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Sometimes in the NFL where there is smoke there is also fire, and it appears the Dallas Cowboys have a genuine interest in Minnesota Vikings free agent linebacker Anthony Barr, with one small caveat. Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill reported that the Cowboys have a “definite interest” in signing Barr but added it would only happen “if the price is right.”
“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.”
Barr is a player that several sites (including Heavy) have mentioned as a potential fit for the Cowboys. Now, it appears there is at least interest on the Cowboys side in potentially getting a deal done.
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What Is the ‘Right’ Price for Barr?
This is not the first time this offseason that Dallas has been linked to a notable player, and the majority of the other instances ended with the Cowboys balking at the final price tag. Hill emphasized that Dallas is looking for the price to be right, but what will Barr be able to command on the open market?
Heading into free agency, Pro Football Focus projected that Barr would land a two-year, $14.5 million contract with $8.5 million of guaranteed money. PFF had Barr as the ninth-rated free-agent linebacker and No. 94 ranked overall available player.
“Barr has made the successful transition from collegiate edge rusher to off-ball linebacker in the NFL, but he’s still best utilized in a role that lets him get after the quarterback as a blitzer,” Pro Football Focus detailed. “He has consistently met expectations against the run over the course of his eight-year career, producing both negative and positive grades at one of the lowest rates at the linebacker position.”
Given we are well into free agency, Barr’s situation is different than what happened prior to the draft, and the Cowboys may be able to get the star defender for a bargain. The Cowboys have some wiggle room to add Barr and other veteran players with an estimated current cap space of $15.2 million, per Over the Cap.
Barr Would Be a Viable Replacement for Gregory, Says Analyst
The main downside to Barr has been his recent injury history as the linebacker only played a combined 13 appearances the last two seasons. Barr posted 72 tackles, six quarterback hits, five pass deflections, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries during his 11 appearances in 2021. Prior to Hill’s report, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell predicted that the Cowboys would land Barr as a potential replacement for Randy Gregory who the team lost to the Broncos in free agency.
“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 explained on May 12. “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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