The Dallas Cowboys have been active this offseason and the team may sign Greg Hardy to a free agent deal and after that, Jerry Jones may target players for depth and some free agency options include Mason Foster, Brandon Spikes, Lance Briggs, Philip Wheeler and Hakeem Nicks and this comes after the team added Darren McFadden.
The Cowboys have Dez Bryant tagged this offseason and as they work on a deal with him they are trying to fill needs on the roster. One of the biggest needs for the Cowboys is at defensive end and they are trying to take care of that with Greg Hardy. According to ESPN.com, Hardy visited with the Cowboys and now he is deciding on the Cowboys or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his free agent deal.
UPDATE: According to ESPN reports, the Cowboys have signed Greg Hardy to a deal.
Hardy is an All-Pro talent, but he had some issues off the field and that is why the Panthers are letting him go. Hardy spent last season on the exempt list apart from one game after his sexual assault case and now that the charges have been dismissed, he can sign with a team. ESPN writes that a suspension could be coming even though the charges were dismissed and that could be a factor in the contract talks. Hardy had 15 sacks in 2013 and he is a major option for the Cowboys, as they had just 28 as a team last season.
The Cowboys also may look at other areas on defense and cornerback is one position to watch, as Morris Claiborne has struggled and the team ranked 26th in passing yards allowed per game last season. Todd Archer at ESPN.com writes that the team has a need at linebacker as well and names like Mason Foster, Brandon Spikes, Lance Briggs, Philip Wheeler and Mathias Kiwanuka are available. The team has Rolando McClain as a free agent, but right now the Cowboys do not look interested in signing him back, although that could change.
Mason Foster could be an option for the Cowboys, as he was looking like he was going to sign with the Bears, but that has not happened yet. Reports have the talks "not close" and he could be a potential option, while Brandon Spikes is also a solid player available after playing with the Bills last season. Briggs is on the older side, but the team had success with a veteran in McClain and he could be an option along with Philip Wheeler.
Hardy is just 26 years old and he still could get better as his career keeps going and that is one reason why the Cowboys want him. The team likely can sign him below his usual value due to his off the field issues and also because he could miss time with a suspension. Archer writes that the team also may look at the draft for another running back after signing Darren McFadden in free agency. The team lost DeMarco Murray to the Eagles in free agency and now need some more depth.
The Cowboys won the NFC East last season and they are returning a strong team even without Murray in the fold. Bryant likely will return even if the team can't get a long term deal done and they feel comfortable having him play out a one year deal on a franchise tag.
