The NFL has made it through the frenetic portion of free agency, but there are still a ton of players looking for new homes, and plenty of teams with holes that they would love to fill before the 2026 Draft. The Dallas Cowboys are one of those teams, as their offseason work is far from finished.
One of the biggest areas of need for Dallas entering the offseason was at the edge position. That’s why the team was connected to star defenders like Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson.
However, the Cowboys ended up with neither of them, instead trading with the Green Bay Packers for Rashan Gary. While the team is happy to have Gary, the edge group still needs more.
That could result in the Cowboys turning to a player that fans thought the team was done with. That player is Dante Fowler.
The Dallas Cowboys could bring back Dante Fowler as they search for edge depth
Fowler, a 10-year veteran, has spent three of the last four seasons in Dallas, including this past year. In his first two seasons with the team, he served as a contributing depth piece, appearing in all 17 games each season, but not starting any. In those two years, Fowler had a combined 10 sacks, 40 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, five pass deflections, and three forced fumbles.
He then went off to the Washington Commanders, and surpassed those numbers in one season. Starting seven of the 17 games he played in, Fowler posted 10.5 sacks for Washington in 2024. This led to a return to Dallas, where the Cowboys thought they would get a more productive Fowler than they had the first time.
Instead, Dallas got a Fowler who posted just three sacks in 17 games — starting 11 of those games. The veteran defender also had just 15 total tackles, as he played 32% of the Dallas’ defensive snaps.
Now, Fowler, who will be 32 next season, is still a free agent. Considering the Cowboys’ needs, it would make sense to welcome him back, but the team wouldn’t know exactly what to expect from the defender.
Still, it would absolutely be fitting for the franchise if Fowler is back with the team next season. As long as the deal is inexpensive, there shouldn’t be too many complaints. The edge room badly needs a rotational pass rusher, and Fowler fits that to a tee.