Cowboys 10 worst free agent additions in the last decade
By Randy Gurzi
1. Greg Hardy, EDGE, 2015
Desperate teams do desperate things and in 2015, the Cowboys were desperate for a “war daddy” on the defensive line. This led to them making one of the more controversial signings in recent memory as they came to terms with Greg Hardy on a one-year deal worth $11.3 million.
Not only was it bad enough that they signed Hardy, but they were the only team to show any interest. That means they somehow got into a bidding war with no one and paid an awful lot of money to a player that had some disgusting allegations lingering over his head.
Hardy, who had 26 sacks in 2012 and 2013 for the Carolina Panthers, was accused of strangling and throwing an ex-girlfriend into furniture before threatening to kill her. She suddenly didn’t pursue charges and there were theories she was paid off. Even without an official record, the photos of what Hardy did was enough to scare off every team, except the one run by Jerry Jones.
Once in Dallas, Hardy had to serve a suspension, which was originally 10 games. It was reduced to four under appeal, which was a controversial move. Still, the Cowboys had their pass rusher ready to go in Week 5.
On the field, Hardy started out hot with three sacks in his first two games. He also had an insane interception in his third game against Seattle. But then things started to go off the rails.
Hardy was a distraction not only from a P.R. standpoint but also had issues with attendance. He was even seen going off on Dez Bryant during a sideline rant during his lone season in Big D.
Hardy wound up playing in 12 games and had 35 tackles with six sacks. He was gone after 2015 and no other NFL team so much as sniffed around.
