Ranking players Cowboys could add before training camp: These ex-Pro Bowlers would help Dallas in a big way

FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys are set to take a pre-training camp break following the final day of mandatory minicamp on June 6.

However, they still have work to do on their 90-man roster before training camp in Oxnard, California. which starts at the end of July. Eighty-six of their 90 roster spots are filled, meaning the Cowboys could still be players in the post-June 1 cut market. Thanks to the release of wide receiver Michael Gallup before June 1, Dallas received $9.5 million in cap relief that will take effect on June 1, increasing its cap space to about $13.4 million , according to OverTheCap.com.

There’s plenty of room to sign a veteran or two, three or four, depending on those players’ willingness to come to terms with a Cowboys front office that is looking to save money on big-ticket extensions for quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons looming on the horizon.

“I think that’s where we are. We’re never done,” McCarthy said of the Cowboys’ addition to his roster. “I actually just met with (vice president of player personnel) Will (McClay) for a while this morning. We have a lot of really good players to train and prepare for. We were 88 at this time last year.”

As Dallas has four roster spots remaining, here are four players they might be interested in adding – based on their needs and potential price – before training camp.

The Cowboys lost eight of their own players in free agency this offseason, tied for the third-most in a single season in team history. One of the contributors who departed in the offseason was rotational defensive end Dorance Armstrong, who followed former Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to the Washington Commanders in March.

If the Cowboys want to replace their production, journeyman edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who will turn 29 in his ninth NFL season in 2024, could help fill the void in the pass rush department. He doesn’t have a reputation for being a huge factor in the run game, but his 69.0 career sacks rank as the ninth-most in the NFL since entering the league in 2016. That total is just above the Chargers’ edge rusher Pro Bowl, Joey Bosa. (67.0) and below Chiefs All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones (75.0) in that span.

Ngakoue could take some responsibility for rookie Marshawn Kneeland in the second round and teach him some moves.

Three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Michael Thomas, now 31, simply hasn’t been the same since earning NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2019 after setting the NFL single-season record in catches, with 149 to pace a league-leading 1,725 ​​receiving yards as well as nine receiving touchdowns.

Injuries robbed him of critical key years in the 2020s, as he played just 20 games over the past four seasons, totaling 1,057 yards and 95 receptions with four receiving touchdowns in 2020-23. If the Cowboys believe he has a chance to stay healthy and want to bring someone in push Jalen Tolbert to his third wide receiver spotthis signature might make sense.

The Cowboys still need a defensive tackle, even after addressing the position with a 2023 first-round pick (Michigan’s Mazi Smith) and a 2024 seventh-round pick (Auburn’s Justin Rogers). Signing six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell could be exactly what the Cowboys need at the position for one year. Although Campbell turns 38 on September 1, just before the start of the 2024 season, he still appears to have gas in the tank.

He started all 17 games for the Atlanta Falcons last season, recording 6.5 sacks, 56 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 42 quarterback pressures, one fewer than the New York Giants’ 2022 fifth overall pick, Kayvon. Thibodeaux, and current Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa in 2023. .

Smith – shown below standing at Wednesday’s OTAs while recovering from off-season surgery and pushing to add more weight to your body – Odighizuwa and Rogers could learn a thing or two from the member of the 2010s All-Decade team, who still stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 282 pounds. Given Campbell’s age, Dallas might give him a discount if he’s eager for one last taste of postseason action after missing the playoffs in 2023 with the Falcons.

If the Cowboys sign just one veteran free agent before the start of training camp, it should be cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year who has played a key role in Dallas’ 2023 secondary. passer rating of 60.3 as the leading defender in coverage last season, which ranked ninth in the NFL among 39 players with 80 or more passes thrown.

He helped keep the Dallas defensive backfield stable when Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs suffered a torn ACL in practice before the Week 3 game at the Arizona Cardinals with his play, as well as his guidance from the Dallas All-Pro cornerback. 2023 first teamer DaRon Brando. Bland led the NFL with nine interceptions and a league-record single-season five returned for touchdowns last season in just his second year in the league after being drafted in the fifth round.

“I always loved Stephon coming back,” Bland said on May 1. “He’s a guy I always watched growing up. Having him in the room last year was great. to go back.”

Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who became best friends with Gilmore after being his teammate on the 2017 New England Patriots, delivered the message on Wednesday that Gilmore would like to return to the Cowboys for another run in 2024 Yes, Gilmore will turn 34 at the start of the 2024 season (Sept. 19), but he would be the perfect insurance with Diggs returning from a knee injury. His presence would also allow Dallas to not have to rely heavily on 2024 fifth-round rookie Caelen Carson immediately should another injury occur this year. This is a deal Jerry Jones needs to make happen.

“I talk to him every day. Of course I want him back and he would love to come back,” Cooks said. “The thing about Gilly is he’s a professional. If his number is called, he’s ready. He’s not a Hall of Famer by accident. I’d love to have him here. We see each other every day. We Let’s see how it happens.”