FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys began the new league year with four unrestricted free agents in their defensive secondary – and now three have officially left for new teams.
Former starting cornerback Brandon Carr reached a four-year agreement to sign with Baltimore, the Ravens announced on Thursday.
Last weekend, safeties Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively.
Multiple outlets, including NFL Network, are reporting that cornerback Morris Claiborne is closing in on a deal with the New York Jets, though nothing official has been announced as of late Thursday afternoon.
Carr started all 83 games, counting playoffs, in five seasons with the Cowboys and recorded 315 tackles, 45 pass breakups, seven interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. Last spring he agreed to a pay cut to remain in Dallas for the final season of the five-year, $50.1 million contract he signed in 2012.
The same year Carr joined the Cowboys, Claiborne arrived with great expectations as the 2012 sixth overall draft pick. He has battled injuries throughout his time in Dallas, missing 35 games (counting playoffs), but has been productive when healthy. He was arguably the Cowboys' most consistent cornerback last season before a groin injury sidelined him for the final nine games of the regular season.[embeddedad0]
With Carr departing and Claiborne an unrestricted free agent, the Cowboys currently have three cornerbacks on their roster from last season -- Orlando Scandrick, Anthony Brown and Leon McFadden -- along with newly-signed Nolan Carroll.
The Cowboys and Carroll finalized a three-year deal earlier this week. The 30-year-old has started 54 games over seven NFL seasons, including 16 starts last year with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Brown, one of four sixth-round picks by the Cowboys last year, emerged as a solid contributor in nine starts due to injuries to Claiborne and Scandrick.
