The Dallas Cowboys made a surprising reunion in free agency when they inked pass-rusher Dante Fowler Jr. to a one-year, $6 million contract.
Fresh off producing 10.5 sacks last season with the Commanders, Fowler is by far Dallas' biggest splash this offseason if you don't count re-signing defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. It got fans thinking if the front office has more reunions up its sleeve.
Former stalwart left tackle Tyron Smith is still looking for a home. With uncertainty at both tackle positions, Smith would be quite the insurance policy behind Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele. That is just one example.
Stephon Gilmore would fill an even bigger need than Smith. Unfortunately, ESPN NFL writer Bill Barnwell sees the former Defensive Player of the Year as a fit with the worst team imaginable from a Cowboys perspective: the Philadelphia Eagles.
Stephon Gilmore joining the Eagles in free agency would be a Cowboys nightmare
If it's any consolation, Barnwell mentioned the 49ers and Seahawks as fits for Gilmore in addition to the Eagles.
"The Vikings only signed Gilmore last offseason after they seemed to realize they didn't have enough at cornerback," Barnwell writes. "He was more than worth their $7 million investment. I wouldn't be surprised if the same scenario happened this year, where a team that looks thin at cornerback and doesn't love what it sees from some of its young guys in camp goes after Gilmore as a plug-and-play solution over the summer."
Gilmore wanted to return to the Cowboys last offseason, but it never seemed like the front office showed interest, likely for financial reasons. It turns out they really could have used Gilmore.
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Ball-hawk DaRon Bland suffered a stress fracture in his foot late in camp and missed the first 10 games of the season. That forced rookie fifth-round pick Caelen Carson into a starting role.
While Carson started off strong, he was eventually picked on by opposing offenses and battled a nagging shoulder injury throughout the season. When all was said and done, Andrew Booth, Amani Oruwariye and Josh Butler all played well over 100 snaps at the position.
Cornerback is a much bigger need this time around. You can make a strong argument it's the biggest need on the roster after Jourdan Lewis signed with the Jaguars. Trevon Diggs and Butler could miss most of 2025 with knee injuries, while Carson is recovering from December shoulder surgery.
While Dallas traded for former first-round pick Kaiir Elam, he cannot be trusted to start right away.
Despite entering his age-35 season, Gilmore is still a serviceable CB2. Barnwell notes Gilmore allowed a 87.5 passer rating and a negative EPA (expected points added) as the nearest defender in coverage last season. He'll get beat occasionally, but he'd be a substantial upgrade over Carson, who currently projects as the other starter opposite Bland, assuming he's healthy.
While it's not been reported that the Eagles are interest in Gilmore, he'd be a perfect complement to budding second-year pros Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. The Cowboys would be smart to swoop in and sign Gilmore to prevent this nightmare from coming true.