Their own pending free agents: Christian Covington, Antwaun Woods, Maliek Collins
Former Houston Texans defensive lineman Christian Covington joined Dallas this season on a one-year deal, which keeps him in the same state he played collegiately as well as his first four NFL seasons.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
It was an underrated move and so far, he’s provided them with quality depth, which was sorely needed when Tyrone Crawford was lost for the season. Entering Week 16, Covington has 23 tackles and a sack this season and has been solid against the run as well.
He should be retained for a reasonable price, assuming they want him back. Another affordable player should be nose tackle, Antwaun Woods. A former undrafted free agent out of USC, Woods developed into a starter for the Cowboys and it could be argued he’s their best run defender on the line not named DeMarcus Lawrence.
Woods was also recently arrested for marijuana possession, which could hurt his stock — even if it somehow motivated him to have his best game of the season.
Maliek Collins, however, won’t be as cheap. Part of their spectacular draft class in 2016, Collins has 14.5 sacks in his four seasons and has been incredibly consistent in this area. He’s not a stud against the run but his ability to get after the quarterback and create interior pressure will help him score a decent contract.
It’s probably a safe bet not all three players will be back, which means the Cowboys could go shopping for some replacements.