Cowboys top-10 free agent additions under Will McClay’s guidance

8. Benson Mayowa, EDGE, 2016

Undrafted out of Idaho in 2013, Benson Mayowa spent one season with the Seattle Seahawks and was then waived. The Oakland Raiders claimed him in 2014 and he played two years with them. With Oakland, he had just 30 tackles for two sacks but the Cowboys saw something in him they really liked.

That’s why they signed him to a three-year $8.25 million offer sheet. A restricted free agent, Mayowa would have stayed with the Raiders if they matched the offer but that didn’t happen. The Cowboys proved to be winners in this deal as Mayowa became a regular contributor.

In 2016, he had 25 tackles and six sacks, which led the team. The main reason he was No. 1 in sacks for Dallas was the absence of DeMarcus Lawrence, who missed seven games due to injury.

Lawrence was back the following year and had the best campaign of his career. In a contract season, Lawrence had 58 tackles and 14.5 sacks, which took a lot of the production away from Mayowa. He ended up with just one sack that year with 21 tackles in a reserve role.

Mayowa was released in 2018 as Dallas needed to save money when they franchise-tagged Lawrence. He joined Arizona that year and has since gone back to the Raiders and Seahawks. Mayowa continued to play well with 17 sacks over the next three seasons after leaving Dallas, but they were the first to truly see his full potential.