The Dallas Cowboys made a big splash by signing free agent pass rusher Everson Griffen. The veteran free agent was available for quite some time and it did not appear as though the Cowboys had expressed any real interest. That made all the more surprising when it was announced by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport via Tom Pelissero and Jane Slater. Griffen may be a little long in the tooth but he will be a suitable replacement for the loss of Robert Quinn this offseason.
Everson Griffen brings truly elite pass rush ability to the Dallas Cowboys but unlike Robert Quinn he is also an elite run defender. DeMarcus Lawrence remains the best defensive lineman on the roster but he is more of an all around dominant defensive end than a pure pass rusher. Having both of these guys as book ends and then the presence of Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe on the inside makes the Dallas Cowboys front four quite formidable.
More significant than the potential of the front four is the overall depth along the defensive line. The Dallas Cowboys will now have have plenty of decisions to make before the season starts. Aldon Smith has been reinstated and hopefully Randy Gregory will be as well. The addition of Griffen takes a lot of pressure off those two guys who have each had such a long layoff since their last NFL action. Now, instead of hoping that they can both still play at a high level, they can be used as situational pass rushers and take advantage of their natural ability without having to be burdened to start right away. The addition of Griffen also intensifies the already fierce competition at defensive end with youngsters Bradlee Anae, Joe Jackson, and Jalen Jelks now having a huge uphill climb in order to make the team. The signing of Everson Griffen to the Dallas Cowboys also potential puts Tyrone Crawford at risk of losing his spot. It is widely known by Cowboys fans that the team would save $8 million in salary cap space this year if they were to part ways with Crawford. I for one hope that the team could somehow find a way to keep the versatile defender and team leader on the roster this season.
Not all fans of the Dallas Cowboys are going to be thrilled by the signing of Everson Griffen. Even though it is only a one year deal for a reported $6 million as per Todd Archer from ESPN, there is a contingent of fans that believe he may be washed up. However, a strong 2019 season by Griffen and the impact Robert Quinn provided for the Cowboys last season are a strong arguments in favor of the move. In any case, Dallas Cowboys fans should be excited because with this type of move it proves that the head office is at least trying to win a championship. That is something that many fans had questioned during that last few years were it appeared that satisfying Jerry Jones bottom line and ego were the biggest priorities.
*Photo by Joe Bielawa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/