Cowboys Free Agency: Buccaneers All-Pro Rules Out Tampa Return Amid Dallas Links

Ndamukong Suh

Getty Ndamukong Suh of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sacks Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals.

The Dallas Cowboys have one less competitor for a potential free agent signing, as a three-time All-Pro announced he won’t be returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Nearly the entire offseason, the Cowboys have been linked to defensive lineman in free agency and the NFL draft. The surprise departure of Randy Gregory to the Denver Broncos has been addressed to a degree with the additions of free agent Dante Fowler Jr. and the drafting of Sam Williams in the second round of this year’s draft.

However, the team has yet to add depth at defensive tackles, despite being linked to the likes of Ndamukong Suh. Heavy recently looked into the former Buccaneers star as a fit for the Cowboys, but now the defensive tackle is making waves by ruling out a return to Tampa.

Speaking on ESPN, Suh explained that he doesn’t think that his future resides with the Buccaneers.

“(I’m) excited to really just understand where I can potentially be,” Suh said. “It looks like the Bucs are out of the picture, but excited to look at the other options.”

Suh is one of the most recognizable players of the NFL’s past decade, and has been a star since his early days with the Detroit Lions. Now, the Cowboys’ chances of landing the defensive lineman have gotten easier with Tampa out of the mix.

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Suh Resurges with Buccaneers

Three All-Pro selections in his first five NFL seasons pushed Suh into national stardom, as the second overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft delivered on his promise with the Lions.

As Pro-Football Reference shows, 36 sacks in his five seasons with Detroit meant that Suh was set for a massive contract, which materialized in a six-year, $114 million contract with the Miami Dolphins. However, he could not replicate his All-Pro production with the Dolphins.

Suh wasn’t a complete dud, but Miami ejected out of his contract after three seasons, releasing him. A year with the Los Angeles Rams helped reset his reputation, which led to the Buccaneers taking a chance on on Suh.

After a 2.5-sack season in 2019, Suh has posted back-to-back years with six sacks, despite hitting his 33-year-old and 34-year-old seasons. He may not be in his prime anymore, but hitting that sack total from the interior defensive line is certainly impressive.


Cowboys Could Be Trailing Raiders in Race

While the Cowboys may have received a boost from Suh’s comments about not returning to the Buccaneers, the defensive tackle also revealed that he’s already in contract with Las Vegas Raiders players.

Per the New York Post, Suh stated that he has already exchanged messages with Raiders stars Maxx Crosby and and Chandler Jones.

“It’s an interesting opportunity for sure. We’ll see where it kind of ends up,” Suh said about the idea of joining Las Vegas.

If there’s multiple suitors, Suh’s price will drive up and that could be bad news for the Cowboys. However, Dallas is a team that is already ready to compete for the playoffs. Adding players like Suh is how they the team takes the next step.