Getty Cowboys potential free-agent target Laken Tomlinson
There’s no sense in bemoaning the Cowboys’ approach to free agency at this point, or their approach to making changes in the wake of last year’s playoff flop against the Packers. They’ve sat still on working to get a contract extension for Dak Prescott that could have freed up money to sign players, they’ve sat still on bolstering the offensive line, the defensive line and the running game, and mostly let their best free agents walk.
But they still need to sign some players, and if team vice president Stephen Jones is right, now would be a good time for the Cowboys to get active. Jones has said that the Cowboys sat out the first wave of free agency so that the team could find bargain deals in the later stages. We’re in the later stages.
Now, the Cowboys could get a pretty good deal to bolster their thin and injury-prone offensive line. Former Jets guard Laken Tomlinson, who was cut in late February as part of an attempt to rebuild a woebegone New York offensive line.
According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, in an article titled, “2024 NFL free agency: Best team fits for 20 unsigned players,” the Cowboys would be the best fit for Tomlinson this season.
Laken Tomlinson Still a ‘Solid Guard’
Tomlinson is a dependable nine-year veteran who has played for the Lions and 49ers before signing with the Jets on a three-year, $40 million contract. He earned a Pro Bowl spot in 2021 and has not missed a start since 2017.
Where the Jets set Tomlinson free because his cap number was too big—he was set to bring a cap hit of $18.9 million in 2024—the Cowboys could get him at a much more reasonable number. At 32, he is not going back to the Pro Bowl, but the Cowboys don’t need him to.
They just need depth, and Tomlinson has the size and experience to provide that. He is 6-foot-3 and 323 pounds, and still moves relatively well.
As Barnwell wrote of Tomlinson: “Viewed through a more realistic lens at age 32, though, he’s a solid guard who offers more as a run-blocker than a pass-blocker. While his best work came with the 49ers when Kyle Shanahan was still leaning more toward zone concepts, he’s probably best in a gap scheme where his size and power play up.”
Cowboys Thin on Offensive Line
The Cowboys, of course, lost stalwart left tackle Tyron Smith this month, as the team opted not to bring him back in free agency. He signed on with the Jets this week. That means Tyler Smith, who has been playing left guard while waiting to eventually take over for Smith, will finally be the left tackle.
The team saw enough from T.J. Bass as an undrafted rookie last year to pencil him in as the starting left guard this year. But he is inexperienced and there’s no telling if he’s ready for a full-time starting role.
Tomlinson could handle the job. If Bass beats him out, then that’s not a bad thing, but Bass might be better served by another year as a backup.
Wrote Barnwell: “The Cowboys have a hole on their offensive line. If Dallas wants to move 2022 first-round pick Tyler Smith from left guard to left tackle, Tomlinson could step in at guard, where his size would be a plus for a team that failed to impress in short-yardage and goal-line situations a year ago.”
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