Bobby Wagner is considered one of the best free agents still on the market. But he won’t be coming to Dallas.
So says Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones, despite well-documented mutual interest from both parties and near-salivating interest from the fanbase. Speaking from the annual league meetings in Florida, though, Jones put to bed any speculation that the club would be making a move to sign the six-time first-team All-Pro.
In fact, Jones raved enough about the team’s current linebacking corps that it now seems unlikely they’ll do any shopping at the position this free agency period.
“We feel good about it,” Jones told reporters in Palm Beach this week. “We’re not heavy with numbers; we certainly could do better there, but I wouldn’t say it’s a huge priority before the draft.”
A big part of that confidence comes from the linebackers Dallas picked up in last year’s draft. First-round choice Micah Parsons turned in a Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign and even got into the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. He’ll be the centerpiece of the Cowboys defense for years to come.
But the team’s fourth-round pick at the position is a factor, too. LSU product Jabril Cox got off to a promising start in his rookie season before an ACL tear took him out in Week 8. He played just nine defensive snaps before the injury, but had seen action on over half the special teams unit’s plays to that point.
Jabril Cox ran that man down like he owed him money .. Giants fans was so goofy for calling this a dirty hit y’all don’t even like DJ like that i see y’all mocks 😂 pic.twitter.com/cKTxvMM1CI
— J Tuck (@jtuck151) March 29, 2022
The Cowboys like Cox’s development, with Jones predicting that he’ll assume a role that had gone to one of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s favorite players last season.
“He’s doing really well,” Jones said of the 23-year-old Cox. “Feel great about him, feel great that he’s the right fit for what Dan wants to do defensively… Should be a big plus for us this year, probably fill right in where Keanu [Neal] left off. Think he’s got great coverage skills. A good offseason with him will be good for him. Really like his upside.”
That comment seems to assure that Neal, a six-year veteran who had been in Dallas on a one-year agreement, won’t return from free agency. Neal had been a safety in Atlanta, making a switch to linebacker when he joined the Cowboys.
Positional flexibility has become a hot trend, especially in Dallas, with a player’s officially-listed spot taking a backseat to his ability to be effective from multiple places on the field.
It’s one of the reasons why the re-signing of Jayron Kearse was a key win for the front office this offseason. He’s technically a safety, but his return puts the minds of Jones and the Cowboys coaches more at ease as they look at the middle level of the defense.
“Some people in the building consider Jayron Kearse a linebacker,” Jones explained. “So we don’t need as many ‘backers as we used to because we kind of play that hybrid style with our safeties.
And that means the Cowboys apparently won’t make a push to bring Wagner, the Seahawks’ eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker, to town.
Stephen Jones indicates Cowboys not still in play for free-agent LB Bobby Wagner.
"Obviously Dan’s had a history with Bobby and knows him well (so) you look into it. He’s a great, great football player, Hall of Fame-type player. But as it turned out, it didn’t work out with us."
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) March 29, 2022
Wagner’s publicly-stated desire for a two-year contract worth $11 million is part of it, too. The Cowboys are notorious bargain shoppers when it comes to free agency; inking Leighton Vander Esch to a new one-year contract at up to $3 million and securing the undrafted Luke Gifford at $1 million and change is much more in line with the Joneses’ typical strategy.
And with nine draft picks to use next month, also looking to the college ranks for added linebacker depth is practically a given.
From a projected first-rounder like Georgia’s Nakobe Dean to Round Two possibilities like Alabama’s Christian Harris or Wyoming’s Chad Muma to a host of deeper Day Three picks, the Cowboys should have options whenever they decide to address the position further.
But with a healing Jabril Cox waiting in the wings and returning talent like Kearse, Vander Esch, and Gifford ready to rotate in alongside the electrifying Parsons, that time looks like it will be later rather than sooner for the Cowboys brain trust.
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