Potential defensive acquisitions the Cowboys could still make before the start of the season

The Dallas Cowboys are about to kick off their training camp and will do so with fewer players and no preseason games to assess how talented they currently have on the team. It’s going to hurt a lot of late-round picks and roster bubble players as the coaching staff will start to focus on getting their starters ready for the games that matter. And with new offensive lines and a new defense system, time is very precious.

As we all know, the Cowboys front office is never done evaluating the roster and looking for ways to improve it. With $ 11,254,093 of cap space remaining according to OverTheCap.com, the Cowboys have room to sign or trade for a player. Part of that will be taken care of by signing the rest of the rookies, but the Cowboys can still free up space by making roster changes or restructuring contracts. With the offense more or less settled, the goal could be to help a defense that has lost several starters and has players returning from injuries.

Here are a few players the Cowboys could potentially look at before the start of the season.

Jadeveon clowney

Of course, this is far from being given the ceiling situation, but where there is a will, there is a way. We all know the Cowboys have said they haven’t really taken a look at Clowney thanks to his hefty price tag for his services. With options dwindling, Clowney’s price likely fell and the Cowboys could put footers to gauge his interest. The Cowboys may also want to take a look at star defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, who has said he’s unsure whether he’ll show up to training camp because of the virus, his wife is expecting another child.

Both parties can find the same interest and eventually come to an agreement. The Cowboys could strengthen their pass rush and Clowney can replenish his stock. Win, win for both sides. Of course, it would take some very creative maneuvering from Stephen Jones to make it happen.

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Haason Reddick

Once the Cardinals declined to choose Reddick’s fifth-year option and drafted a first-round linebacker, the writing was on the wall that his days are numbered in Arizona. Although Reddick is not a free agent, he can be someone who could be acquired at low cost. Reddick entered the league as a hybrid linebacker, which the Cowboys could use as they go into a 3-4 / 4-3 hybrid defensive scheme. And with first round pick Leighton Vander Esch returning from a neck injury, a good backup plan wouldn’t hurt.

Reddick could give the Cowboys a nice piece of defense that can throw teams off balance as they won’t know if he’s going to rush the passer or fall back as a traditional linebacker.

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Clay Matthews

It’s pretty easy to put those two together, Matthews played for McCarthy and the Cowboys could always use some help to rush the passer. During his time with the Rams in which he missed games with a broken jaw, Matthews was able to get eight sacks and 37 tackles. Adding him to a rotation that would include Aldon Smith and DeMarcus Lawrence would give the Cowboys more room to create a believable passing rush.

Matthews would be a lot cheaper than Clowney, so he could be the first person to watch if they’re not happy with their rotation on the defensive end.

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Dr. Kirkpatrick

Ahead of the draft, the Cowboys seemed to be flirting with bringing in Kirkpatrick to bolster the secondary. That thought was quickly quashed when Trevon Diggs stumbled upon them in the second round of the draft, but you can never have too many starting-caliber cornerbacks on a roster. Kirkpatrick gives you that, but it’s another situation where the team needs to see a deep weakness to pull the trigger and bring Kirkpatrick.

He would take the veteran leadership to a high school that lost two leaders to Byron Jones and Jeff Heath in free agency.