Julius Peppers (90) against the Minnesota Vikings at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Bears 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears made the obvious move to release Julius Peppers and his $8 million cap hit, and he is now one of the better defensive ends on the free agent market with the likes of Willie Young and Justin Tuck now off of the board. Speaking of Young, he and fellow free agent signing Lamarr Houston will form a terrific DE duo for the Bears organization and present a big upgrade over the previous duo of Peppers and run-stuffer Corey Wootton (still a free agent).
The Dallas Cowboys cut ties with veteran DE and franchise icon DeMarcus Ware, who signed a lucrative contract with the all-in Denver Broncos, as they didn’t believe he was worth the cap hit. And unlike the Broncos, the Cowboys aren’t a Super Bowl contender, nor do they have any cap flexibility. But they could add another veteran defensive end to replace Ware, with the critical detail being this DE’s price.
Per a source close to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys are indeed “among the teams” speaking with Peppers, and they are interested in signing him if he comes at the “right price”. No visit has been scheduled at this point in time, so the interest isn’t terribly strong. Peppers is 34 and past his prime, but he is still a quality starter who notched 7.5 sacks last season and can still bring down the quarterback despite no longer being a consistent pass rushing threat. If Peppers is deemed too costly, then the Cowboys should be quick to say “no”. But if his price tag is reasonable ($5 million per year max), then they should be interested. But at this point in time, I doubt that’s the case with Peppers, so I doubt the Cowboys end up adding him.