It's been a fairly quiet start to the offseason for Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. Of course, they franchise tagged George Pickens, traded for Rashan Gary and signed Jalen Thompson to a lucrative deal, but the legal tampering period of free agency has been a snoozer thus far.
Not a single Cowboy from the 2025 roster has darted for another NFL team, and outside of Thompson, Dallas hadn't inked anyone to more than a one-year, $3 million deal. But Jones finally made a minor splash on Tuesday afternoon, agreeing to a one-year, $5 million deal with P.J. Locke.
Locke isn't exactly a household name, but the move has new defensive coordinator Christian Parker's fingerprints all over it, considering they spent time together with the Denver Broncos. On that front, a Broncos expert gave Cowboys fans some insight as to what kind of playing they're getting in Locke.
Broncos expert should have Dallas Cowboys fans hyped about P.J. Locke signing
Sayre Bedinger, site expert for FanSided's dedicated Broncos page, Predominately Orange, had some intel as to the talent that Dallas is getting in Locke. Parker already knows who he is getting, but the fanbase needed more information, and Bedinger provided it:
"PJ Locke has been an extremely valuable depth option for the Denver Broncos dating back to the 2020 season. The Broncos added Locke all the way back in 2019 when he was an undrafted rookie, and he developed quickly into a core special teams player for the team," Bedinger wrote.
"After developing under Vic Fangio and Christian Parker during his early years, the Broncos put some faith in Locke as a starter on their defense, and he really started to shine as a weapon for Vance Joseph in 2023, racking up 3 sacks (first Broncos safety in history to record a sack in 3 straight games)."
Considering the Cowboys need to retool their safety room this offseason, Locke sounds like a great addition. Don't let his counting stats from 2025 fool you too much -- Locke was a major contributor for the Broncos for several years after grinding through the ranks as an undrafted free agent.
Fans always hesitate about lower-end free agent signings, as they wonder why the player's previous team let them walk. But this is more about Denver having an absolutely loaded defense, and secondary in particular, than it is about Locke's abilities.
Bedinger continued:
"Even though the Broncos signed Talanoa Hufanga to replace Locke in the starting lineup in 2025, he was still an extremely valuable piece, playing in relief of the injured Brandon Jones down the stretch and picking off Josh Allen in the playoffs," Bedinger noted. "He can do a little bit of everything for the defensive backfield with his background working in the slot, playing in the box, and playing deep."
Having a recent interception of Josh Allen is quite a feather in a defensive back's cap, especially one in the postseason. Locke seems to be a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none kind of player, and that is just fine for a defense that Parker will be basically building from scratch. He'll know where to put him.
Between his low cost, ample experience, and his history with Parker and Vic Fangio, Locke, by all accounts, seems to be a great addition to the Cowboys' secondary.