It's worked before. Why not try it again?
The Dallas Cowboys have close to $13 million in cap space now that Michael Gallup's post-June 1 release has finally kicked in. Mike McCarthy said back in March that the Cowboys would be active in the spring market, but there hasn't been a peep from team or national reporters to suggest a move is imminent.
The free agent market is anything but robust this time of year, but that hasn't stopped Dallas from stumbling across gems from spring football leagues.
Two years ago, they signed then-USFL MVP KaVontae Turpin, who's become one of the most dangerous return specialists in football. He even assumed a role on offense in McCarthy's first year calling plays.
Last year, they signed USFL kicker Brandon Aubrey right before training camp. The move was scoffed at initially since it followed Brett Maher's playoff meltdown and Aubrey made everyone eat their words. He scored the most points of any kicker and was a First-Team All-Pro.
In light of those victories, the Cowboys have dipped their toes back into the spring league waters with NFL Media's Tom Pelissero reporting that they worked out All-UFL linebacker Willie Harvey Jr. on Tuesday.
Cowboys Rumors: Dallas works out UFL linebacker Willie Harvey Jr.
This is a very savvy move from the Cowboys as Harvey was sure to generate NFL interest following a banner season for the St. Louis Battlehawks. Getting out in front allows Dallas to potentially sign Harvey to the 90-man offseason roster before he meets with another team.
Harvey earned All-UFL honors after he finished as the league's leading tacker with 76 takedowns. He also had the most tackles for loss, passes defended and forced fumbles amongst linebackers. He was a catalyst in St. Louis' run to the XFL conference title game.
Unlike Aubrey and Turpin, Harvey actually had previous NFL experience prior to his UFL stint. He signed with the Browns in 2019 as an undrafted free agent from Iowa State. A practice squad stash over his three years in Cleveland, Harvey appeared in four games before he was waived in 2022.
It's worth noting that all of Harvey's 48 snaps in the NFL were of the special teams variety. He's never played a defensive snap at the pro level. It's clear, though, that Harvey is too good to be playing spring football and he's arguably better than any remaining free-agent linebacker.
The Cowboys added to their LB room by signing Eric Kendricks and drafting Marist Liufau in the fourth round. How much Liufau plays in year one remains to be seen, however. Furthermore, DeMarvion Overshown is coming off a torn ACL and Damone Clark didn't have the year two that was expected of him after a promising rookie campaign in 2022.
The team could certainly use more depth at linebacker. It couldn't hurt to invite Harvey to camp and see if he catches Mike Zimmer's eye.
