The Dallas Cowboys’ 2022 offseason, up to this point, has been a bit underwhelming. They haven’t made any big acquisitions but have had to say goodbye to numerous excellent players because of their salary cap situation.
The team traded wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns and Cedrick Wilson followed him out the door, signing with the Miami Dolphins. Connor Williams also went to Miami as a free agent. Randy Gregory looked like he was coming back to Dallas, but ended up signing with the Denver Broncos instead, creating a hole at pass rusher.
Given the overall weakness of the NFC East, the Cowboys should still have more than enough to compete for a division title this upcoming season. However, the roster could certainly use some additions at a few spots.
The team could use some help in the trenches and at the second level of their defense. Dan Quinn did an excellent job of turning things around in his first season as defensive coordinator, but there is still work to be done on that side of the ball.
Luckily for Dallas, the second and third wave of free agency before the 2022 NFL Draft has plenty of good players remaining. One player that has been projected to land with the Cowboys is defensive tackle, Akiem Hicks.
Hicks was one of the better players available this offseason in free agency yet he didn’t find a new home during the first wave. A big reason for that is likely his recent injury history, as he missed eight games in 2021 and 11 in 2019 while playing 15 in 2020.
Despite the nagging groin injury during his contract year, Hicks showed he can still get the job done on the interior of the defensive line. He registered an overall grade of 72.3, which was buoyed by a 71.9 pass-rush grade. For a team in need of a little more pass-rushing juice, Dallas could be a good fit for Hicks.
He is still an above-average pass rusher and run defender despite being 32-years old. While his prime may be in the rearview mirror, he is still a player that gets it done on the field. In the last two seasons, Hicks has seven sacks to go with 30 quarterback hits. That kind of pass rush from the interior of the defensive line is something Dallas would love to have.
