Cowboys Sign Two Former First-Round Draft Picks

ARLINGTON, TX— The Dallas Cowboys have signed two players to help both the defense and the offense.

Former 1st overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney has signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones announced the team signed the former South Carolina Gamecock and Houston Texan to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million.

Clowney was drafted in the 2014 NFL Draft and has certainly bounced around the NFL since. He started off his career with the Houston Texans, where he played for five years. While in H-Town, Clowney had 23 sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns. Since his time with the Texans, he has played for Seattle, Tennessee, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Carolina.

For his career up to this point, Clowney has 58 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, four defensive touchdowns, and one interception, which went for one of those touchdowns.

Adding Clowney helps the defensive end depth in Dallas. Teams can never have enough pass rushers in their rotation, especially after the Cowboys moved on from Micah Parsons.

Speaking of Parsons and all the money the Cowboys saved by trading him, Dallas locked up an important piece of their offensive line.

Also, the Cowboys extended offensive guard Tyler Smith to a four-year, $96 million deal, making him the highest-paid guard in NFL history. Smith, whom the Cowboys drafted out of Tulsa in the 2022 NFL Draft, was a surprise pick that many draft analysts and websites rated as a bad pick.

Since entering the NFL and in 1,784 passing plays, Smith has only given up 10 sacks. He has started 47 games at both left tackle and left guard, and he is a two-time Pro Bowl selection.

While many fans hated the Parsons trade, he would have eaten up the salary cap, so the Cowboys now have the ability to sign other, cheaper players. They also have two first-round draft picks, something the Cowboys have been extremely good at.