3 free agents the Dallas Cowboys should still pursue
By Connor Green
2. K.J. Wright, LB
The Dallas Cowboys defense was awful in 2020. The team gave up the fifth-most points per game in the league with 29.6 and also gave up the second-most rushing yards per game with 158.8. Needless to say, the team headed into this offseason in dire need of help on the defensive side of the ball.
With the team signing three new pass rushers and three new safeties (though Keanu Neal will likely play some linebacker as well) it is only fitting that the team uses the remainder of free agency to address a different position of need on defense, linebacker. The organization could do this by signing veteran linebacker K.J. Wright.
The former Pro Bowler has played his entire ten-year career thus far with the Seattle Seahawks. Last year the 31-year old defender accrued a respectable 86 total tackles, two sacks, and ten pass deflections while playing all 16 games for the Seahawks. The veteran defender has highlighted his durability throughout his career as well and has started at least 15 games in six of his past seven seasons in the league.
Considering the extensive injury of the teams’ starting linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and the relatively young nature of their linebacking core Wright would both provide a dependable option for the team at the position while also, like Alex Smith, bringing value with his experience. Vander Esch has never started more than 11 games in his three-year career with Dallas.
The hype surrounding this potential move only grew after Wright listed the Cowboys on his list of “dream teams” while citing the fact that he would be reunited with his former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in Dallas.
The Dallas Cowboys need to be more dependable at the linebacker position, a struggle that has plagued them for a while. This move would provide America’s Team with a dependable option at the position that is within the teams’ budget considering Spotrac estimates his market value to be roughly $7 million per year.