The Dallas Cowboys entered the free agency period needing to show the collective NFL world that they mean business.
And now in Week 2 of offseason free agency?
More business to be done.
After a sour end to last season, Cowboy Nation wanted signings. And after a quiet Monday to begin last week, the Dallas front office clicked into gear.
The restructures of several contracts freed up cap room, as did (post June 1) cutting Ezekiel Elliott. Then there were the re-signings of Leighton Vander Esch, Donovan Wilson and C.J. Goodwin.
Tony Pollard was also franchise tagged, meaning at least one more year at The Star.
But owner Jerry Jones and his team didn’t stop there, trading for All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore to pair with Trevon Diggs. They also re-signed backup quarterback Cooper Rush. But one piece of business was missing: a receiver.
On Sunday as the Cowboys returned to the negotiating table by trading for Houston Texans receiver Brandin Cooks.
After the first week of free agency, the Dallas front office looks all-in – maybe not quite to the point of ol’-fashioned “Wildcattin’ Jerry.” But as our Mike Fisher called it, maybe to the point of being “calculatingly aggressive.”
What’s next? Two things, we say:
1) A trio to vet visits to The Star on Monday, as first reported by the Dallas News, featuring a couple of DFW products including running back Ronald Jones, formerly of the Bucs and Chiefs. Withe Zeke gone, is he the veteran insurance policy Dallas might sign to help backup Tony Pollard?
2) A Cowboys source tells CowboysSI.com that examining interior D-linemen is next on the “things to do” list. We know the return of Johnathan Hankins is a desire, and as we wrote last week, Carlos Watkins might return as well. But would long-time Ravens standout Calais Campbell be an upgrade? Or, just as Dallas is looking at local guys like Ronald Jones (of McKinney and USC), shouldn’t the Cowboys also meet with 6-4, 320-pound defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson (of Fort Worth and Alabama)?
We think two more moves are coming – surely in the category “calculatingly aggressive” … as Cowboys Nation hopes for a Week 2 of business at The Star that is as fruitful as Week 1.
