Dallas Cowboys put defense first with free agency, Stephon Gilmore trade

With their first moves in free agency, the Dallas Cowboys have made their focus clear. Not only are they maintaining their defense, which ranked No. 1 in takeaways in 2022, but they’re also improving it for the future.

Before free agency began, Dallas and Mike McCarthy retained defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Although he had several opportunities to potentially take over his own team after the season, Quinn opted to stay with McCarthy to continue running the defense while the head coach takes on more responsibilities in 2023.

Then, the Cowboys locked in their top two defensive free agents in linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and safety Donovan Wilson. They led the defense in tackles last season with 90 and 101, respectively, and the Cowboys just ensured that they’ll be around for at least another couple of years.

Vander Esch got a two-year deal for roughly $8 million while Wilson will sign a three-year deal for $24 million.

On top of re-signing two key defenders, the Cowboys also surprised with an early free agency move for one of the best available cornerbacks in the league. Recognizing their weakness opposite Trevon Diggs, Dallas traded Indianapolis one of their compensatory picks in the fifth round for veteran Stephon Gilmore.

The team hasn’t made many splash free agency moves in the past like they did with Gilmore on Tuesday but the fact that they did shows that they’re all-in on Quinn’s unit. With big deals coming for stars like Diggs and Micah Parsons, this was the offseason that the Cowboys needed to make well-calculated decisions for the defense.

Free agency is still far from over. The Cowboys have several more defensive free agents to consider like Anthony Brown, Johnathan Hankins and Dante Fowler.

More on the 2023 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2023 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 15. At that time, contracts running through 2022 officially run out, making those players free agents.

Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 7. Beginning March 13 through March 15 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who are will become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 21 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 26, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits.

There are 722 players slated to become free agents in 2023, including 20 unrestricted free agents for Dallas.