Cowboys should sign Bobby Wagner, Jadeveon Clowney

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports NFL Writer

Although they lost Von Miller to the Buffalo Bills in free agency and left tackle Andrew Whitworth retired, the Los Angeles Rams brought back a core of their frontline players and added receiver Allen Robinson, intending to defend their Super Bowl title.

Then Tom Brady surprisingly unretired and returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, once again making them Super Bowl contenders. And league MVP Aaron Rodgers signed a historic contract extension to remain with the Green Bay Packers, keeping them among the top candidates to make another deep postseason run in the NFC.

As it stands now, championship-contending teams are making moves, and the Dallas Cowboys are sitting on their hands, doing nothing in free agency to suggest that they can compete with the Rams, Bucs and Packers for the top spot in the NFC. 

In fact, the Cowboys got worse.

In a cap-relief move, they traded their best receiver, Amari Cooper, to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round selection. Yes, the same Alabama receiver for whom they sent a first-round selection to the Raiders in 2018.

Offensive lineman La’el Collins was released after the Cowboys got no takers in trade talks. Randy Gregory appeared poised to sign a five-year, $70 million deal to stay in Dallas, but then he had a change of heart over contract language and took the same deal to play for the Denver Broncos. 

Receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. and offensive lineman Conner Williams also left for the Miami Dolphins in free agency. And Dallas cut up-and-down kicker Greg Zuerlein.

So far, the Cowboys are one of only four NFL teams that have not signed an outside free agent.

Dallas did retain in free agency important contributors including edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, tight end Dalton Schultz, receiver Michael Gallup and safety Malik Hooker. And the Cowboys have nine picks in this year’s draft, including the No. 24 overall selection. Team needs include linebacker, defensive end, receiver and offensive line, and the Cowboys should address some of those in the upcoming draft.

However, Dallas owner Jerry Jones is 79 years old. It’s time for Jones and the Cowboys to make significant moves to give him an opportunity to raise the Lombardi Trophy once again in his lifetime. 

"I think it’s important to do some serious soul-searching while the wound is open," Jones said last month at the Senior Bowl, speaking about his team’s disappointing end to a 12-win regular season. "And I think it’s important to put salt in it — really bear down on the need to find out how you can improve while it’s still hurting.

"I actually believe you are more receptive to change at that time than you ever are when you’ve had success." 

Through the pain that comes from deep reflection, Jones and the Cowboys should emerge seeking two players who could provide a jolt defensively: Bobby Wagner and Jadeveon Clowney.

Wagner, of course, was one of the leaders of the Legion of Boom defense that helped propel the Seattle Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in the 2013 and ‘14 seasons. He was unceremoniously released by Seattle as a salary-cap casualty this week and is now an unrestricted free agent.

Wagner, 31, played for current Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn when he served in that position in Seattle.

Now, the Cowboys have a storied championship history, but they haven’t been to a Super Bowl since 1996. Dallas is 4-11 in the postseason since then. As a player who has been to the championship, Wagner would be a mentor for younger star players such as Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs.

And Wagner can still play. An eight-time Pro Bowler, he totaled 170 combined tackles last season. He would help anchor the Cowboys’ run defense and could serve as Quinn’s defensive playcaller on the field. 

According to Pro Football Focus, the Cowboys are the favorites to secure Wagner’s services in free agency. Dallas should make it happen.

As for Clowney, he could fill the void left by Gregory’s departure. Granted, he isn’t a perennial double-digit-sack guy, but he creates consistent pressure on the quarterback and is a force in the run game.

Last season, Clowney rebounded from a down year in 2020 with the Tennessee Titans, finishing with nine sacks, 19 quarterback hits and 11 tackles for loss in 14 games for the Cleveland Browns.

Together, Wagner and Clowney would bring both production and veteran leadership for a team looking to get over the hump in the playoffs after an embarrassing first-round exit to the 49ers in which the Cowboys allowed San Francisco, led by Deebo Samuel and Elijah Mitchell, to roll up 169 yards on the ground. 

If Dallas wants to compete with the Rams, Bucs and Packers for NFC supremacy, it needs to stockpile more experienced talent with postseason pedigree. Wagner and Clowney fit that mold.

Other players still available in free agency who make sense for Dallas include safety Tyrann Mathieu and cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Both have Super Bowl rings as well.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl in Green Bay, so he should understand the need to have players with championship experience on the roster.

"Sustaining success is the biggest challenge in this league," McCarthy told reporters during his end-of-the-season news conference in January. "I think history would point to that, and I know it’s been my personal experience. To do it every year [go to the postseason] or be in position, that’s a huge challenge.

"I think with the group we have, I love our guys and love the locker room. I think with our culture that’s been created, we have an incredible foundation to build off, and we’re prepared to take another run next year."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @eric_d_williams.