The Cowboys could benefit from adding some depth before the draft.
A little less than a month stands between the Dallas Cowboys and the 2025 NFL Draft. While the Cowboys have made some decent depth signings this spring, there’s plenty of room for upgrades at multiple spots on the current roster.
Today, we examine two defensive free agents Dallas should consider taking a flyer on before the start of the draft.
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1) CB Asante Samuel Jr
By all accounts, losing Jourdan Lewis to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency came as a shock to the Dallas Cowboys. It sure seemed like the Cowboys were planning on having Lewis back as one of their starting cornerbacks for at least the 2025 season.
As things stand during the first week of April, Dallas has yet to fill the void left in their defense by Lewis’s departure. While the Cowboys could undoubtedly spend one of their first picks in this month’s draft on a starting cornerback, finding someone left in free agency with starting experience would be wise to cover their bases and give them some flexibility.
If Dallas goes in this direction, there’s one player still available who makes the most sense. That guy is 25-year-old cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. The former second-round pick is still on the open market after finishing a four-year tenure with the Los Angeles Chargers.
During his time in LA, Samuel had experience playing both inside as a nickel corner and outside, which would be very valuable to Dallas’ defense. Injuries limited Samuel to playing in just four games during last season, ending his Chargers career on a sour note. While the results haven’t always been great during his four-year career, Samuel is undoubtedly a better option than anything the Cowboys currently have on their roster to play alongside DaRon Bland and Caelen Carson.
Signing Samuel would give Dallas someone with starting experience at the cornerback position, giving them more flexibility in the draft and preventing them from being forced to spend a premium draft pick to address the position.
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2) DE DeMarcus Walker
You can never have enough capable pass rushers on a defense, especially in today’s NFL. While the Cowboys did go out and sign edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr to a one-year deal back in mid-March, they could still benefit from adding some pass-rush depth before the draft.
If they were to do so, former Chicago Bears defensive end DeMarcus Walker would be a good target. Walker played under new Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus in Chicago during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Over that two-year span, Walker recorded 86 total pressures, 54 QB Hurries, and eight sacks, via Pro Football Focus.
Signing Walker wouldn’t drastically change the outlook of the Cowboys’ defense, but it would give them another solid rotational pass rusher to pair with Dante Fowler Jr and Sam Williams. Walker makes even more sense when you consider that Williams is coming off a serious injury and could potentially be limited to start the year,
The 30-year-old would likely be willing to sign a one-year deal, making this a very low-risk, no-brainer move for the Cowboys.
