It tells you everything you need to know about the Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 season that they barely re-signed any of their own free agents once the legal tampering period opened in March.
Outside of Javonte Williams (three-year extension) and George Pickens (franchise tag), Dallas’ only other in-house move was bringing back Sam Williams, who's widely viewed as nothing more than a rotational piece on defense and a contributor on special teams.
While Jadeveon Clowney’s departure has felt inevitable, Dante Fowler Jr. beat him to the market and found a new home first, and his landing spot is a nightmare.
According to NFL Network, Fowler inked a one-year deal worth up to $5 million with the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, reuniting with former Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde and, more notably, former Dallas teammate DeMarcus Lawrence.
Former Dallas Cowboys DE Dante Fowler joins Seahawks' ferocious defense
Just what the Cowboys needed: another former pass rusher heading to Mike Macdonald’s loaded Seahawks defense. Fowler doesn’t have the same ties to Dallas as DeMarcus Lawrence did, but it’ll still sting if he finds his groove on the West Coast after an underwhelming 2025.
Coming off a 10.5-sack season with Washington, the 31-year-old Fowler managed 3.0 sacks, four tackles for loss, 30 pressures, and a 14.3 percent pass-rush win rate. He was better than those stats suggest, but the Cowboys definitely hoped for a bigger impact.
If it's any consolation, almost everybody on Dallas' defense had a down year under former coordinator Matt Eberflus. Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark were the only players who lived up to the back of their cards, and Williams didn't join the team until November.
But Fowler bouncing back in Seattle? That's a painfully obvious outcome, as he should walk into an important role following the departure of former second-round pick Boye Mafe.
The Seahawks then used the No. 32 overall pick on Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price and their second and third-round picks on TCU safety Bud Clark and Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal, respectively, to atone for the losses of Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen. Not a pass rusher in sight.
Unlike Dallas, Seattle has a loaded defensive front and a stacked secondary to make life easier for its edge rushers. It's arguably the best defensive infrastructure in the NFL. Lawrence is still a good player, but there's no denying the Seahawks' setup helped elevate his production.
Fowler doesn't fit what Christian Parker wants from his edge defenders, but the room could still use a proven pass rusher. That puts added pressure on No. 23 overall pick Malachi Lawrence to make an impact behind Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku.
The Cowboys aren’t sweating losing Fowler. Not with Parker now running the defense. But it’ll be a tough look if he follows Lawrence’s lead and thrives in Seattle. That's the one team that could actually make Dallas regret losing him.
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