Anthony Barr's chase to be Anthony Barr is on, in Los Angeles.
The newly-signed free agent linebacker is off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as of Wednesday, and head coach Mike McCarthy was hoping Barr could take the field for his first practice, participating in individual drills, at minimum, alongside the joint practices against the Chargers.
Consider that done. ...
McCarthy made it clear last week he'd like to see Barr in "at least one practice" before entertaining any preseason reps for the four-time Pro Bowler. Does the door for the possibility of seeing him on the field as early as this week against the Chargers now open?
Maybe not that fast, as not everything is quite perfect just yet ...
But for a player who, to his own admission, is being acclimated to training camp after "having not played in seven or eight months," it's as start, as it seems more likely McCarthy would want more than one practice before asking Barr to combat another team.
After opening camp, Dallas did a deal with Barr that has just a $2 million base for one year, with incentives that can grow the contract to a value of $3 million.
The Cowboys get ripped pretty hard for front-office ineptitude, but they just lured a Pro Bowler at one-fifth of his 2021 price tag. ... in fact, the linebackers group as a whole represents a bargain.
Micah Parsons in 2022 is at $3.88 million.
Leighton Vander Esch is at $2 million.
Anthony Barr is at $2 million.
Jabril Cox is at $578,000.
We're told, though, that Dallas assistant George Edwards, who was Barr's coordinator in Minnesota, played a role here. So did the idea of Dallas being a contender.
Barr spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Vikings after being drafted 9th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Barr had a successful career in Minnesota, making the Pro Bowl in each year from 2015-18.
Since his Pro Bowl days, Barr has struggled with injuries, but he is still very capable of playing at a high level. In 2021, he recorded 72 tackles in 11 games, and had he played in the other six, there's a great chance he would have surpassed his career-high.
Now he'll get a chance to get to that high level again, working with a player who shares some of his skills in Micah Parsons ... beginning with a day in L.A.
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