Getty Mike McCarthy is heading into a critical season.
The Dallas Cowboys insist there are more moves to come this offseason but fans are waiting for the front office to put pen to paper on adding more impact players. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell offered his predictions for ten upcoming free-agent moves and believes Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr would be a perfect fit in Dallas by playing the Randy Gregory role alongside Micah Parsons.
“Now that he’s a free agent, what if a team took a chance on using Barr in more of a hybrid role? We saw the Cowboys unlock something truly special from Micah Parsons by using their 2020 first-round pick as both an off-ball linebacker and an edge rusher a year ago,” Barnwell wrote on May 12, 2022. “Barr isn’t Parsons, but after Dallas lost Randy Gregory this past offseason, Barr would give the Cowboys another eligible rusher who is also capable of playing a more traditional linebacker role.
“Barr and Leighton Vander Esch would each be leverage against the other’s injury history, and senior Cowboys defensive assistant George Edwards served as Barr’s defensive coordinator between 2014 and 2019.”
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Barr Has Played in a Combined 13 Games the Last 2 Seasons
Barr has battled multiple injuries in recent years playing in just a total of 13 games the last two seasons. The longtime Vikings linebacker last made the Pro Bowl in 2018 and his days as a star player may be behind him. That said, Barr could be a fit in the Cowboys scheme for the right price.
Barr notched 72 tackles, six quarterback hits, five pass deflections, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries during his 11 appearances in 2021. The defender has spent all of his eight NFL seasons in Minnesota but sounded like a player who will be in a different uniform next season.
“It’s definitely bittersweet to end this way, but it kind of is what it is, so,” Barr explained during a January 9 press conference. “I’ve been doing it long enough to understand what kind of comes next, keep things in perspective and just be ready for whatever happens in the future.
“I’m very thankful to be a part of this organization, the Will family, much appreciation [to ex-GM Rick Spielman and former head coach Mike Zimmer] for taking the chance on the kid back in 2014, making my dreams come true, and it’s been a pleasure being a Viking for the last eight years. I’m not too sure what the future holds, but whatever it is, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Minnesota.”
The Cowboys Indicated More Roster Moves Are Coming
Matthew Stafford now has 3 INTs, another one goes to Anthony Barr.
Heading into the draft, Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones dropped a hint about upcoming free-agent moves. Jones referenced the different waves of free agency, and the Cowboys are likely looking for bargain deals on some of the available veterans.
“I will say this, free agency’s not over,” Jones said during the team’s April 26 pre-draft press conference. “There’s different waves of it and there’s still going to be opportunities to improve different areas of our team other than the draft or college free agency. I think that still can happen and probably will happen.
“I wouldn’t say we have any musts left in terms of having to take a particular position. At some point, obviously, you’d like to look up nine picks later and hope that you really helped yourself across the board in terms of not only improving yourself for frontline players but also depth and things of that nature. So, I don’t think we have any musts going into the draft.”