Free Cowboys Agency 2021: Dallas hasn’t ruled out interest in Richard Sherman, but a lot to consider

It is no secret that the Dallas Cowboys have tried to rebuild the structure of the once infamous Legion of Boom, but have failed to do so to this extent. The hiring of Kris Richard as a game coordinator in 2018 was the basis for his most recent attempts, but Richard was released in 2020, when the head coach and defensive regime changed. One year later, there was another seismic shift – the one who sees Dan Quinn taking over after a historically abysmal showing of now dismissed defensive coordinator Mike Nolan – which serves as a reset button to build in Dallas what the Seattle Seahawks once sported, and this is where Richard Sherman can come in. Toque.

While coach Mike McCarthy remains cool at the moment to join forces with the Seahawks’ troubled ex-security Earl Thomas, sources told CBS Sports, the door is far from being welded when it comes to Sherman. With the addition of Quinn, the Cowboys have not ruled out an interest in possibly hiring Sherman at a free agency, say separate sources, and are really open to establishing a dialogue with the five-time All-Pro to gauge their interest.

The conversation would inevitably have to go much, much deeper before either side agreed with it, however.

To begin with, Sherman earned an average annual salary (AAS) of $ 9.05 million in his three-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, so don’t expect him to suddenly drop his price to the veteran minimum or something close to that. There are factors in favor of the Cowboys in this regard, because the five-time Pro Bowler will turn 33 in March and lost 11 games in 2020 due to an injury. The latter marks yet another struggle with durability problems that, combined with age, should reduce the asking price – to a more palatable brand that really reflects the risk versus reward model in it. Conversely, in favor of Sherman will be the fact that he can still impact games when he is healthy – one of his Pro Bowl seasons happening recently in 2019 – combined with Dallas’ need for the position.

It must be said that they are also not adverse to taking the risk of a big name coming out of an injury, since they returned in 2021 to discuss a potential new signature from striker Gerald McCoy, as an example.

Defenders coach Joe Whitt Jr. would welcome the addition of Sherman to such a young group of cornerbacks (assuming the separation of veterans from the acting free agent), as one source specifically noted, which is something the Jones would not be adverse to until the plan did that. prevents them from also addressing their position in the NFL’s 2021 Draft or complicating their path to finally solving their # 1 free agency problem, namely Dak Prescott.

The salary will be a key point of discussion when taking into account the maximum limit and need to reserve space for Prescott but, as noted, both Cowboys and Sherman have an advantage and it is a question of who would be most willing to agree.

As it stands, cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis and CJ Goodwin are ready to hit the free agency, leaving several holes to be filled alongside newcomer sensation Trevon Diggs and, even if one or two are maintained, none of them sport the resume or level of playing as a healthy Sherman. Granted, there’s not much Sherman could do in the role of a nickel singer (Lewis), but he could readily step in and replace an departing Awuzie, giving the Cowboys a bridge for them to choose with the 10th overall choice, assuming that is a top cornerback perspective.

This can create a situation in which Sherman obtains a healthy snap count (something he will want to be sure of), while managing it to help keep him healthy and to prevent him from being an impediment to new talent. And when it comes to football IQ, Sherman has plenty of it, and the young Cowboys quarterbacks would do well to absorb as much as they could. It is this point that also goes to what he would take to the locker room, the one that lacked vocal leadership in high school last season.

Sherman will obviously also want to play for an opponent – a point that Cowboys will also have to sell which, ironically, will have to involve ensuring that Prescott remains on board.

That said, it stands to reason that the Cowboys would have been open to the idea, and while Sherman would have mocked it until a year earlier – due to his vocal discontent with how owner Jerry Jones handled the silent protests during (not from) the national anthem – the climate in northern Texas is apparently different now, and for some reasons. First, there is the newfound “grace” within Jones that saw him sign and retain striker Dontari Poe, despite Poe’s decision to kneel during the hymn, with his release being only due to an ongoing bad game and mostly by be out of shape. This is something that could very well smooth the edges when it comes to Sherman, as well as his admiration for Mike McCarthy and, even more, for the new head of defense.

Quinn and Sherman have had a strong relationship since their days in Seattle, always keeping in touch to the point where Quinn texted Sherman as he worked to recover from an Achilles tendon injury in 2017. Sherman recently praised his former coach and gave an overview of the defensive style that will come in Dallas – recalling a moment in the NFL that he will never forget.

“We were losing 16-0 at halftime – it wasn’t because we played badly, it was because our attack turned the ball a ton – and we were running Cover 3, but we were also running in fire zones to try and hinder Aaron [Rodgers]and [Rodgers] was identifying them before we could get anywhere, “said Sherman, via ESPN.” [Quinn] came to us at the break and said, ‘We can’t do another zone snap. We will equip them for the rest of the game. We need. It is the only way to win this game. ‘

“They had [six] points after the break. We came back, took it to the OT, did the big pass and left the game. It’s one of those things where it’s not necessarily the strength of what we did, but [Quinn] needed this from us. And we gave it to him. “

It is a less complicated but more aggressive scheme that Quinn must install for the Cowboys, and Sherman is a huge fan of it.

“Often, you just need to know the guy’s strengths and play towards them,” added Sherman. “He’s not going to take the guys out of position and ask them to do something crazy. Now, every now and then, you have to put the guys where they feel uncomfortable just to make the defense work, but for the most part, he will put the guys in the best possible position [to succeed regularly]. “

And as for Quinn’s feelings for Sherman, well, he’s already looking for the same archetype in Dallas.

“What you’re trying to do is find some of the characteristics [you’d find in Sherman]”he said not long after putting the pen on paper with the Cowboys, through the PFF NFL Podcast.” You may not find a corner [like Sherman], but what you can find is how important the ball skills are – the ability to stop, plant, remember. … Like, how smart he is. ”

Or, and this is a thinking process in Dallas at the moment, they could just add the real thing and Besides that look for a CB2 successor that fits the same mold (if the price allows) – the novice actively learning the details of the original mold in real time. It could be a win for the Cowboys, who also provide insurance against Sherman, potentially wasting time due to injury, and the aforementioned … er … um … tolerance (?) De Jones on issues of social injustice and adding Quinn can be scented enough to attract Sherman to at least see what the Cowboys have in mind.

“[The Legion of Boom] we had two of our best years with [Quinn], and it was consistent, “Sherman said of Quinn in 2019.” It was in every game. With every game that you’re on the break, you’re like, ‘Damn, that’s a terrible thought. I didn’t even think to do that. We should probably go over this guy. We should do a blitz through that gap. Or we should just go or stop bombing.

“I think he is one of the best defensive heads in the game.”

Time will tell if that is enough for him to dial the Cowboys on a free will basis, but they will take your call if he does, and that is assuming Quinn doesn’t text first.