Getty Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones speaks during a practice.
The regular season is quickly coming to a close for the Dallas Cowboys, but there are ways for the team to improve in free agency before the postseason.
While Dallas could use a receiver, the Cowboys are likely more concerned with their defense. Dallas has given up 62 offensive points in the past two weeks and recently lost linebacker Leighton Vander Esch to a shoulder injury. For an immediate fill-in at LB, the Cowboys should consider Baltimore Ravens linebacker Josh Bynes.
Bynes’ recent release from the Ravens may come as a red flag, but the 12-year NFL veteran still started seven games this season and was brought back to the team’s practice squad after his initial release. Bynes has the ability to make an impact, and Dallas could use his help as they begin their postseason chase if they decide to “poach” him from Baltimore’s practice squad.
Vander Esch’s health is a part of the problem, but Dallas also needs better depth at the position to face the run and to contribute to the passing game. The Cowboys’ pass rush hasn’t been dominant in recent weeks, and Bynes has the track record to contribute.
Bynes Carves Out Impressive NFL Career
Few players rack up 12 years of NFL experience without becoming a household name, but Bynes has proven himself for several franchises as a guy who limits mistakes and is reliable on a week-to-week basis.
Bynes started his NFL career with Baltimore after going undrafted in the 2011 NFL draft cycle. While he did make his first NFL appearance that year, he didn’t register his first tackle until his second season.
Pro Football Reference shows that Bynes steadily worked through his NFL career, totaling the kind of stats good linebackers accrue: everything. Bynes has five career interceptions, 39 total tackles for loss and 34 passes defended.
Bynes’ work in pass coverage has been impressive, as has his ability to pass rush. In recent years, teams like the Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals have utilized his nose for the quarterback. In every season from 2017 onward, Bynes has had at least one sack, totaling eight sacks in those six seasons.
Bynes wouldn’t start over Anthony Barr or Vander Esch when healthy, but he could be a crucial player when those guys need a snap off or Dallas is mixing in an unorthodox blitz package.
Who Would Cowboys Drop for Ex-Ravens Starter?
In order to make room for Bynes, Dallas would need to release a player. While another injury may end up making space too, the ideal scenario would be to drop a depth option and hopefully keep them on the practice squad.
Luke Gifford is the linebacker with the least amount of defensive snaps, so he would have to be a frontrunner. The 27-year-old has been a special teams tool in 2022 but has played a total of 25 defensive snaps in 2022.
Bynes has a level of NFL experience that Gifford (and other Cowboys linebackers like Damone Clark and Jabril Cox) does not have, and he won’t be an expensive option for Dallas either.
According to Spotrac, Bynes was set to earn less than $1.3 million before his reversion to the practice squad. Dallas can easily afford to bring in a last-minute price for that price and can do so by signing him off Baltimore’s practice squad.