5 free agents Cowboys could sign now that draft is over
By Angel Torres
Kawann Short. 3. player. 123. . .
The Dallas Cowboys could use another zero or one technique to help clog up the middle of the defense. The team has shown little interest in this position so I assume they are looking for long, quick, penetrating tackles that can disrupt more than they occupy.
If that is the case, then former Carolina Panthers and dominant interior player Kwann Short should be on the shortlist of veteran players the Dallas Cowboys should consider. Cowboys fans are probably wary of former Carolina Panther interior lineman but Short is different than last years acquisitions.
Kawann Short has dealt with two ailing shoulders the past couple of years but he should be close to healthy as a few teams were checking in on him as soon as he was released. Questions about the shoulders should be asked but if healthy, this is the type of move that Jerry Jones should gamble on.
Before his injuries, Short was arguably one of the best interior defensive lineman not named Aaron Donald. Injuries are usually the precursor to a decline in overall play but it is usually a player’s legs that start to slow which is not the case for Short.
Filmwork showed that in 2018, Short was still an extremely difficult player to block especially when heading upfield. Questions were raised about his motivation level after he signed his five-year $80 million deal but whatever the case was, Short was still an interior problem for a lot of teams.
Short isn’t a one-trick pony as he rarely wastes movement when teams run laterally. Short has a great feel for sifting through the traffic down the line of scrimmage and can usually make the play from the backside for minimal gains.
I have been accustomed to the Dallas interior players just fire straight ahead no matter what so seeing a great player use his head and not his body to make a play is refreshing to see.
2019 was the beginning of his injury problems which led him to only play in two games due to a shoulder injury. Short missed the majority of the season with a partially torn rotator cuff and the other shoulder made him miss 13 games in the 2020 season.
Short is on the wrong side of 30 and has an injury history but the little plays he did get in those two lost seasons still show a player who could collapse the pocket or occupy blockers.