The Dallas Cowboys made a splash move Wednesday night, signing former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Terms of the deal were not made available by Rapoport, though SI.com’s Mike Fisher hears it’s “likely” a prove-it agreement. ESPN’s Kimberley Martin later reported the one-year pact is worth $6 million; $3 million in base salary and $3 million in roster bonuses.
It was rumored in March that Dallas was sniffing around Griffen, who drew free-agent interest from multiple teams — the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, and Seattle Seahawks — after voiding his Vikings contract.
Griffen becomes the latest “name” player the Cowboys added this offseason to their rebuilt defensive line, joining veterans Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe and rookies Bradlee Anae and Neville Gallimore.
Griffen, 32, will need to pass the appropriate coronavirus tests upon joining his new team at training camp. The Cowboys’ first padded practice is scheduled to take place Friday.
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Background on Griffen
A 2010 fourth-round pick who’s spent his entire career with the Vikings, Griffen has made 351 career tackles, 254 solo stops, and 74.5 sacks across 10 professional campaigns. He’s notched at least five sacks in eight consecutive seasons and has 26.5 QB takedowns over the past three years. He’s been voted to four Pro Bowls and was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2017, when he recorded 13 sacks.
Established among the sport’s best hand-in-the-dirt pass-rushers, Griffen totaled 41 tackles (11 tackles for loss), eight sacks, and an interception in 2019. He also accumulated 66 quarterback pressures, 14th-most out of all NFL edge defenders, per Pro Football Focus.
Dallas got a first-hand look at him last November, amid their 28-24 home loss to the Vikings. Griffen stuffed the stat sheet with five tackles (two solo), four QB hits, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, and a half-sack.
Updated Depth Chart
The Cowboys now have an embarrassment of riches after losing 2019 sack leader Robert Quinn (Chicago Bears) and starting defensive tackle Maliek Collins (Las Vegas Raiders) in free agency.
And they’ve invested equally into the position. DE DeMarcus Lawrence got a $105 million deal last offseason, and the team inked McCoy to a three-year, $20 million contract. They, too, are carrying “overpaid” DE Tyrone Crawford, who’s due to collect $8 million in base salary and count $9.1 million against the cap for 2020.
Even at an advanced age, Griffen remains a high-end edge defender on passing downs and could offer every-snap upside if Lawrence or McCoy were to suffer an injury.
Griffen, Lawrence, Crawford, McCoy, Anae, EDGE Aldon Smith, and outside linebacker Jaylon Smith give the Cowboys a murders row of capable pass-rushers, boosting a defense that tallied 39 sacks last season.
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Dallas Cowboys Sign 4x Pro Bowl Pass-Rusher: Report