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The Dallas Cowboys could target a five-time Pro Bowler in free agency.
According to Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, the Cowboys should target free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The veteran defensive tackle remains a free agent after spending the past three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While it’s clear the 35-year-old veteran is long past his prime, Knox argues that Suh could be a valuable asset for a Cowboys squad seeking to contend for a Super Bowl.
“With cap space to spare, the team should take a hard look at defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh,” said Knox on Monday, June 27. “While he isn’t the dominant interior pass-rusher he once was, he can still bring pressure and wreak havoc against the run.
In Dallas, he could help boost the run defense up front while adding interior pressure between pass-rushers DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons.”
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Cowboys Desperately Need Interior Presence
Suh would be leaned on to improve a run defense that is simply not very good. The demise of the Cowboys at the end of last season could be largely traced to their horrid run defense. The unit allowed 130 rushing yards per game over the final 10 contests of the 2021 regular season, as Knox notes.
“Last week, we identified Dallas’ most notable weaknesses heading into training camp,” said Knox. The run defense made that list. It ranked just 23rd in yards per carry allowed (4.5) in 2021 and was a huge liability late in the year.
Dallas surrendered an average of 130 yards per game over the final 10 weeks of the regular season. In its playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, it gave up 149 yards on the ground.”
Suh started the past three seasons for Tampa Bay, not missing a single game during that time frame. In fact, Suh remains as durable as ever, having not missed a game since the 2011 season. However, his production and play is clearly slipping with age.
Suh’s Play Clearly Regressing With Age
The 35-year-old posted just 27 total tackles and 15 solo tackles. Both numbers represented career-lows. Meanwhile, Suh did register a respectable six-sack total, a number he has not exceeded since the 2014 season when he posted eight sacks.
With that said, the advanced analytics paint a picture of where Suh is at during this stage of his career. According to Pro Football Focus, Suh posted a 49.4 defensive grade, a 50.2 run-defensive grade and a 54.2 pass-rushing grade last season — all career-lows across the board. His 24 quarterback hurries were also a career low and his 37 total quarterback pressures were his lowest since the 2011 season when he registered 34 pressures in 14 games.
It was only as recently as the 2020 season that Suh posted more respectable grades across the board. The veteran posted a 61.8 defensive grade, 67.0 run-defensive grade and a 65.1 pass-rushing grade. In fact, those grades rank better than any of the Cowboys’ defensive linemen’s grades from last season.
Suh signed a trio of one-year deals with the Bucs in recent seasons for $9.3 million, $8 million and $9 million. If the Cowboys can get that version of Suh for the 2022 season, he becomes worth the $8-to-$9 million price tag.
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