Is Cowboys’ 2022 pass rush rotation set after Dante Fowler signing?
After becoming the last of the 32 NFL teams to make an external signing, the Dallas Cowboys made two quick moves on Friday evening. First, they signed Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver James Washington to help fill the void of Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson. Just minutes later, ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that the Cowboys would be signing defensive end Dante Fowler from the Atlanta Falcons to a one-year deal.
This is a Dan Quinn reunion as Fowler played under Quinn while he was the head coach of the Falcons. While it is nice to add a defensive end to the roster, Fowler certainly isn’t Za’Darius Smith, Von Miller, or any of the other highly sought-after defenders the Cowboys were connected with in the past week.
Fowler had high expectations coming out of the University of Florida. The Jaguars selected him with the third overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but he missed the entire 2015 season after tearing his ACL during rookie minicamp. He had a great 2017 with the Jaguars collecting eight sacks and helping the team get to an AFC Championship Game.
After Jacksonville, he headed to the Rams to have a stellar 2019 season. He had an impressive 11.5 sacks, 58 tackles, and 16 quarterback hits with Los Angeles, which helped him secure a long-term deal in Atlanta. He didn’t have the success Arthur Blank and his crew were hoping for. In his two years with the Falcons., he tallied just 7.5 sacks and 16 QB hits. The Falcons released him on Feb. 16.
Dan Quinn reunion: Cowboys have agreed to terms with former Falcons DE Dante Fowler, source said. They were together in Atlanta during 2020 season. Fowler had 11 1/2 sacks with Rams in 2019. @toddarcher first reported.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 18, 2022
The Dallas Cowboys signed former Falcons DE Dante Fowler Jr. in free agency to rejoin Dan Quinn
The Quinn relationship is important here. The 6-3, 255-pound pass-rusher was recruited to Atlanta by Quinn and the Cowboys defensive coordinator was also his position coach at the University of Florida. Dallas hopes the 27-year-old can get back to the way he played in 2019, but there are no guarantees.
As far as Fowler being a replacement for now-former Cowboys DE Randy Gregory, that’s a bit of a stretch. Gregory has had far better production than Fowler. But it’s certainly possible that playing under Quinn will give Fowler a boost. Maybe 2022 will be the year he lives up to what he was expected to be when he was initially drafted into the league? All we can do for now is keep our fingers crossed.
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