 total tackles, seven passes defended and one interception in 2003 and was named to the Pro Football Weekly’s All-Rookie Team.
Hamlin signed a one-year deal to play for Dallas in 2007. He was known for being a hard-hitting tackler with the ability to get takeaways. In his first season with the Cowboys, Hamlin posted 62 tackles and career-highs in both passes defended (15) and interceptions (five). It was enough to earn the former second-rounder his first and only Pro Bowl nomination.
Although Hamlin would go on to sign a long-term deal with the Cowboys, he played just two more seasons in Dallas before being released. He was never able to recapture the magic he displayed in that lone Pro Bowl season in 2007.