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The Dallas Cowboys have many directions they can choose from in free agency, but one angle is seeing them take a New York Giants star for their backfield.
Dallas has a conundrum at the running back position, as RB Ezekiel Elliott is set to be the highest-paid rusher in the NFL, and 2022 leading rusher Tony Pollard is on track for free agency. But rather than keep both, they could always go after a big name this offseason.
For CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, that dream scenario would be Giants running back Saquon Barkley. In a “free agency mock draft” article, Benjamin finds Barkley falling all the way to the Cowboys at the No. 22 spot despite their tight cap space.
“Barkley is certainly worthy of an earlier pick, but at a devalued position, you can see why he’d slide,” Benjamin wrote in a February 26 story. “With Tony Pollard headed for free agency and Ezekiel Elliott’s future unclear, the Cowboys could give Dak Prescott an unexpected boost of skill talent by pairing him with the rejuvenated Giants star. And they’d be robbing their rivals of a freakish athlete in the process.”
There’s no question of Barkley’s ability, but the feasibility of signing the former Penn State star is where things start to get tricky. The online sportsbook BetOnline.ag seems to agree, with its oddsmakers giving the Cowboys the seventh-best chance to sign Barkley if he doesn’t re-up with the Giants, with odds at +850.
Barkley Reignited Giants in 2022
Barkley had some questions to answer in 2022. After two seasons riddled with injuries and a Giants team that was simply not competitive, the 26-year-old was expected to find the production that made him so special in 2018 and 2019.
He found that and then some, rushing for 1,312 yards, a career-best. He chipped in with 10 touchdowns and 338 receiving yards, marking his best campaign since 2018, when he won Rookie of the Year.
Barkley’s injury issues are something to consider, but the former Nittany Lion proved that he is still very much the real deal with an impressive 2022 season. New York head coach Mike Daboll found a serious rhythm with Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones, and it paid dividends.
Considering the Cowboys’ rushing output saw two backs combine for nearly 2,000 rushing yards, it’s fair to think that Barkley could slide into a new role with Dallas and immediately succeed.
The Cost for the Cowboys
It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Barkley isn’t locked back up by the Giants, but the bigger problem for the Cowboys is how they could fit him in their budget.
First and foremost, cutting Elliott would be a must. That would leave Dallas with $11.86 million in dead cap, with $5.8 million hitting in the 2023 season and $4.3 million in the 2024 season. That’s already committing a solid chunk of change at the running back position, and that’s just the cost of getting Elliott off the books.
Further, Spotrac states that Barkley’s market value should net him a contract with a $12.3 million average salary. That number plus Zeke’s dead cap would equal about $18 million, which is about $1.28 million more than letting Elliott play under his current deal.
So while the Cowboys can afford Barkley, it would require another major financial commitment to the running back position after already doing that with Elliott for the past few years.
That decision has only translated to one postseason win since 2019, the year Zeke’s current deal was signed. Dallas may decide that their resources would be better spent elsewhere.
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Cowboys Projected to Land Giants Star in ‘Free Agency Mock Draft’