Post-draft veteran free agents: Who makes sense for the Dallas Cowboys?

Leonard Fournette

After 1,266 total yards (rushing and receiving combined) and averaging 4.5 yards per carry (YPC) in 2021, Leonard Fournette received a three-year $21-million contract extension.

In 2022, he saw his YPC drop to 3.5 and lost his starting job which ultimately led to his release in March.

Fournette has had a very up-and-down career to this point but has the size (over 220 pounds) to be a short-yardage back.

Kareem Hunt

Kareem Hunt is a six-year veteran and only 27 years old.

He missed nine games in 2021 with calf and ankle injuries but averaged nearly 70 total yards per game and 4.9 YPC as a backup that year.

He was supposed to be 100% in 2022 but was far less productive averaging under 40 total yards per game and only 3.8 YPC.

Prior to the injury-filled 2021 and poor 2022, many thought he would receive a large payday in free agency this year.

For three years prior to 2021, he was one of the best RB2s in the entire NFL. Did he truly lose a step or could he be in line for a bounce-back season in 2023?

Ezekiel Elliott

Ok, I buried the lead a little on this one. I’m not saying this will happen and who knows, maybe the bridge in Ezekiel Elliott’s mind is burned.

Before getting hurt last year, Zeke did look to have some juice left and was able to grind out those tough yards.

I am one of the Cowboys fans who has said for a few years that Zeke’s best years were behind him and I was all for his release given his salary cap numbers.

Despite fitting the short-yardage, junkyard dog role I feel is needed to pair with Pollard, I still would not be on board with re-signing him.

My concern is if the team can be disciplined to truly reduce him to a short-yardage role while fully turning the backfield over to Pollard.

The Cowboys have left the door open to bring him back and after their lack of investment in the position early in the draft, it seems more plausible now than it did when he was initially released.

Linebacker

This one might be a little more surprising given the selection of DeMarvion Overshown in round three.

Behind projected starters Leighton Vander Esch and Damone Clark, the Cowboys have Jabril Cox, Devin Harper, and Overshown.

Cox played 37 defensive snaps last year while Harper played zero.

Despite being labeled as a linebacker, Overshown is only 229 pounds and has only played the position for a few years. He’s likely going to need time to develop both physically and mentally as a linebacker.

I do not have faith that the trio of Cox/Harper/Overshown can be enough to replace an injury to LVE/Clark.

The flexibility of Micah Parsons, Jayron Kearse, and Donovan Wilson helps, but if Vander Esch or Clark were to miss time, a true linebacker would be needed.

We’ll discuss three options but there’s a lot of veteran linebackers available that would make sense.