The Dallas Cowboys had to make a lot of tough decisions this offseason. Some verdicts made more sense than others. Not doing more to keep nucleus of the secondary, Jourdan Lewis, and letting Rico Dowdle leave for pocket change left a lot of Cowboys fans scratching their heads.
They also had to make tough calls on veteran defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence and Chauncey Golston. Re-signing Lawrence never seemed likely given his age and injury history, and it became apparent after he signed with the Seahawks that he and Micah Parsons didn't see eye to eye.
Golston is a different case. He is an ascending player who can play on the edge or kick inside and he broke out in a big way in 2024. Unfortunately, Golston signed with the Giants in free agency and he hasn't wasted any time proving his worth on one of the most stacked defensive fronts in football.
Cowboys are going to miss Chauncey Golston more than they think
No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter has been all the rage in Giants training camp, so Golston has flown under the radar. It doesn't help that he's also competing with all-world defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, two-time Pro Bowler Brian Burns and former No. 5 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux for recognition, but he's used to that from his time with the Cowboys.
A third-round pick with Dallas, Golston has been stacking impressive days. Cowboys fans won't be surprised to learn he's being used all over New York's defensive line. He was a force to be reckoned with in the Giants' joint practice with the Jets on Wednesday, collapsing the pocket from the edge and forcing Justin Fields to scramble and throw the ball away.
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Golston endeared himself to Giants fans with an electric quote that will have Cowboys Nation wishing he was still suiting up for the silver and blue.
"Setting edges and f***ing s**t up," Golston told Jared Schwartz of the New York Post when asked about his role for the upcoming season.
Injuries to Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence saw Golston have a featured role last season and he was more than up for the challenge. He accumulated 5.5 sacks, 37 pressures, 30 defensive stops and five passes defended. He also ranked eighth among EDGEs with a 31 percent run-stop win rate.
That is ridiculously good production from your DE3, which begs the question of why the Cowboys didn't bring him back. As usual, it came down to money as the Giants gave Golston a three-year, $18 million deal with $12 million guaranteed.
Meanwhile, Dallas reunited with Dante Fowler to a one-year $6 million deal with just $3 million guaranteed. They also signed Payton Turner and have two second-round picks hungry for larger roles in Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland. To the front office's credit, they drafted Donovan Ezeiruaku in the second round and he looks like a stud early on.
The Cowboys should have a really good pass rush this season, but Golston's versatility and ability to defend the run will be missed.