Cornerback
Orlando Scandrick – 3 years remaining on a 5-year, $19 million deal
Anthony Brown – 3 years remaining on a 4-year, $2.48 million deal
Leon McFadden – 1 year remaining on a 2-year, $1.45 million deal
Morris Claiborne – Unrestricted free agent
Brandon Carr – Unrestricted free agent
Joshua Thomas – Unrestricted free agent
Evaluation: It is a tossup trying to decide whether or not defensive end or cornerback should be the top priority for the Dallas Cowboys during the off-season. I personally think one is as equally as important as the other.
Orlando Scandrick will really be the only veteran CB the Cowboys have, and he has struggled playing through a variety of different injuries the past several seasons. His versatility to play on the outside as well is in the slot gives the Cowboys some flexibility as to how they want to address the depth to this position in the off-season.
Anthony Brown was thrust into the starting lineup due to injuries, and I don’t think anyone could have possibly predicted how well he would perform. To me, he is the biggest surprise out of the 2016 draft class. He will start at one of the CB positions next season and should only continue to improve as a player.
As you can see, Leon McFadden is the only other CB under contract. So, I can guarantee the Cowboys are going to address this position in probably both free agency and the draft.
I wouldn’t be opposed to trying to bring Brandon Carr back. He has never missed a game in his entire career, but the Cowboys might have to convince him that he’s not quite ready to retire.
You know what they say, “You can never have too many defensive backs”.
