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Locked On Cowboys - Daily Podcast On The Dallas Cowboys
UPGRADE: 10 Free Agents The Dallas Cowboys Should Consider SIGNING Before Week 1 | Top RB Available?
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The Dallas Cowboys weigh key free agent moves to plug lingering roster holes—will a late signing swing their 2026 season? Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool assess top targets like Nick Chubb, James Conner, and Najee Harris for running back depth behind Javonte Williams, spotlighting each veteran's fit, pass-blocking skills, and potential to protect Williams through a full campaign.
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Foreign. Every day.
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Your daily NFL fix just got a lot smoother with the Everydayer Club. We know the NFL never stops and neither do you. The Everydayer Club is designed to keep you locked into the conversation with a completely ad free listening experience. Whether it's draft season or a random Tuesday in July, you get all the insight without the interruptions. You also get a seat in our private discord to talk ball with us in real time. Make your daily routine even better. Join the club by tapping the Everydayer Club link in the show.
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Notes the Dallas Cowboys still have some holes on their roster that need to be filled. We'll tell you a few players that could fill them next.
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You are Locked on Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day.
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Welcome back. I am your host Marcus Mosher. He is Landon McCool, and on today's show we're taking a look at some free agents the Cowboys could still sign to improve their roster. We're going to look at some offensive tackles to maybe compete with Tyler Guyton and Nate Thomas. We'll take a look at the available edge rushers that the Cowboys can add to their defense. But Lane and I want to start at the running back position because there was an article this week from Matt Bowen over on ESPN talking about the top free agent available running backs and he actually listed Nick Chubb as a strong fit with the Cowboys. And I get it. You they don't really have anybody behind Javante Williams. It's proven Nick Chubb is pretty easily the best running back available on the market. Do you think it makes sense for the Cowboys to go out and sign Chubb or a player like him?
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I I think, I think that sort of player makes sense for the Cowboys. I don't know if it makes sense for the Cowboys right now. And, and this is this could be a theme for, for, for some of the the names that we talk about in the show, but I, I think that he could potentially be a really good fit if you're just looking for a solid double as your running Back to again. I still think you need another player to kind of come in here and be that more dynamic element or hope that Jade Blue kind of can develop into that. And maybe that's what the plan is there at this point. But I, I, I think that the, the kind of guy that can come in here and, and give you solid carries to give Javonte Williams some extra legs by the end of the season. I think that makes a ton of sense. I think Chubb really kind of fits the bill there. And I think, you know, very similar, I think at this point their career is very similar style, you know, and so I think it would, it would be a very clean, you know, transition whenever you wanted to rotate them in and out, because I think they run very similarly. You wouldn't have to, you know, kind of change the kind of runs that you're, you're calling or that sort of thing. He's a veteran. He can come in here. You don't have to worry about him as a pass blocker. You know, those are all the things that you're looking for in this sort of role as a guy that can come in and kind of just help extend Javonte Williams throughout the season.
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Actually, Nick Chubb wasn't bad that last year. 122 carries, 506 yards average, 4.1 yards per carry. So fine production. I think the concern is you're getting to a point in his career where he's older. I believe he's 30 right now. He's going to be 31 during the season. The success rate is well below average at this point. He doesn't really offer you a lot of home run ability, but if the idea is we just need a guy that we can give seven to nine carries a game to do some of the work between the tackles so that Javante Williams isn't completely shot by the end of the season. I get it. But I also don't know if you need to make that move right now.
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D
Yeah, I mean, again, like, I think part of the reason, and I think there are some, you know, veteran guys that you would, you would want to bring in because of the specific scenario, because of, you know, maybe trying to get them acclimated early to the position if they're going to play a very specific role. I think there are fits that, that kind of line up like that. But I think for the most part right now, like, if you've got a young player at the position that, and you're just trying to fortify that position with the veteran the time is not yet. Not, not right now. I think you would wait a little bit until maybe a couple weeks into training camp or at least maybe a couple weeks for the regular season starts. You know, especially at positions like running back where, you know, you don't necessarily have to come in and, and learn the complicated offense. A lot of the running back, running plays are all the same across the league ultimately the reads, that sort of thing. So it doesn't take a long time for a veteran running back to get acclimated in a new offense. So I, I just think that there's some patience here. You want to see what you've got in these young guys before you pull the trigger on the veteran.
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Two other running backs that I want to bring up and coincidentally both former Steelers. I promise I didn't do that on purpose. The first one is James Conner. Now, he's not a free agent. He is on the Arizona Cardinals roster right now. However, the Cardinals drafted Jeremiah Love at pick number three. They also signed Tyler Algier to a pretty big contract this offseason and they also have Trey Benson under contract, I believe for two, two more years after drafting him in the third round of the 2024 draft. I just don't know if I see a role for James Conner. But the reason why it makes sense for Dallas is he played under Clayton Adams for multiple seasons and actually played extremely well. Now he's 31, so he's older. But one of the things I really like about Conor, he has routinely graded out as one of the best pass blocking running backs in the league. He's a very capable receiver and he could do a lot of the short yard stuff. So if you're looking for a guy that can really take away some of that work that Javante Williams has to do on passing downs, I think Connor could be an awesome fit.
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D
Yeah, it makes a ton of sense. I mean, again, you know, not a home run hitter. So that's why he probably isn't going to cost a lot. And that's why he's, you know, probably being phased out a little bit in his own backfield. But, but I think again, for the role that the Cowboys are looking for, for a guy that can be a veteran that can kind of do everything you need so that if you put him out there for an extended period of time to give Williams a break on a couple of series, you're not going to be concerned that he's going to miss a blitz pickup or pick the wrong hole and give you a negative play. He's going to take what the blockers give him and maybe not, maybe he doesn't take a lot more than that, but he's also, he's going to produce a nice floor for you while you have Javante Williams on the sideline. And ultimately definitely that's kind of what you're looking for from this position.
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And it, it's not going to cost a lot to acquire him. I would imagine it's a late round pick swap or maybe, you know, you give the, the Cardinals a six and they gave you back Connor in a seventh. They've got running backs and honestly, I think for someone like James Connor, you want to get into a situation where he can be more valuable. I think you just try to do right by the player. You also want to open up opportunities for Algier and of course Jeremiah Love. So I, I would almost be shocked of Conor is on that roster in week one. I think he makes a ton of sense in Dallas. The other name that I had for you, Naji Harris, who signed with the Chargers last year on a one year deal, it's a very similar situation. He is a bigger back, good pass blocker, good receiver. He's like a innings eater, like for baseball.
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Right.
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Like a guy that can just come in and give you baseline production. But the reason why I actually like this a little bit for the Cowboys and why I would sign him right now, he's coming off a torn Achilles in week one. You could put him on your PUP list and basically just have him in the bullpen until, you know, whenever you needed him, let's say week five, week six. And it's not going to cost you anything probably other than a vet minimum contract. And I think he's one of these guys in the right system, could be maybe like your next Javante Williams who you pulled from a bad situation and you put him into a good offense and he thrives.
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D
Yeah, I mean, again, just a very similar body type, very similar type player. Maybe not completely stylistically, but I think in the same way that you want to use him, I think they're very similar. So again, a very clean transition between the two players if you wanted to rotate them in and out. Yeah, it makes a lot of sense and honestly it gives you the opportunity to, you know, put him on a list early or something. If you want to kind of, you know, protect on the roster that you
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have them, you can hopefully have a team until you need it.
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D
And it gives, it gives the young guys a little bit of an opportunity, a Runway to kind of get into the regular season and see if they can kind of be contributors. And, and it's almost like a, a veteran, a true veteran backstop to the rookies that you have and the not rookies anymore, but the young players that you have in MAFA and Blue. And to see if they can come in here and do that if and if they don't perform the way you need them to, you activate Harris off of the injured, off whatever it is, the whatever list, probably, PfP probably. And then, and then you bring him up and then you start, you know, using him as your backup guy and you get like, get a good half season out of a talented running back who's just, you know, in an injury situation.
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Yeah. And when he was in Pittsburgh for those four years, he was a very productive running back. Always one of the more efficient running backs in the league. Always really good out of the backfield. He's just not a home run hitter. And that's kind of the knock on Javante. Right? And Javante proved to be a very valuable asset for the Cowboys last year. So I think Najee Harris, we'll see about James Conner, we'll see about Nick Chubb. But I do expect the Cowboys at some point to add another running back laynon. Let's talk about some pass rushers who are still on the market. That could make sense for the Cowboys. We'll get to that next this episode is brought to you by Indeed. Workplace Chaos. Deadline stacking up, inbox overflowing. And the one position that you have to fill is still sitting open when the pressure's on and you need the right hire. This is a job for Sponsored Jobs. Indeed. Sponsored Jobs help you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for. Skills, Experience. Location. So you're not just hoping that the right candidate stumbles across your post. And here's a stat that says it all in the minute that I've been talking to you. Companies like yours have already made 27 hires on Indeed according to Indeed Data Worldwide. So if you're hiring, spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates who check all of your boxes with Indeed Sponsored Jobs. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help give your job the premium premium status that it deserves@ Indeed.com podcast. That's Indeed.com podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. This is a job for Indeed. Sponsored Jobs.
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USAA knows dynamic duos can save the
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day like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With usaa, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a'@usaa.com restrictions apply. Welcome back to the Locked on Cowboys podcast. Don't forget to check out the everyday club where you can get ad free episodes of the Locked on Cowboys podcast. Plus exclusive discord server access with Landon and I where you can chat cowboys all day long. Go to lockboys supercast.com to join the club. All right, Landon, let's talk about pass rushers because this feels like the one spot that they could still use another body. They lost Dante Fowler in free agency. They lost Jadavian Clowney, although he's still out there. They've got a bunch of young guys in Donovan as a raku and Malachi Lawrence and Sam Williams and James Houston. But if it still feels like they need one more veteran body there.
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Yeah, and I mean the thing that's interesting is that there's a lot of veteran guys out there. You know, you go and you look at the list and it's pretty nice, you know, especially for the kind of body type that you're looking for or, or maybe the kind of role that you're looking for. I, I, because honestly, I think you could, you could go either way. I just feel like you need one more veteran body who can give you a little bit of pass rush. Whether this guy comes in as a DPR or as a, a guy that's a little bit of, of both, who can just kind of come in and give you good snaps, he's got to at least be somewhat of a pass rusher. Might think. But yeah, I, I think, you know, look, I mean, you go down the list. Joey Bosa, Calvin Noy, I mean, you mentioned Clowney and a guy that you mentioned before on the show we talked about a little bit. Let's, let's talk about him some more. Is, is Hassan Reddick, who obviously has some history with Christian Parker.
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Yeah, I think Redick is one. That's fascinating because he was awesome out of the gate last year. He had eight pressures against Atlanta and then he fell off a little bit. The pass rush win rate dropped to 11.5, which is not great. But I still think he's a guy that in the right scheme can play really well. He needs to be this wide nine pass rusher at a two point stance and some of his best seasons came under Christian Parker and Vic Fangio. Now the knock on Redick is he's not really a run defender. He's really just a guy that you want up the field, but the Cowboys have the run defenders. They've got Rashawn Gary, they've got Ezra Rocku who's a really good run defender. They, they need guys that can get after the quarterback and I think in the right situation, Reddick can still do that.
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You know, he's had a very kind of up and down career because of, you know, things that have got disrupted. He did that little contract holdout thing when he was with the jets and it just didn't kind of work out. And then it's, it's just been, he's, he's had some couple of really good years and then followed by a couple, some really up and years. So. But might be, might he be worth the kind of gamble, especially with a guy that's familiar with him. It's something that you might want to at least kick the tires on seeing what, what, what his situation is.
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I want to go back to Joey Bosa really quickly because it's a similar situation. Right. He's not really a run defender. I think you've got to really monitor his snaps at this stage of his career. The injury stuff has always been a concern, but you're still talking about somebody last year who had a 15.6 win rate, which is better than any other edge rusher the Cowboys had last year outside of Jadevian Clowney, he was still a really, really good pass rusher. He had, I'm looking at the numbers right now, 30 hurries, 47 pressures. Again, he, he's not going to be Michael Parsons, but he is somebody that can come right in and win on obvious passing situations. I gotta believe that he's holding out for, you know, like a one year deal. Paying him, I would assume like $10 million a year. I think I would do that if he's willing to come to Dallas.
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Yeah, I mean, I think it certainly makes sense. And, and you could figure out, especially with the, the number of bodies you would have at that point, you could certainly figure out a way to kind of insulate yourself from his injury and hopefully just limit his snaps to absolutely what you need. Because yeah, it's not only the, the fact that he's a little bit of an older player, it's that he's had injuries his entire career. So you got, you have to find a way to really manage that to make sure that you don't expose him to situations where you're going to get injured again. But yeah, I do think that as far as skill set match versus what you're looking for it makes a ton of sense.
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A couple more guys that wanted to talk about. And we should at least mention Von Miller, the hometown kid. There's been some rumblings from, I think him and some other people that this would make sense. The win rate was not very good last year, 9.5%. However, I think he had nine and a half sacks for Washington, which again, this is why we care. We care more about the win rate than the sacks. But if you're looking for a veteran presence, a guy that doesn't need to play a ton of snaps, that can kind of be a little bit of a teacher on the field with a very. What, he's older than your defensive coordinator right now? Christian Parker? Yeah, it's. It wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.
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No, I mean, again, this is a guy that is also, you know, famous for having camps and, and wanting being a part of pass rush teaching. So I think he would be an excellent influence on DeMarcus Lawrence and. DeMarcus Lawrence. Wow. That's the first time I've done that. Malachi Lawrence and, and I think, you know, and also Barb too, right. Just to kind of help with, with pass rush moves and that sort of thing. Lt Overton as well, obviously, I think that you. That's a different route. Right? Like it seems like going the Von Miller route, like I think is. Because if he signed Von Miller, I, I think that there's, there's a chance that he doesn't make the roster. Like, like that he's washed. You know, I don't, I don't have that fear with Joey Bosa, but you're getting a different type of player. I think with Von Miller it's more of a leadership role kind of, you know, a guy who come in and rush the passer on as a DPR spec, but I think also a guy that you're hopefully kind of help coaching up the. The room is because you have a lot of young guys there.
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How about a name from the past? Yannicking gakway. He's actually 31 right now. He's a very much a one trick pony. That's just another name that we should mention. Kyle Van Noy is one that we've talked about several times this off season. He's not your pass rusher. This is why he's a little bit of a more difficult fit. He's a guy that's going to stop the run and can drop into coverage. I still think he can have value. But if you're looking for a guy that's going to be like up the field giving you quick wins. Not really him.
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There's two more guys we should mention just because they have history with the Eagles when, when Parker was there. Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham. Both of them, you know, a little more advanced age. One of them really more advanced age.
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Can you see Brandon Graham ever playing for the Cat? Well, really, I would play for any other team but Philadelphia.
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Literally what I was going to say next is I. It'd be hard for me to imagine him wearing the silver and blue, but Derek Barnett is an interesting guy that I think never really kind of lived up to the, the hype or the, the promise of his draft pick, but I think he could become in and be a solid part of a rotation and has familiarity with this defense.
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One last one just before we, we move on. Every time I look at like, all the data in the stats and the watch the film, I'm. I'm pretty convinced that Jadavian Clown is just the best player available of all these names. He had a 16.7 win rate. That's better than Joey Bosa. That's better than Hassan Reddick. That's better than Von Miller. He was also really good against the run last year. And I know the Cowboys have kind of had mixed opinions on what they want to do, you know, whether, you know, bring him back to Davion Cloudy or not. But Clowney played well last year and I, it's shocking how much better I would feel about the entire defense if you told me Clowney is on this roster right now.
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I, I think I'm interested to find out, like, exactly what type of edge rusher they're looking for. Because if they're looking for a bigger body type like a Kyle Van Noy or Clowney, yeah, Clowney does make a lot of sense. You know, I think that, you know, he's, he's just, he came in and played really well. He showed some interest that in coming back, even maybe coming back and signing a little bit earlier year, so.
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And maybe I never believe that in a second there's no way in the world Jadavian Clowney is going to want to do offseason workouts. I know him better than that.
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I, I, all I said was that he was going to sign a little bit earlier. I didn't necessarily.
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That means August instead of October. Yeah.
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Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, just, you know, I think to get his body in shape a little bit more is what he said for the, for the season. So. But yeah, I do think that you know, look, I, I don't know if this coaching staff has interest there, but if you're looking for another of those big body type that can give you a lot, a little bit as a run defender as well as a pass rusher, Clowny kind of proved his worth last year and let's see what the number is coming back. But if it's reasonable, you know, I think it would make some sense.
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Just think about how much better you would feel about this pass rush if you got Jadavian Clowney, Rashan, Gary. Those are your two big athletic guys that can stop the run and give you a little pass rush. And then behind them you've got Ezra Rocku and Malachi Lawrence, the two young kids that are still learning. Now you're not forcing those guys to have to play every snap. And then behind them, Sam Williams and James Houston kind of fighting for that last spot in the roster and feel great about the pass rush, especially with the defensive tackles they have. That's why I would love to see them make one more move in the defensive line.
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Yeah. And especially also considering that they're going to be doing a lot more kind of exotic stuff and, and so it's, it's not all being put upon the pass rush the way it has been in the past. So. Yeah, I agree. One more veteran that makes you feel good about this pass rush would make you feel really good about that room overall.
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All right, let's talk about the offensive line. Could the Cowboys sign a tackle to compete with Tyler Guyton? We'll get to that next. This episode is brought to you by game time. We can stream anything, order food minutes, and do everything from our phones. And yet somehow buying tickets to live events still feels way harder than it needs to. Long lines, confusing checkouts, prices jumping at the last second. It shouldn't be that complicated, but that's where game time comes in. It gives fans the advantage and it makes getting tickets to fast and simple. I was just looking at tickets for a couple different pirate games that I'd like to go to here this summer and it's unbelievable. Some of the deals they have right now, the seat views are huge. You can check your exact view in the app before you buy and zone deals is where you pick the section and you can save even more. Two taps and you have great seats locked in. It's quick, it's easy, and it actually makes you want to go to more events. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets to every type of event with GameTime. Download the GameTime app Create an account and use promo code locked on for $20 off your first purchase terms apply. Again, create an account, redeem promo code lockedon for $20 off and download the Gametime app today.
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Welcome back to the Locked on Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. Landon I know there are a lot of listeners out there that would like to see the Cowboys sign an offensive tackle to at least be a backstop in case the Tyler Guyton experiment doesn't work out. You and I have mixed feelings, but I wanted to talk about two offensive linemen here, and the first is Taylor Decker, who was the longtime starter with the Lions. He's available because he's had a lot of injuries, but is he somebody that you would be open to signing this offseason?
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D
I I again, like with the heavy, heavy caveat, especially here, that you know the about the progress stopper aspect of this. I want my young guys to have all the room to kind of get their opportunities. But down the road, like as we get closer to the season, I think Taylor Decker makes some sense. If you're, if you're concerned about guiding or let's say Guyton gets hurt during training camp, like again, and you're just like, we, we can't do this. You know, you go outside Taylor Decker, I certainly think that that makes sense a little bit there the other day that I think makes a lot of sense. It may be even more sense over Taylor Decker is Jonah Williams. He has some experience with, with Clayton Adams at Arizona. He could play a little bit inside outside, so you could, you know, just gives you a little bit of versatility there, which is something that the Cowboys have said that they like, I think a little bit younger player, right? Just maybe a little bit more tread on the tire. Probably isn't, you know, didn't ever reach the high heights that Taylor Decker is. But honestly, at this point of their careers, he may be as good as Taylor Decker and he's got a couple more years left. He could be someone that would make sense as kind of an intermediate option if we deem that the Guyton experiment is is a failure in this off season. If it's that bad, I I just can't imagine it being that bad. But this is an installation for it falling apart, you know, at the seams as the inter training camp.
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A
A couple things going back to Taylor Decker. He's played a million snaps over his career. He's at 9, 100 snaps and he's been very, very durable. I think the part that the Lions felt like is that his body was really starting to break down on him and it seemed like he was having a hard time even getting through the week of practice. And I just wonder if he's at the stage of his career where he would like to be a, a primary backup rather than a full time starter. And honestly I think it makes sense. Like he's, he's still a good player now he turns 32, excuse me, in August. And I do wonder like maybe he's a guy. I, I don't want to say Jason Peters, but kind of the way Jason Peters light career went where he's really good if you need him for a three game stretch. But if you need him to be your offensive tackle for 17 games, it's probably not going to work out.
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D
Yeah, I mean I, I certainly think he is capable still at this point of being a NFL starter for an extended period of time if you need him to. But I, I wouldn't want him to be my solution, you know, my, my, my, my. The guy that I'm going into the season as my presumed starter at left tackle, like if I need to get through four games because somebody has a high ankle sprain, that's when you want Taylor Decker. Yeah, okay, I could get that. But if, you know, if Guyton isn't the answer, I'm not loving the idea of Decker being LT1 going into the season because we had to go sign him because our office, our first round offensive tackle didn't work out.
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A
And really quickly on Jonah Williams, he played with Clayton Adams. As you mentioned, he played right tackle exclusively last year and that's interesting to me because they don't really have a backup right tackle. We talked about that on yesterday's show. So if you want a guy that can play left tackle and right tackle and kick into guard a little bit, I do think he makes some sense. He's another one though. The injury history is pretty significant, so you've got to keep that in mind.
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D
Yeah. Only 28, but they insulate him a little bit, you know, because of the backup role. Maybe it's a good fit for him and especially with Clayton Adams, it would make some sense.
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A
All right, that is it for today's show. We'd like to thank you for making Laton Cowboys your first listen every single day. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and follow so you get all of the latest episodes. And if you never miss an episode, the Everyday or Club is built for you. Get locked on Cowboys ad free members only, discord access and so much more. Head over to lock on cowboys.supercast.com to join the club. And for those of you on video, we can send you the first ever 24. 7 national NBA YouTube channel. And on audio, make your second listen the lockdown NFL Draft podcast. Follow Landon on Twitter @McCool BCB. I'm @Marcus Underscore Moser and we'll see you right back here on Thursday.