3 defenders the Cowboys missed out on in free agency

1. Yannick Ngakoue, DE, Las Vegas Raiders

Ngakoue was technically not a free agent but he certainly was a feasible target for the Cowboys. It surely didn’t stop the Colts from trading to get him in exchange for cornerback Rock Sin-Ya. Once the Raiders signed Chandler Jones, the Dallas front office could have jumped on the phone to make this deal happen.

The Raiders clearly knew they didn’t need both Jones and Ngakoue. Dallas could have sent a young defender like Anthony Brown to the Raiders in exchange for a much-needed defensive end. Plus, his not-so-big contract was absolutely feasible for Dallas.

The now Colt is just 26 years old and is excellent in the pass rush. In 2021, he led the Raiders with 10 sacks and also had 23 quarterback hits. One of those sacks was against Dak Prescott in the brutal Thanksgiving game. Ngakoue finished third among all defensive players with 71 QB pressures.

Every other NFL Team: 3

Cowboys: 0

At the time of writing, Za’Darius Smith and Bobby Wagner are still on the market. While there is still some hope, you can’t blame Cowboys fans for thinking this won’t get done. How will Stephen and Jerry Jones be able to explain their decisions (or lack thereof) of the 2022 offseason? If not going after talent from other teams hasn’t worked in the past several years, why aren’t they changing the strategy? For now, all we can hope is that all of the pieces eventually fall into place. But the Cowboys have certainly missed out on some key opportunities.