Getty Joe Schobert makes a tackle while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Dallas Cowboys are claiming that they’re always looking to get better, and an ex-Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker would be a home-run addition.
Head coach Mike McCarthy has repeated the statement Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones made before and after the NFL draft: “player acquisition never stops.” Dallas has repeatedly made it known they’re open to adding new players, and a recent report from Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill added credence to that idea.
“Free agent linebacker Anthony Barr is a free agent option for the Cowboys, if the price right, per source,” Hill tweeted on May, 14, 2022. “There definite interest there.”
While Heavy has looked at Barr as a potential option, there’s another name that has to be considered: former Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Joe Schobert.
Schobert was released by Pittsburgh two months ago after the Steelers signed former Jaguars LB Myles Jack, and the 2017 Pro Bowler is still looking for a new team in 2022. If the price is right, Schobert would be a valuable veteran addition who can also utilize a stint with the Cowboys to get his career back on track.
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Schobert Stops with Browns, Jaguars and Steelers
While Schobert’s most recent teams are the Jaguars and Steelers, he started his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns, which is where he also had the most success in the league. Cleveland selected Schobert in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft, and the former Wisconsin Badger immediately became an important part of the Browns defense.
After a rookie year that saw him start four times and make 28 combined tackles, Schobert exploded in 2017. The six-year NFL veteran brought down his first interception that season, earned three sacks, and led the league in combined tackles according to Pro Sports Reference.
Speaking of interceptions, that’s an area that makes Schobert enticing: in the right system, Schobert is a strong coverage linebacker. He brought down six interceptions for Cleveland from 2016 to 2019, and posted opposing QB ratings of 87.5 and 74.6 in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
However, his journey in Jacksonville is a red flag. His opposing QB rating was 110.6 and Schobert gave up six touchdowns and a 74.2% completion percentage. The 2021 season with the Steelers was sort of a return to form, as the linebacker only gave up one touchdown and an opposing QB rating of 90.
What has steadily improved is his missed tackle percentage: Schobert has dropped the number every year since 2018, going from 18.9% that year to 7.4% in 2021.
Former Cowboys LB Available Again
Besides Barr and Schobert, another linebacker that has become available is former Cowboys undrafted free agent signing Azur Kamara. His stint with Carolina didn’t last as long as his first tenure with the Cowboys, as the Panthers released Kamara on May 11.
Kamara spent almost two years with Dallas in 2020 and 2021, but only made appearances on special teams and typically bounced back and forth between the practice squad and main roster. Kamara was released by Dallas in December of 2021, which led to the Carolina Panthers signing the former Kansas Jayhawk on waivers.
Kamara wouldn’t be an exciting signing in terms of star power, but Dallas would know what they’re getting out of the 23-year-old while also knowing he can still improve at his young age.