Cowboys to re-sign former third overall pick

Following a bounce-back season, Dante Fowler plans to stay in Dallas. The Cowboys are bringing back the top-five pick-turned-rotational pass rusher, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter).

Fowler will be back on another one-year deal, per Watkins. The ex-Jaguars first-rounder totaled six sacks last season, working behind the likes of DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who brought in Fowler in free agency in Atlanta back in 2020, will have him back in this role soon.

The Cowboys aimed to re-sign Randy Gregory last year, but negotiations fell apart late in the process. After Gregory trekked to Denver, Dallas brought in Fowler, re-signed Dorance Armstrong and drafted Sam Williams in the second round. This quantity-based approach ended up paying off for the team, and Fowler — after flaming out on a $16M-per-year Falcons agreement — fared well as a second-stringer in Dallas.

Fowler is going into his ninth NFL season, but he is headed for only his age-29 campaign. In addition to the six sacks — his most since 2019 — the former Florida prospect added two forced fumbles and nine quarterback hits. He got there in just 343 defensive snaps. The Cowboys still have Armstrong under contract as well; the Fowler addition looks to ensure the team will run it back at defensive end in 2023.

Consistency has eluded Fowler as a pro. He missed his entire rookie season due to an injury at Jags rookie minicamp but played a key off-the-bench role for Jacksonville’s AFC Championship Game-bound team two years later. After Fowler’s eight-sack 2017, he tallied just four with the Jags and Rams in 2018. In a 2019 contract year, however, the then-Aaron Donald teammate racked up career-high numbers in sacks (11.5) and QB hits (16). That preceded a rough Falcons stay, one that ended a year early. Quinn looks to have unlocked Fowler’s higher gear; can the veteran edge defender sustain it?

Clearly sensing an opportunity in what looks to be the weaker of the two conferences, the Cowboys have been aggressive since the legal tampering period began. They added Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks and re-signed Fowler, Donovan Wilson and Leighton Vander Esch.