Cowboys Source Reveals Latest on Free Agent Anthony Barr Signing Idea
OXNARD, Calif. - The Dallas Cowboys have arrived here in Oxnard for training camp, and maybe buoyed by the natural optimism that always comes with that, a team source tells us they have at least temporarily shelved the idea of any immediate pursuit of free-agent linebacker Anthony Barr.
Dallas' cap space is at about $22 million, and while a large chunk of that is earmarked for future signings in future seasons (think CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons), the Cowboys have kicked around the idea of pursuing the Vikings standout Barr.
Given the fact that the Cowboys recently flirted with the idea of signing multiple-time Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner before he landed with the Rams, there is an acknowledgement of a need. (Heck, they also flirted with Von Miller, again marking an acknowledgement.)
Barr has been a star-caliber player for the Minnesota defense, and he's now 30 ... with a connection to the Dallas coaching staff ... and still unsigned.
Can there be a fit? Yes. But the start of training camp is a time of optimism regarding the guys already on the roster, which in terms of front-seven pressure defenders means Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, of course, but also in the Cowboys' minds means an opportunity for rookie end Sam Williams (maybe as a starter), for second-year linebacker Jabril Cox (maybe as a starter), for re-signed Dorance Armstrong and a host of others.
As always, there is the issue of the money. Barr played at $10 million last year. Is that too much? Or, if you are a Super Bowl hopeful with a need and $22 million of cap room - and an owner in Jerry Jones who recently told CowboysSI.com that he's still willing to be a "reckless'' spender - is it just right.
There is the question of where he plays. The Cowboys linebacker room is led by Parsons, and Dallas re-signed Leighton Vander Esch, with Cox coming back from injury and, we're told, planning on practicing this week. Parsons - arguably and suddenly the game's No. 1 linebacker - is best-used as a chess piece; if there was another linebacker available, it would free him to be more of a pass-rusher.
Except ... that's actually what Barr, the former UCLA star who was taken as the ninth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, is. In fact, as we recall, the Cowboys - who liked Barr in that draft - sort of thought of him as a pass rusher.
That's not a bad thing; in Barr's rookie season, he had 70 total tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and a touchdown. And then in four consecutive seasons from 2015 through 2018, Barr made the Pro Bowl. (He did so, by the way, under the supervision of Minnesota defensive coordinator George Edwards, now a Dallas assistant.)
Cowboys sources have long acknowledged to us interest in Barr, and thinking that Barr qualifies as a Micah helper, or even as "Micah Lite.'' Weak-side linebacker. Rush the passer. Drop into coverage. Veteran presence. So yes, the Cowboys are aware.
But before they go there? They come to Oxnard, hoping they already have the sort of answers that Barr might provide. So the idea isn't dead. But the "immediate pursuit'' seems to be.
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