Getty The Cowboys can shore up their defense by signing Sheldon Richardson.
The Dallas Cowboys are being urged to sign one of the most disruptive pass-rushing specialists on the interior in the league.
As noted by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, one of the “best fits” for free agent defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson is the Cowboys. The former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle posted a solid campaign last season, producing 39 tackles, six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 18 quarterback pressures. According to Knox, the Cowboys could use another “rotational piece” to bolster the run defense.
“Richardson would also be a fine fit for the Dallas Cowboys,” says Knox. “Dallas has a couple of nice pieces up front in DeMarcus Lawrence and Osa Odighizuwa, but it could use another rotational piece to bolster the run defense. Last season, the Cowboys ranked tied for 22nd in yards per rush allowed.
Dallas has $20.2 million in cap space available. It recently added former Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr. It should quickly move to pick up Richardson as well.”
Why Cowboys Should Pursue Richardson
The nine-year veteran hasn’t missed a game since the 2017 season and remains productive heading into his age-32 season. According to Pro Football Focus, Richardson posted a 62.2 defensive grade and a 61.0 run defense grade last season. While those grades were a clear regression from his 2020 season when he posted a 71.1 defensive grade and 67.8 run defense grade, they remained solid.
Among defensive tackles with at least 500 snaps, Richardson ranked 40th in defensive grade last season. Most importantly, Richardson (at his worst) was better than any Cowboys interior lineman from last season. The highest-graded Cowboys defensive tackle was Carlos Watkins, who posted a 58.3 defensive grade in 469 snaps last season.
As noted by Knox, the Cowboys’ run defense was one of the few weak aspects of the unit last season. Dallas ranked 16th in rushing yards allowed last season and 29th in percentage of drives ending in an offensive score. Shoring up the run defense obviously would improve the Cowboys’ ranking when it comes to the latter category.
Considering the Cowboys possess a boatload of cap space — over $20 million available — the signing of Richardson shouldn’t be an issue. The veteran defensive tackle earned just $3.6 million last season and likely won’t see much of a pay increase this time around.
While Dallas may have bigger positional issues to address — wide receiver, for example — the further bolstering of depth is absolutely key or a Cowboys squad expecting to contend for a Super Bowl this season.
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QB Competition Brewing in Dallas: Report
It looks like there’s a quarterback competition brewing in Dallas.
While Dak Prescott is entrenched as the starting quarterback with the Cowboys, the backup job is up for grabs. According to Mike Fisher of Sports Illustrated, a competition is “brewing” between Will Grier and Cooper Rush.
“Grier is entering his second season with the Cowboys after joining the team in September of 2021,” says Fisher. “He didn’t play last season, but the former third-round pick from West Virginia did spend time in the classroom. And that is starting to pay off, it seems, with a competition brewing between him and Rush.”
Rush served as the Cowboys’ backup last season, leading the team to a gutsy victory over the Vikings last season. Meanwhile, Grier spent the season as the third-string quarterback after he was claimed off waivers from the Carolina Panthers.
However, it’s clear that now that he’s spent a full year in the system, Grier could win the backup job behind Prescott. It’s worth noting that the former third-round pick was previously a highly-touted quarterback coming out of West Virginia. He previously started two games — both losses — with the Panthers in 2019.