Outside linebacker Takkarist “Takk” McKinley , who played in 11 games and recorded 2.5 sacks for the 2021 Cleveland Browns, will be visiting the Arizona Cardinals after the Dallas Cowboys did not sign him:
Former Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones and outside linebacker Randy Gregory are now elsewhere.
Jones had a tremendous start to his 2021 Pro Bowl season, and he finished with 10.5 sacks and six forced fumbles in 15 games.
Gregory had six sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception in Arizona in 2021.
Jones is now with the Raiders while Gregory is in Denver.
Could McKinley be headed to Arizona instead of Dallas?
His meeting with the Cardinals is coming up very soon:
The Cardinals have been busy in free agency recently, with them signing defensive linemen Christian Ringo and Antwaun Woods.
Maybe McKinley will be next.
Maybe Arizona will offer him a contract that will make him forget about Dallas.
McKinley Could Fill A Need In Dallas If There Is Still Interest
On Saturday, Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said McKinley was in town in Oxnard, California for a meeting at Cowboys training camp.
McKinley would sure up the linebacker group in Dallas and provide much-needed depth.
Dallas picked three linebackers in the 2022 draft, including Sam Williams of Ole Miss in the second round.
Signing a veteran like McKinley, whom the Cowboys have had an eye on since the 2017 draft, would benefit the team.
In terms of statistical categories, the 2021 Cowboys defense was middle of the pack in terms of yards.
Interestingly, the Dallas defensive unit finished with the seventh-best scoring defense in the NFL, which was four spots better than Arizona.
However, the Cowboys fell in the wild card round of the playoffs and have not won a playoff game since 2018.
In Mike McCarthy’s third season with the Cowboys, he may be on the hot seat if they have a poor start to the 2022 season.
Therefore, it appears that the Jones family will be trying to give McCarthy the chance to succeed in what might be his final season in Dallas.
The former Atlanta Falcon and Cleveland Brown may have fit well in Dallas, but the Cowboys could decide to go elsewhere.
Why McKinley Might Be One-And-Done In Cleveland
McKinley ranked fourth on the Browns in sacks and sack yards.
He also was one of 10 Browns last year with a forced fumble.
Unfortunately for the fifth-year linebacker, he has played only a combined 15 games over the last two seasons.
He played just four contests in his final season in Atlanta (2020) before being released.
Then, after failed physicals with the Bengals and 49ers in 2020, he joined the Browns.
A torn Achilles ended his 2021 season with the Browns at just 11 games.
Cleveland may not end up having McKinley back because he is getting spotted by these strong NFC teams.
It will be interesting to see how the visit in Arizona will go.
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