Getty Former Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Dorance Armstrong landed a new lucrative deal with the Washington Commanders.
The Dallas Cowboys may be losing several key players in NFL free agency with pass rusher Dorance Armstrong among those expected to leave this offseason. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Armstrong is “most likely” to sign elsewhere. The NFL insider labeled the Washington Commanders as one of the top potential landing spots where the defender could follow Dan Quinn.
“This key Dallas defensive lineman has plenty of interest,” Fowler detailed in a March 3, 2024 story titled, “NFL combine buzz: Latest intel on free agency, draft, trades.” “He most likely won’t be back with the Cowboys; new Commanders coach Dan Quinn could try to snag him in Washington.”
Armstrong played in all 17 games for the Cowboys in two straight seasons. The veteran has been a key part of the Dallas pass rush rotation, starting 11 games over the last three years.
It will be worth watching to see what kind of a deal Armstrong lands in free agency. The defensive end just finished a two-year, $12 million contract with the Cowboys.
Cowboys Rumors: Pass Rusher Dorance Armstrong Expected to be Too Expensive for Dallas to Keep in Free Agency
Dorance Armstrong strip sack, DeMarcus Lawrence return TD
Cowboys 6, Rams 0
Armstrong posted 38 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, 7.5 sacks and 7 tackles for loss in 2023. The pass rusher is one season removed from having a career-high 8.5 sacks. Armstrong has been one of the best Cowboys defenders at getting to the quarterback, notching a combined 16 sacks over the last two years.
The Athletic’s Jon Machota ranked Armstrong as the No. 5 rated Cowboys free agent. The Cowboys insider also believes Armstrong’s price tag will be higher than Dallas is willing to pay given the team’s depth at the position.
“He might be No. 1 on this list if the Cowboys didn’t already have Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Sam Williams,” Machota noted in a February 5 article titled, “Ranking the Cowboys’ 16 unrestricted free agents: Who do they need to bring back most?” “Armstrong is a good player. He was second on the team in sacks each of the last two years, totaling 16. But his price tag will likely be too high for what the Cowboys will be able to spend on the position.”
Dan Quinn on Cowboys’ Loss to Packers: ‘Those Games Are the Ones That Leave a Scar’
On a first-and-10 against Dallas, the Bengals dialed up a play-action pass out from under center with a go-route to Ja’Marr Chase. DAL’s Dorance Armstrong got a sack instead.
The last time Cowboys fans saw Quinn the typically reliable Dallas defense could not get a stop against the Green Bay Packers in the NFL playoffs. Quinn was asked at the NFL combine for his thoughts on the Cowboys defense’s collapse against the Packers. The former Cowboys defensive coordinator admitted the loss to Green Bay left a “scar.”
“Yeah, of course, that was a huge after action to find [out] why that performance wasn’t to the standard that we had set,” Quinn told reporters on February 27. “And I wish there was one thing to say, ‘This is one thing that we could have done differently in that space.’ Because those games are the ones that leave a scar. They’re hard to deal with.
“The team had been an excellent tackling team, creating takeaways. And so, not having to be in the same space for that, that hurt and that stung. But if there is one thing that you would put your finger on, you certainly would have done that early to go. But the team had been excellent at not allowing explosive plays. And certainly in that game [allowed] more than was needed.”