Getty The Cowboys have had a quiet offseason.
As the Dallas Cowboys begin training camp, there are plenty of potential roster holes for the Cowboys to address. Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski suggested one potential deal for every NFL team to make before the season starts. The one trade listed for the Bears also makes a lot of sense for the Cowboys. The trade proposal has the Cowboys landing their Randy Gregory replacement by acquiring three-time Pro Bowler Robert Quinn from the Bears.
“Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys made a mistake during their negotiations with Randy Gregory, which cost the team a talented pass-rusher,” Sobleski wrote on July 26. “Granted, the team still has Micah Parsons, but he’s expected to play off the ball more this season. Dallas signed Dante Fowler Jr. to partially offset the loss of Gregory.
“A willingness to pay Gregory in the first place shows how much value the Cowboys placed on him and the position. Yes, DeMarcus Lawrence is still on the roster. However, the defensive front would be even better with Lawrence plus Quinn and Parsons sprinkled into the mix.”
ALL the latest Dallas Cowboys news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Cowboys newsletter here!
Quinn Notched 18.5 Sacks During the 2021 Season
Quinn remains elite at getting to the quarterback, something the Cowboys are familiar with from the 11.5 sacks the pass rusher posted while with Dallas in 2019. The veteran defender notched 18.5 sacks, 49 tackles, 22 quarterback hits, 17 tackles for loss and four pass deflections during his 16 starts for the Bears in 2021.
The big question is whether the Cowboys would be willing to give up significant future draft capital to land Quinn. The pass rusher is also pushing for a new deal but still has two seasons remaining on his five-year, $70 million contract. Quinn is slated to have a $12.8 million base salary for the 2022 season.
Jones: Cowboys’ Remaining Cap Space ‘Not Necessarily For This Season’
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones left the door cracked for potential roster additions during training camp, but the team does not sound like a franchise on the verge of making any major moves. The Cowboys have more than $22 million remaining in cap space, but Jones hinted that this money could be used for future seasons.
“If we could have spent everything we have available in the cap, and we could have spent it and mortgaged some more if I thought it was the best way to win this year or win in the immediate future, then we would have done it,” Jones stated during a July 26 press conference. “Logic shows you that, and I have done it and anybody here realizes that I’m a risk taker, and I’ll take ’em with the best of ’em.
“And so, my point is, what you see’s the best I got here. And what you see with what we’ve got available to us in our cap, that’s the best spot to be, in my mind. And I’m a risk taker, so we’ve got a little dry powder. That’s not necessarily for this season. That cap room is available for [the] future as well. We all know that. And so, you sum all of that up, and you got our best shot [with] what you’re seeing right here today as we go.”