Reports: Dallas Cowboys have shown interest in Super Bowl-winning pass rusher
After losing edge rusher Randy Gregory last week, the Dallas Cowboys could potentially fill that hole with multiple veteran ends. They already added one in Dante Fowler, but now, reports indicate they have shown interest in former New York Giant and Tampa Bay free agent Jason Pierre-Paul.
Pierre-Paul, who had offseason surgery for an injured shoulder, has been in the league since 2010. He was a first-round NFL draft pick out of South Florida. He played eight seasons with the Giants, posting a career-high 16.5 sacks in 2011. In 2018, Pierre-Paul joined the Buccaneers, where he played for four years, winning a second Super Bowl.
Playing through injury, Pierre-Paul logged 31 tackles (20 solo), 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 12 games. He was playing on a two-year, $25 million deal for the Bucs before joining the free-agent market. Now, he could be a new piece in Dan Quinn’s defensive unit in Dallas.
The Cowboys re-signed defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong to multi-year deals since the end of the season. Additionally, they have linebacker Micah Parsons back after an incredible rookie season in which he posted 84 tackles (20 for loss), 13 sacks and three forced fumbles.
The Cowboys finished with 41 sacks as a team, which tied them with Arizona for 13th in the league. The addition of NFL veteran Dante Fowler this week should help them improve on that number in 2022.
Cowboys sign former Florida Gators defensive end
The Dallas Cowboys have signed defensive end Dante Fowler to a one-year deal, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota. He was the third overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Fowler tore his ACL on the first day of mini-camp that year, causing him to miss his entire rookie season. The Florida alumnus made his pro debut in 2016 and totaled 53 tackles and 12 sacks over the next two seasons. The Jaguars traded him to the Los Angeles Rams midway through the 2018 season in exchange for third and fifth round picks.
Fowler went on to play a big role for LA the rest of the season, even recording four tackles in a Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. The Rams signed him to a one-year, $14 million extension the following season. Fowler shined in his first full season with the Rams in 2019, finishing with career highs in both tackles (58) and sacks (11.5). That enabled him to sign a three-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons the following offseason. He totaled 7.5 sacks over the next two seasons before the team released him in February.
The defensive end is set to join a Dallas Cowboys team coming off of a 12-5 season in which they lost to San Francisco in the wild card round of the playoffs. There he will reunite for defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, whom he played for while at Florida.
On3’s Chander Vessels contributed to this report.