Dez Bryant proposes genius move for Cowboys to rescue inactive free agency

The Dallas Cowboys seemingly have zero motivation to improve their roster. While they clearly have funds reserved for extensions for Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb, and seemingly Dak Prescott, there's no defending their lack of spending.

The Jones family will claim the salary cap is preventing them from spending, but they could clear up $30 million by pushing a few buttons. There's still time for the Cowboys to fill some of those holes, but time is running out as players continue finding new homes.

In terms of defensive tackle, Dallas might actually be screwed after starting nose tackle Johnathan Hankins signed with the Seahawks. As far as running back, D'Onta Foreman just signed with Cleveland. Many Cowboys fans identified Foreman as the ideal veteran back to pair with Rico Dowdle and a 2024 draft pick.

Luckily, there's still one quality RB option out there and he's squarely on former star Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant's radar.

Dez Bryant wants the Cowboys to sign J.K. Dobbins in free agency

Bryant is absolutely barking up the right tree. As currently constituted, the Cowboys backfield consists of Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis and Snoop Conner. You can lump Hunter Luepke in there, but he only received six carries as a rookie and was primarily used as a run blocker.

In short, Dallas desperately needs more firepower at running back. Dobbins has the most upside of the remaining free agents. If you're curious, the other options include Ezekiel Elliott, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kareem Hunt, Cordarrelle Patterson, Rashaad Penny and Damien Harris.

Other than maybe Patterson, none of those players move the needle enough to surpass Dobbins atop the list. Dobbins has had a brutal run of injuries (he's played just nine games since 2020), but Bryant, who was his teammate in Baltimore, notes he's hungry to prove those wrong that have written him off.

The Cowboys could catch lightning in a bottle with Dobbins, similar to when they signed Darren McFadden in 2015. Coming off a terrible three-year run in Oakland when he averaged 3.4 yards per carry, McFadden rushed 1,089 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games (10 starts) with Dallas that season. He was even dynamic as a receiver, catching 40 passes for 328 yards.

McFadden helped Cowboys fans forget about DeMarco Murray, who signed with the hated Eagles as a free agent that offseason. In fact, McFadden had the better season and it wasn't all that close as Murray stumbled in Philly. Dobbins could have a similar impact on Tony Pollard, who signed with the Titans.

It's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but signing Dobbins would qualify as Dallas giving a forgotten or written-off RB another chance like they did with McFadden in 2015. While McFadden didn't have Dobbins' injury history, he was entering his eighth season when he joined Dallas.

A duo of Dowdle and a 2024 draft pick isn't saving the Cowboys running game. They need another dynamic playmaker. Dobbins, who's averaged 5.8 yards per attempt on 234 career carries, would bring exactly that assuming he's fully recovered from Achilles surgery.

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