The Dallas Cowboys appear to be waiting for the second wave of free agency to find a few bargains in an effort to improve the team’s roster for 2022. One name to watch is star safety Tyrann Mathieu who remains a free agent. NFL.com’s Nick Shook labeled the Cowboys as the best fit for Mathieu.
“The Cowboys entered free agency with safety as their greatest weakness, and after re-signing Jayron Kearse, Dallas should look outside Texas to find its next impact defender,” Shook detailed on March 23, 2022. “The Cowboys have cap space, thanks to parting ways with Amari Cooper and La’el Collins, and would be wise to add Mathieu, a unique player who can make a difference all over the field. Add in his leadership and passion to a promising group that also features Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs and DeMarcus Lawrence, and you have an exciting defense that could be even better than it was in 2021.”
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Mathieu Has Made the Pro Bowl the Last 2 Seasons
Tyrann Mathieu has played less than a quarter in 2021.
He already leads the NFL in interceptions 🍯 🦡
Mathieu brings with him an impressive resume which includes being a three-time Pro Bowler, three-time All Pro, a Super Bowl champion and being named to the 2010s hall-of-fame team. The star safety notched 76 tackles, three interceptions, six pass deflections and a touchdown during his 16 appearances in 2021.
Mathieu made the Pro Bowl the last two seasons and was named an All-Pro in two of the last three years. Pro Football Focus was not as high on Mathieu’s 2021 season giving him a 67.3 overall grade but the safety did earn a 76.4 for his coverage.
The ‘Honey Badger’ Is Projected to Sign a 3-Year, $48.75 Million Contract
“Julio Jones & Tyrann Mathieu could have signed at many places already but they want to get the contract they deserve” ~@RapSheet
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Heading into the offseason, PFF ranked Mathieu as the No. 3 ranked safety and No. 18 free agent overall. Pro Football Focus projected that Mathieu will land a three-year, $48.75 million deal.
The $16.25 average annual salary would likely price out the Cowboys. Dallas has a projected $16.2 million in cap space, per Spotrac but also need to leave room for the upcoming draft selections.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Mathieu could have already signed with a team but is holding out for a better deal.
“Julio Jones and Tyrann Mathieu could have signed at many places already but they want to get the contract they deserve,” Rapoport noted during the March 25 edition of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Parsons on Mathieu: ‘We Would Love to Have Him’
Earlier this offseason, there was an erroneous report that the Cowboys met with Mathieu. Dallas star linebacker Micah Parsons disputed the report but admitted the Cowboys would “love to have him.”
“This is not true!! But we would love to have him!!” Parsons said on March 21 as the defender quote tweeted the report.
After the Chiefs indicated they were moving on from the safety this offseason, Mathieu took to Twitter to send a message to his old team.
“Replacing me is easy. Getting them to do the same thing I did is damn near impossible,” Mathieu tweeted on March 5.
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Cowboys Could Make Run at 3-Time All-Pro Star, Says Analyst