Dallas Cowboys should make a move for Damon Harrison
The Dallas Cowboys should be interested in making a move on soon to be released defensive tackle Damon Harrison. The team could use a run-stopper.
According to reports, the Detroit Lions intend to release defensive tackle Damon Harrison soon potentially freeing up $6.7 million of salary cap space. Here’s why the Dallas Cowboys should sign the player nicknamed ‘Snacks’.
Harrison has spent eight seasons in the NFL and he’s 31-years old. He started 15 games for the Lions this past season, accumulating 2.0 sacks and 49 tackles. Harrison made the NFL First-Team All-Pro with the New York Giants in 2016 where he started at nose tackle and was a force in the middle.
Harrison would fill a huge void for the Cowboys if they were to acquire him. Dallas was just average at stopping the run in 2019, allowing 103.5 yards on the ground to opposing offenses per game.
The Cowboys lacked a big-bodied, gritty, and tenacious presence in the middle of the defense. To make matters worse, starting defensive tackle Maliek Collins is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, as well as defensive tackle Antwaun Woods, who is an exclusive rights free agent.
The Cowboys might have been able to obtain Harrison in the past when the New York Giants traded him to the Lions in October of 2018 for only a fifth-round pick the following year. Under former head coach Jason Garrett and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, the Cowboys focused on smaller and quicker defensive tackles with the ability to rush the passer.
Harrison, weighing in at 350 pounds, doesn’t fit that mold. He doesn’t stand out on the field for his ability to rush the passer, as much as he does for being able to clog the middle and punish the run game. With new head coach Mike McCarthy now running the show in Dallas, and Mike Nolan as the defensive coordinator, the Cowboys may have a different strategy when it comes to the defensive tackle position.
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Damon Harrison should be free to sign with any team once he is released, not having to wait until free agency kicks off next month. It would be beneficial for the Dallas Cowboys to make a move for the veteran defensive tackle, who would fill a void by clogging up the middle and giving support to linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch in the run game.