FRISCO, Texas – One full week into free agency, the Dallas Cowboys, as of 5 p.m. Wednesday out here at The Star, have acquired 10 new players, eight through free agency and two via trades, so far.
Probably not done quite yet. Probably need to keep looking for a more veteran wide receiver. Maybe a cornerback. For sure a more veteran backup quarterback. And anyone else to create more inexpensive depth to keep the NFL Draft now five weeks away as pure as possible.
Meaning no desperate reaches out of dire need.
And if wondering the most prized of these so far 10 new players, my advice is to follow the money and the years. That would suggest having traded for Tennessee linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr., inheriting the final year on his contract, highest salary cap hit of the bunch at $7.4 million.
After that, step right up Solomon Thomas, two years, $6 million, with $3 million guaranteed, with a chance to make another $1 million each year in incentives, so potentially $8 million.
These two surely will have prominent roles on this team.
But after that, we know all we need to know about Dante Fowler Jr., the designated pass rushing defensive end who returns. We know about the running backs, Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, creating veteran depth there. Solid bang for the buck.
But among the rest, to me, here is the possible sleeper, the relatively unknown and potentially overlooked:
Payton Turner.
That's right, Turner, one of five former first round draft choices brought in this past week, the New Orleans Saints selecting the 6-6, 270 defensive end with the 28th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but after his four nondescript years decided against picking up his fifth-year option and he was more than glad to sign a one-year, $2 million guaranteed free agent deal, sort of a prove-it contract with the Cowboys.
And you're probably saying, "What the what?"
This guy from Houston and the University of had only played 15 games his first three seasons with the Saints and then active for 16 in 2024. That's it, 31 career games. No starts. Just 50 total tackles, five sacks, 674 defensive snaps. That's a humble average of 168.5 a year. Like mere 21.8 a game played. Nothing to write home about.
So why this guy?
Well, it was something he said the other day in a conference call, speaking with clarity and confidence that made me do a little research.
"I think it's a new opportunity for me," Turner began, "an opportunity to hit that stride."
And then there was this: "I had a few injuries early in my career . . . one of the things I need to get better is my health . . . need to be available, one of the things I struggled with in New Orleans."
Ah-ha. I'll say. Check this out.
After playing only five games is the 2020 final year at Houston dealing with COVID restrictions and a foot injury, then a shoulder injury his rookie season landed him on injured reserve with the Saints in 2021, limiting him to five games. In 2022, played just eight games, battling, shoulder, chest and ankle injuries. In 2023, just two games, 25 snaps, landed on IR following toe surgery after playing the opener, then returning for just the final game. And while active for 16 games in 2024, finally played 31 percent of the snaps (331/avg. 20 a game), two sacks, 21 total tackles.
Someone had to see something in this guy to become a top 28th pick in the draft. He's got 35-inch arms, 10¼-inch hands, a 35-inch vertical and a 4.31 20-yard-shuttle for a defensive end when a 4.2 is considered good for a cornerback. The Cowboys thought highly of him, but probably not as highly as a first-round pick. Maybe if he was there at the 12th pick in the second round, No. 44, they would have taken him instead of Kelvin Joseph.
Well, four years later, here he is. And with the loss of DeMarcus Lawrence and Chauncey Golston, knowing Sam Williams must return from last summer's torn ACL, Marshawn Kneeland needing to stay healthy and Fowler likely a rotational player, Turner is going to get his shot.
As long as he remains "available."
- New Need: How about backup QB? No longer do the Cowboys have the inexpensive luxury of Cooper Rush they had over the past eight seasons, the Ravens seeing fit to pluck him out of free agency on a two-year, $6.25 million deal, with a $4.2 million guarantee and the possibility based on play time, starts and wins to push that deal to $12 million. That currently leaves the Cowboys with a rehabbing Dak Prescott and Will Grier at QB. Need a few more arms, even if they should draft one. And experienced arms at that since Grier has played and started in only two NFL games, both in 2019 with Carolina. Now there is a long list of available backup-type QBs out there. Desmond Ridder has caught my eye. At least he's started 18 of the 25 games he's played, 13 of those starts in 2023 for Atlanta, going 6-7. Also, there's journeyman backup C.J. Beathard, a career 13-game starter in 32 appearances. But he did cross paths with new Cowboys head coach Brian Shottenheimer in 2021 at Jacksonville when Schotty was the pass-game coordinator Trevor Lawrence's rookie season. Stay tuned here.
- Something Special: This seems to have been overlooked with the Cowboys signing former Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn, most pointing out the obvious connection with Matt Eberflus, the former Chicago head coach and now Cowboys defensive coordinator, and that he also played for former Bears linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, now the Cowboys linebackers coach. While he started 19 of 48 games played for the Bears as an undrafted backer in 2022, this is what caught my eye. Over his three seasons with the Bears Sanborn played 816 special teams snaps, including 84 percent of the snaps (369) in 2024. Beware this seemingly, Jack, of all trades.
- Good Idea: With the NFL meetings the end of this month, the Eagles have sent in a proposal to match the playoff overtime rule that gives both teams an equal opportunity of one possession with the regular season rule, too. Why not. Silly to have a coin flip potentially make such an impact on who wins a regular season game after the very first and possibly only possession.
- This & That: Pretty cool production out here at Ford Center with the Big 12 Pro Days taking place over a three-day period, and fascinating to watch these players go through the drills normally staged at individual school Pro Days, all under one roof that the NFL scouts must lover . . . Had put together a list of Cowboys players lost so far in free agency, numbering six, but the biggest loss in my mind is the retirement of seven-time All-Pro guard and nine-time Pro Bowler Zack Martin, that certainly needs to be counted as the seventh . . . In RB Javonte Williams four-year career in Denver, he caught 158 passes for 966 yards, nearly 40 passes a season and a career high 52 in 2024 . . . Loved Sanborn's answer to what's his style at linebacker, saying, "Do your job, make plays and tackles."
And let's turn to Solomon Thomas for this week's last word, obviously knowing his Cowboys history, the highs and the lows, having grown up in suburban Coppell, Texas, adjacent to the Cowboys \practice facility in Irving and having played his first varsity high school snaps at AT&T Stadium. Even pointing out he chose his Coppell High No. 94 after DeMarcus Ware.
And he sure didn't shy away when talking about the Cowboys extended Super Bowl drought.
"The goal is always the Super bowl," Thomas said. "I know everyone is afraid to talk about it because critics are going to say this and that, but that's the reason we play this game. No one starts this season off 'Hey, we want to make the playoffs and end there or we want to go 8-8 and not make the playoffs.'
The goal is always Super Bowl. If you're a competitor and if you're someone who loves this game, if you're someone who understands how hard NFL players work to get where we are, that's the only goal and the only way. You know, Dallas has the ultimate history of winning, five Super Bowls. We want to bring that history back."
Well said.
