Cowboys stars flirting with All-Pro free agent stokes up rumors

The NFL's legal tampering period is officially open. News has been breaking all morning, with teams around the league re-signing their own free agents, star players requesting trades and players who had already been released finding new homes. While that's been going on, the Dallas Cowboys haven't done a thing.

That's no surprise, of course, as the Cowboys have never been major players in the first wave of free agency. It also doesn't rule out Jerry Jones making moves throughout the course of the day.

We know Micah Parsons wants Dallas to be aggressive in free agency. The All-Pro pass rusher is on the record saying he wants the team to sign a big-bodied linebacker that can get downhill and an enforcer at defensive tackle.

Parsons has been the Cowboys' chief player recruiter, but CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs might have something to say about that after the duo was spotted bowling with Packers All-Pro return specialist Keisean Nixon.

Credit to Brandon Loree of Blogging The Boys for stumbling across this on Nixon's Instagram.

Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs hanging out with Packers free agent Keisean Nixon

It's important to note this could mean nothing. Whom Lamb and Diggs hang out with during the offseason is their business. With that said, it's still noteworthy, even though the Cowboys already have a star return specialist on the roster in KaVontae Turpin, who was a Pro Bowler in 2022 and averaged a whopping 29.2 yards per kickoff return last season.

For starters, Nixon is the Packers starting slot cornerback. While DaRon Bland is more comfortable playing the nickel, the Cowboys as currently constituted don't have a secondary perimeter corner behind Diggs. Bland played almost exclusively on the boundary in 2023 after Diggs suffered a torn ACL three games in: 783 snaps out wide compared to just 107 in the nickel to be exact, per Pro Football Focus.

Stephon Gilmore is a free agent and reportedly has a strong market. He's no guarantee to re-sign. Additionally, Jourdan Lewis, the Cowboys primary slot corner in 2023, is also a free agent. Make no mistake: Cornerback is a need for Dallas and Nixon has played 869 snaps in the nickel for Green Bay the last two years.

All things equal, the Cowboys would be better off re-signing Lewis for continuity. purposes. He's also better in coverage. The former third-round pick was one of the defense's best players to close the 2023 season and showed he was over his devastating Lisfranc injury.

Still, the timing of Nixon's Instagram is eye-opening given free agency literally just opened and that Dallas has multiple vacancies at cornerback.

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