While the Dallas Cowboys try to wrap up their own free agent, the team must also consider if a trade for a wide receiver should be in the works. And here is one free agent who can help fill the Cowboys’ biggest offseason need.
Coming off a highly disappointing 2024 season, the Cowboys are still feeling the sting. To get things back on track under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, the Cowboys need to make a few roster moves.
One of the problems came from the defense, but that could be shored up in part with better health and the signing of Osa Odighizuwa. The only problem with the following solution is finding the money to get it done.
Cowboys should sign Chiefs LB Nick Bolton
Let’s face it, the Cowboys need to get tougher on defense. And this is what Bolton would bring to the team, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Bolton has been a staple at the middle linebacker spot almost from day one,” PFF wrote. “(He) is a bit stiff when flipping his hips and can get picked on at times in coverage, but he is an absolute bruiser coming forward in the run game.”
An “absolute bruiser” is exactly what Dallas needs. Bolton will command $15 million a year along with four years on the ledger. The Cowboys would need to shell out $40 million in guaranteed money. That’s a lot for a team that isn’t in the best place in regards to cap space.
Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones said the team plans to be aggressive in free agency. But there’s a hedged bet, according to dallascowboys.com.
“We’re going to look at everything we can, we’re going to be selectively aggressive,” Jones said. “There’s things in this league, you have certain amount of resources they allow you to have and we will look at that, but we’re going to try to improve our football team, not try, we’re going to improve our football team and we expect to have success next year.”
Perhaps the hesitancy is because Jones believes the Cowboys would have been fine in 2024 without all of the injuries.
“At the end of the day, no excuses, but when you have the injuries we had, it’s difficult,” Jones said. “That makes it hard. We’re going to obviously look at everything we do in terms of how we go about making this team better, how we improve the roster, and you always look for ways to improve and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Nick Bolton will likely be on the market
The Chiefs have apparenly decided to move on from Bolton, who graded out at 64.0 overall, according to PFF. That ranked No. 44 among 84 linebackers.
One of the problems is the way Bolton fits into the franchise-tag numbers, according to Sports Illustrated.
Because of the proliferation of 3–4 defenses — which play defensive ends from a two-point stance on early downs, and call them outside linebackers — the linebacker number is based on what top edge rushers make, rather than what traditional off-ball linebackers get,” Albert Breer wrote. “So Bolton is grouped together with guys such as T.J. Watt, Brian Burns and Rashan Gary. And his tag number will likely top $27 million. (That’s) way, way over what the top off-ball linebackers make.”
Breer added, referring to Bolton and Trey Smith, “In the end, as I see it, that leaves Kansas City with little choice but to negotiate in good faith with those guys, knowing there’s little stopping them from getting to the market. And knowing that those guys’ best move probably is to go to the market.”
The Cowboys will have competition if they want to get into the Bolton mix. The 49ers appear to be in line for a shot at him, according to Pro Football Network.
“It is intriguing to put a player like Nick Bolton next to Fred Warner,” Ben Rolfe wrote. “Bolton was the centerpiece of the Chiefs’ offense and has the chance to be Warner’s long-term partner in the center of the 49ers defense. We have seen that the 49ers place a high importance on the position and Bolton could be the next evolution of that.
“Bolton has three 100-tackle seasons in his first four years and has also proven a nuisance around the quarterback. He is a versatile piece that feels like a luxury for the 49ers, but he can get after the passer or drop into coverage. The thought of Warner and Bolton together in a defense will be terrifying for opposing offenses.”
All of that sounds good for the Cowboys. However, the Cowboys might need to ask more of Bolton than the 49ers would need him to do. Battling with the 49ers could be a turning point in the final decision by Bolton. Does he want to go to a team with an established coaching staff? Or does he want to be part of the new regime with Brian Schottenheimer in Dallas?
Wherever Bolton lands, he figures to be an important part of the defensive scheme. The Chiefs could keep him, but the Cincinnati Bengals also appear to be in the mix, according to USA Today’s Jacob Camenker.
“Here’s another move where an AFC contender gets better at the expense of the Chiefs,” Camenker wrote. “The Bengals need a three-down linebacker to replace Germaine Pratt, who requested a trade. And soon-to-be 25-year-old Bolton would be a core building block in Al Golden’s defense.”