After their release, the Cowboys could sign a $65 million Super Bowl champion.
After being released, the Dallas Cowboys could be the perfect destination for a Super Bowl champion. The Cowboys are seen as one of three “possible” landing locations for defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, as reported by Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports.
In an effort to clear salary cap space before the offseason, the Miami Dolphins intend to release Ogbah. Following consecutive nine-sack seasons in his first two years in Miami, Ogbah inked a four-year, $65 million contract extension during the 2022 summer.
“Neville Gallimore, Jonathan Hankins, Dante Fowler Jr., and Dorance Armstrong are among the defensive line free agents that the Cowboys have,” writes Dajani. “Dan Quinn’s departure to Washington has caused a shift on the defensive end of the ball for Dallas, but Mike Zimmer, the new defensive coordinator, will still want to add players with experience who can pressure the quarterback.”
Reasons Emmanuel Ogbah Might Be Signed by the Cowboys
After helping the Kansas City Chiefs win a Super Bowl in 2019 as a crucial reserve, Ogbah started his career as a starter in Miami. Of Ogbah’s 33 games with the Dolphins, 23 were started at the beginning. But in his 24 games since, he has only started four of them, and he has only tallied 6.5 sacks as opposed to the 18 sacks he totaled in 2020 and 2021.
That’s mostly due to a significant decrease in playing time. Ogbah participated in 77% of defensive snaps in 2020 and 67% of defensive snaps in 2021, but he only played 56% of defensive snaps in 2022 and 25% of defensive snaps in the most recent campaign.
Ogbah has been benched recently due to the arrival of Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. Nonetheless, Pro Football Focus claims that the 30-year-old is still a potent pass-rushing menace. In his eighth season in the NFL, Ogbah recorded the second-highest pass-rushing grade of his career with a 67.1 rating.
Ogbah might still be effective in a pass-rushing capacity for a squad that is on the hunt. Furthermore, he will probably think about accepting a lower salary to play for a contending team like the Cowboys, given that he will still receive $4 million from the Dolphins after his release.
It wouldn’t hurt to add an experienced player like Ogbah, especially since the Cowboys have a number of free agents on the defensive line and their own salary problems heading into the summer (they are over the cap by $3.2 million, ranking 26th in the NFL).
Throughout 107 games and 71 starts, the former 32nd overall choice has accumulated career totals of 42.5 sacks, 268 tackles, and 101 quarterback hits.
Tony Pollard Will Not Have His Franchise Tag Removed by the Cowboys
It appears that Tony Pollard will not be franchise tagged by the Cowboys for a second straight season. The Cowboys won’t apply Pollard’s $12.1 million franchise tag, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. During the previous season, Pollard was covered by the $10.1 million franchise tag.
According to sources, Schefter adds, “The Cowboys are also not expected to tag free-agent-to-be running back Tony Pollard for the same $12,109,200.”
After completing his first full season as a starting back, Pollard, 26, demonstrated his ability to carry the strain. Pollard not only started every one of the league’s 17 games, but he also finished sixth in terms of total touches (307). But his yards per carry fell from 5.2 in 2022 to just 4.0 in 2023, indicating a lackluster level of efficiency.
Having said that, Pollard’s door is open to returning to Dallas if he is prepared to sign a respectable contract; Spottrac values Pollard’s market value at $6.5 million annually.