Dallas Cowboys listed as best fit for free agent linebacker

The Dallas Cowboys made a splash at the NFL trade deadline by making a couple of big additions on the defensive side of the ball.

Dallas acquired veteran linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick and added star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. Clearly the Cowboys aren’t ready to punt on the current campaign despite a 3-5-1 start.

The trade deadline has passed, but that doesn’t mean that there are no more options for outside improvement for Dallas. On the contrary, there are still plenty of productive players available via free agency, and the Cowboys were recently listed as a best fit for free agent linebacker Isaiah Simmons by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report.

“While any team adding the 27-year-old would have to have a specific plan for him, he remains a top-tier athlete and an intriguing prospect,” Knox wrote. “He recorded 105 tackles as a linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, and he allowed an opposing passer rating of only 81.9 as a true hybrid with the New York Giants in 2022. . .. Simmons would be a logical gamble for a team that regularly uses multiple safeties in a rotation or for one that could use an athletic run defender at the second level.”

That description sure sounds like the Cowboys, who could use some additional run-stopping health, even after their deadline additions. The addition of Simmons could be a pretty low-risk, high-reward move for Dallas. If it didn’t work out, oh well. But if it did, then they could add a still young, athletic player at a reasonable rate.

Simmons hasn’t appeared in a game this season, so he should be fresh and ready to go if he does ultimately sign with the Cowboys, or elsewhere. The Baltimore Ravens were also mentioned by Knox as an ideal fit for Simmons.