While a bunch of overpaying has happened in the first wave of free agency, the Dallas Cowboys have hardly spent a nickel.
Most teams in the NFL are still shopping on the top of the market. Despite clearing nearly $60 million in cap room last week, the Cowboys have apparently moved to the fifth and sixth waves of free agency. That's what their most recent reported signing suggests anyway.
The Cowboys have reportedly signed defensive end Payton Turner, per ESPN's Todd Archer. While Turner has an abundance of upside he has yet to tap into, this is a highly underwhelming response to losing the versatile Chauncey Golston, who inked a three-year, $19.5 million deal with the Giants on the first day of the legal tampering period.
Cowboys reportedly sign DE Payton Turner to one-year contract
If it's any silver lining, Turner is coming off the best season of his career. He posted two sacks, four passes defended, two forced fumbles, 13 pressures and a 70.8 PFF pass-rush grade.
The Saints unsurprisingly declined his fifth-year option last offseason as he played a combined 15 games over his first three seasons. He tore a ligament in his foot in 2023. The injury required surgery and a long rehab. It continued to bother him this season.
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There is something to be said about taking a flyer on a former first-round pick. However, this move is a sad continuation of Dallas trying to improve by bolstering the bottom of their depth chart. Signing former Dolphins guard Rob Jones kickstarted that process on Monday.
The Cowboys are clearly hoping something clicks with Turner, who was born and raised in Houston and played his college ball for the Cougars. Maybe a change of scenery and (hopefully) a clean bill of health get the job done, but there is little evidence to suggest it will happen.
That isn't to say Dallas holds Turner and Golston in similar regards and it doesn't mean they won't go out and sign another pass rusher.
However, this is a very uninspiring response to losing the ascending Golston, let alone to a division rival, after he ranked top-three on the defense in pressures, sacks and defensive stops in 2024.
It is hard to be encouraged by Dallas' initial signings of free agency.
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