Will Mike Zimmer Push Cowboys To 'Prioritize' Signing Stephon Gilmore? Will Lions 'Steal' in Free Agency?
FRISCO - Amid the unsubstantiated rumor that the Dallas Cowboys might be an NFL free agency buyer at the cornerback position - one that as it relates to Kansas City Chiefs standout L'Jarius Sneed really doesn't add up - comes more realistic speculation about how Dallas might actually lose a standout player at the position.
The Detroit Lions, who made it to the NFC Championship Game before losing to San Francisco, are jousting with the 49ers, Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles for likely supremacy in the NFC in 2024. So if one of those teams can "poach'' a good player from a same-level competitor?
That's almost like "winning'' twice.
So here come the Lions, with a projected $45 million in cap room ... and here sit the Cowboys, with a great deal of big-calculator moves needed to become cap-compliant by the start of the NFL business year on March 13.
And perched in between them, in the eyes of one website, is cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
“The long-time cover man returned to Pro Bowl form in 2023, but with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland in tow, Dallas may prefer allocating top dollar to other spots,'' writes CBS Sports, predicting that the Lions will end up making a move in free agency to improve their secondary.
Our friends at NFLAnalysisNetwork are buying the notion, writing,
"Gilmore would be a massive addition for the Lions. He’s a proven No. 1 cornerback and is still playing at a star level.''
During the 2023 season, his first with the Cowboys after a successful offseason trade with the Colts, Gilmore recorded a forced fumble, two interceptions, and 13 defended passes. He was a classy locker-room presence and his played as best he could in the postseason loss to Green Bay despite a busted-up shoulder.
Ah, that shoulder.
Zimmer obviously has great respect for the player Gilmore has been. But the above video is from earlier in 2023 ... and does not take into account the fact that Gilmore now faces a lengthy shoulder surgery rehab as he's entering his age-34 season.
Are the Cowboys going to get in a bidding war to retain an aging and rehabbing third corner (behind Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland) who might not be ready to demonstrate his good health until training camp?
We're dubious as to whether Dallas would "prioritize'' him. And all things considered, given the circumstances? Unfortunately for Gilmore, we doubt that the Lions see him as a fulcrum piece that wins the competition in the NFC.
