Cowboys 'Must Consider' Signing New 'Starting Lineman'? Why?

From our vantage point, the Dallas Cowboys' defensive line room is fresh out of chairs. So why would there be any push to add a journeyman backup?

A proposal from Bleacher Report urges the Dallas Cowboys to wrangle in a solid D-line starter ... who we don't think would get a sniff of snaps with "America's Team.''

In listing three veteran free agents that Dallas "must consider before training camp," an out-of-box mention is defensive tackle Shelby Harris, a seventh-round NFL entry in 2014 who is best known for five seasons in Denver. Harris, set to turn 32 in August, spent last season with the Seattle Seahawks and remains a free agent.

"Signing defensive tackle Shelby Harris could help shore up Dallas' defense at the initial level," Kristopher Knox writes. "He been a consistent playmaker since becoming a full-time starter in 2019 with the Denver Broncos.

"Over the last four years with Denver and the Seattle Seahawks, Harris averaged 44 tackles, four sacks, and six tackles for loss. During that span, he was credited with only eight missed tackles, according to Pro Football Reference."

All of that is true, and we hear the Seahawks might end up bringing him back. But Dallas really doesn't have room to work on its interior defense - even after allowing 2,198 yards on the ground last season, ranking 22nd in that category.

And why? The team chose Michigan threat Mazi Smith with its premier draft pick in the spring to work with promising third-year man Osa Odighizuwa, and they also brought back Jonathan Hankins, a late-season trade acquisition. In theory, had Hankins played a full season with Dallas in 2022, the run-stopping ability would have been upgraded ... and going forward, Dallas thinks Mazi can be a "star'' as a run-stopper and more. They also think Osa has star quality.

And in terms of journeymen? Dallas has a handful of homegrown young ones (Neville Gallimore, Chauncey Golston, Quinton Bohanna) ... and we're quite sure they'd rather stick there, at least until training camp proves them wrong, rather than add another older body.

To us, Harris is similar to Carlos Watkins, who signed a series of one-year, vet-minimum deals in Dallas before this year skipping for Arizona. A solid and reliable backup? That's Watkins. And we think that's Harris. And if Dallas felt like it "must consider'' such a signing, it would've paid Watkins.

The other picks on Knox's list are at least somewhat expected (i.e. Ezekiel Elliott and former Dan Quinn disciple Deion Jones). So if the game is "out-of-the-box'' thinking, this is a fun exercise. And it's no slap at Harris to say that Dallas opens training camp in Oxnard with the players (and CowboysSI.com) arriving on July 24 ... and we can safety predict there won't be a 32-year-old backup free agent defensive tackle joining them at that time.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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