After failing to land Terrell McClain in free agency and seeing Maliek Collins break his foot, the Dallas Cowboys need to call Johnathan Hankins.
With a need at the one-technique defensive tackle, the Dallas Cowboys had hoped to find their man this week. They brought in a familiar face for a visit as Terrell McClain was in town for a couple days. Talks were escalating, but apparently the money wasn’t working for both sides as McClain headed to Atlanta for a visit.
In the end, McClain signed with the Falcons instead of the team he played for from 2014-16. Now that they struck out with McClain, Dallas needs to put a call in to the agent for Johnathan Hankins.
Making this a necessity rather than a consideration was the news that came out while Dallas was attempting to lure McClain. Their presumed starter at the spot, Maliek Collins, suffered a broken foot. Early reports are he could be back by camp, but expecting all to go well isn’t the prudent way to approach things.
Hankins would not only provide insurance should Collins not make it back by camp, but would also be an upgrade. A former second-round pick of the New York Giants, Hankins signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts.
He was released following this season, despite playing well, with a scheme change being the reasoning.
A strong run stuffer, Hankins would play a similar scheme to the one Indy just released him from considering their defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus, came from Dallas. This doesn’t mean he wouldn’t fit with Rod Marinelli and Dallas though.
Marinelli likes to use his defensive linemen in waves, and Hankins would provide him with a powerful interior player that can anchor their run defense on early downs.
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Hankins has 184 career tackles and 12 sacks. The 26-year old may be willing to come in on a one-year deal considering how soft the market has been for him. Dallas would be incredibly wise to oblige him with such a deal.