The Cowboys have a knack for finding talent after the NFL Draft. Nearly every year, a few undrafted free agents make their way onto the 53-man roster and end up contributing. Recent names include Terence Steele, Markquese Bell, Juanyeh Thomas, Rico Dowdle, and Hunter Luepke. And of course, they’ve hit some home runs with players like Tony Romo, Dan Bailey, Ronald Leary, etc.
So, who will be the undrafted free agent who could find themselves playing a big role as a rookie? The best bet is Justin Barron, a linebacker from Syracuse.
The Cowboys obviously loved Barron coming out of the draft as they gave him a $20,000 signing bonus and a roster bonus of $234,000 if he were to make the practice squad this season.
That number would obviously be much higher if he were to make the 53-man roster, but the fact that the Cowboys were willing to guarantee him that much more for a practice squad spot is telling. That figure was first reported by Todd Archer of ESPN.
Cowboys UDFA Justin Barron could make the 53-man roster
It's no secret that linebacker is a problem spot for the Cowboys, especially with DeMarvion Overshown rehabbing from a multi-ligament knee injury that could cost him nearly all of the 2025 season. Dallas is hoping that Marist Liufau can take a step in Year 2, but they are without a proven starter going into Week 1.
In a recent article by Ben Cooper of Pro Football Focus, he wrote about one undrafted free agent to watch for every team this offseason. And for the Cowboys, that linebacker was none other than Barron because of the linebacker issues in Dallas. Here is a snippet of what Cooper had to say about Barron and his fit with the Cowboys:
"Barron earned 70.0-plus PFF run-defense grades in each of the past three seasons, and his 263 tackles over the span formed one of the highest totals in college football among linebackers and box safeties. He also allowed just two touchdowns on 144 career targets in coverage while breaking up nine passes."
Ben Cooper, Pro Football Focus
Barron is a highly experienced linebacker with nearly 2,600 career snaps on defense, according to Cooper and Pro Football Focus. While he is just an average coverage linebacker, he’s a fantastic run defender with 293 career tackles and 20 tackles for a loss, per Sports Reference. It's also worth mentioning that he is a two-time team captain, which isn't surprising considering how much of an emphasis the Cowboys have put on finding high-character players this offseason.
Linebacker is the position Barron is expected to play in the NFL, but that wasn’t his only job at Syracuse. He started his career as a wide receiver in 2020 before eventually moving to safety. He primarily played in the box in college, but classifying him as a linebacker isn’t quite fair. He has experience playing slot corner, linebacker, EDGE rusher, and free safety, which makes him a fascinating prospect.
While there wasn’t an NFL combine invite, Barron did post some impressive numbers at his Pro Day. According to the Relative Athletic Score, he has an 8.16 RAS score after running a 4.68 40-yard dash at 225 pounds. While he isn’t a supreme athlete by any stretch, he is a good enough athlete with the length and explosiveness needed to thrive at the next level.
The Cowboys have a good track record of turning college defensive backs into good NFL linebackers. Look no further than Overshown and Bell, who both played safety at their respective schools. Overshown made the transition late in his college career, while Bell made it in the NFL and has since moved back to safety. But with so many teams needing more box defenders who can move all over the formation, Barron could be the next success story in Dallas.
The Cowboys are hopeful that Barron can make the roster as a special teamer and eventually work his way onto the field on defense, and that shouldn’t be too big of a stretch considering how productive he was at Syracuse. Keep an eye on Barron throughout training camp and the preseason as he has the best chance from the Cowboys’ undrafted free agent class of cracking the 53-man roster this season.