Cowboys 'Perfect' Free Agent Signing Could Benefit Micah Parsons?
The Dallas Cowboys remain one of the most intriguing teams to watch as the NFL's free agency period draws near.
Knowing that the team needs reinforcements if it is to go on a deep playoff run, but seemingly unwilling to invest heavy in the free agent market, coupled with the contract situations of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, not to mention Tyron Smith potentially leaving, the Cowboys are tough to get a read on right now.
Defensively is where the Cowboys need improvement, more specifically along the defensive line and at linebacker. Stopping the run was Dallas' kryptonite in 2023, and it was what ultimately sent them packing for a third straight season in the playoffs.
PFF has conjured up a nice little project in which they select a "perfect" free agent for each team and when it comes to Dallas, defensive line star Grover Stewart from the Indianapolis Colts comes to The Star.
"Dallas has some decisions to make on Dak Prescott and Michael Gallup before they can begin to look externally for reinforcements," PFF writes. "With several needs on both sides of the ball, it will be interesting to see where the Cowboys’ priorities lie. One should be improving a run defense that has often let them down in big spots. Indianapolis’ Grover Stewart should be on the Cowboys' radar after he posted a career-high 77.3 run-defense grade in 2023.."
Trevor Ruszkowski USA TODAY Sports
Now, we know there's no such thing as perfect, but Stewart could be a good addition to Mike Zimmer's defense.
Stewart signed a three-year, $30.1 million deal with the Colts in 2020, so we imagine he will be looking for something similar, if not better, during this free agency window.
A defensive line playmaker who excels at stopping the run, Stewart is a beast in the middle of a defense. His 6-4, 314-pound frame means he can plug and fill running lanes, which could then lead to Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence cleaning up. A player of that statue was sorely missing last season.
Whether or not Dallas will be a player in free agency (history suggests that it will not be) is unknown, and as PFF states, more pressing issues, such as Dak Prescott's contract need to be sorted out first.
But if the Cowboys harbour genuine ambition to reach at least the NFC Championship game in 2024, they can't sit on their hands and look to bargain shop in free agency.
Do what you need to do in order to get the kind of players the team desperately needs, and in Grover Stewart, he could, in theory, help solve one of the biggest issues that has plagued Dallas' defenses for years.
