Cowboys caught sleeping as Falcons splurge on star DE after Payton Turner deal

The Dallas Cowboys have not made a splash in free agency since they signed cornerback Brandon Carr on the first day of the new league year in 2012.

While signing free agents is far from the only pathway to success in the NFL, that over a decade has passed since Dallas' last marquee signing, which does not include in-house extensions, underlines why they have not made it past the Divisional Round since 1995.

Jerry Jones has predictably shopped on the margins since the legal tampering period opened on Monday. That continued into day two when the team signed defensive end Payton Turner, a former first-round pick of the Saints who has been limited to 31 games in four seasons due to injury and has struggled to produce when healthy.

While an intriguing flyer with untapped potential, there are myriad more proven pass rushers still available. One of them came off the board as the Turner news broke.

Falcons sign DE Leonard Floyd as Cowboys agree to terms with Payton Turner

The Falcons reportedly signed Leonard Floyd to a one-year, $10 million contract just hours after he got released by the 49ers. The move reunites Floyd with head coach Raheem Morris, who was his defensive coordinator with the Rams for two seasons.

It is not the least bit surprising that Dallas bypassed Floyd, but he is exactly the kind of player this roster needs.

The Cowboys lost DE Chauncey Golston on the first day of the legal tampering period. Arguably a top-five player on the defense in 2024, Golston signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the rival Giants. It is also far from a guarantee that DeMarcus Lawrence returns.

While Floyd is not the run defender that Golston and Lawrence are, he would provided a need pass-rushing juice opposite Micah Parsons. The 32-year-old has logged at least 8.5 sacks in each of the last five seasons, including a combined 20 the last two years at age-31 and 32, respectively. He also has not missed a game in seven years, making him one of the most durable players at his position.

And yet, Dallas opted for a reclamation project in Turner whose two sacks last season with New Orleans were a career best.

As of this writing, the Cowboys' defensive room consists of Parsons, Turner, former second-round pick Sam Williams, whose coming off a torn ACL and has been a situational pass-rusher in his career, and Marshawn Kneeland, who is still developing as a pass-rusher.

There is still plenty of time to add to it, including the draft, but the Floyd and Turner moves breaking within minutes of each other is a sad summation of this team's efforts to "improve" the roster in free agency.