Dallas Cowboys cut Gerald McCoy; What does this mean?

Replacements From Elsewhere

If those options aren’t good enough, some intriguing defensive linemen remain on the free-agent market. Some of them are Marcell Dareus, Damon Harrison, and Jadeveon Clowney. Let’s explore these options.

The biggest name among the three players listed is Clowney. The defensive end has been a hot name since the free agency period started, yet still has not been signed.

While his 2019 season wasn’t the best in terms of sacks and tackles, he did stand out in another way. If there is one thing coaches love from defensive players, it’s the ability to force turnovers. He forced four fumbles, recovered two, and picked off one pass. He also had two defensive touchdowns.

The problem is that Clowney is an edge rusher, and that would mean either him or one of the two other edge rushers would need to shift inside. Clowney would seem like the least likely option, meaning either DeMarcus Lawrence or Everson Griffen would make the shift.

Between the positional change and the cap space, Clowney doesn’t seem like a realistic option. I can’t see him taking around $7 million, and Dallas is better off getting an actual interior lineman than trying to make things work.

That’s where former first-team All-Pro Marcell Dareus can come in. His best days are far behind him, but he can still be looked at as a run-stuffer. The problem is he has had a problem remaining healthy and lacks as a pass-rusher.

Since his dominant 2014 season, he has not looked like the same player. Since then, he never played a full season, eclipsed 40 tackles once (in 2015), and had fewer than five quarterback hits from 2016 to 2019.

There has to be a better option right? A more healthy and consistent Damon Harrison is still on the market. He had 70+ tackles from 2015 to 2018 but lacks getting to the quarterback.

He is a very efficient run-stuffer but just came off his worst season in his career. Other than his rookie season where he played only 22 snaps, Harrison had a career-low in tackles in 2019.

I think the best option here is signing Damon Harrison. You can sign him for a cheap “prove it” deal, he is an actual interior lineman, he is healthy, and he is consistent. You can expect him to play as a starter and accumulate north of 50 tackles.