Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys Free Agency: Awuzie vs. Gilmore?

Originally posted on FanNation Cowboy Maven
By Mike Fisher | Last updated 2/26/24

A pair of veteran cornerbacks with Dallas Cowboys ties are about to explore NFL free agency, and given that the club is in a sense looking for an "extra'' guy at the position, we wonder if there is more than just one "known quantity'' available for a reunion at The Star.

Stephon Gilmore is now a free agent, and while some view his retention as "critical'' with fellow cornerback Trevon Diggs recovering from a torn ACL, they seem to be forgetting that Gilmore, too, is in rehab. His gutsy move to participate in the playoff loss to Green Bay with a broken shoulder speaks volumes about him ...

But it also, logically, means that former Defensive Player of the Year, who will be 34 years old next season, might not be healthy until training camp.

With Diggs and DaRon Bland under contract, can we be sure Dallas sees "Gilly'' as "critical''?

So let's look around another corner, literally: What's Chidobe Awuzie been up to?

Awuzie was a legit top corner in 2021 after leaving Dallas for Cincinnati. He sustained a torn ACL a couple of years ago that seems to have impacted him a bit. But he's six years younger than Gilmore ... and while he was never a "star'' after being drafted in the second round from Colorado by the Cowboys in 2017, Awuzie played as an ironman in his initial four seasons in Dallas before moving to Cincinnati in 2021.

And in that first year? He started 14 games, had 64 total tackles, four tackles for loss (a career high), 14 pass breakups, and two interceptions. Then came a dip due to injury. But last year? Awuzie played in 15 games with 10 starts, giving Cincy 57 total tackles, two tackles for loss, six pass breakups, and a forced fumble.

Gilmore reached heights in his career that Awuzie never did. But age, injury and salary are going to be issues at the Cowboys assemble a roster and reboot the defensive backfield. And maybe, once the NFL pays the top two guys (Jaylon Johnson and L’Jarius Sneed), the Cowboys' inside knowledge of Awuzie enters him into a conversation that so many think is just about Gilmore.

This article first appeared on FanNation Cowboy Maven and was syndicated with permission.

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