The Dallas Cowboys season is over and that could mean that these four players will be headed elsewhere in 2022 as they hit free agency
A promising season for the Dallas Cowboys ended in heartbreak. Again.
For the better part of three decades, Dallas has been a team known for their failures in big moments and they added to this narrative with a 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round — and they were lucky it was even that close.
Their early exit means it’s time to get back to the drawing board and plan for the 2022 season. There will be several additions as well as many players who will head elsewhere in free agency. Here, we look at four such players as we identify some Cowboys who will likely be riding off into the sunset.
4. Dallas Cowboys EDGE, Dorance Armstrong
During his collegiate career at Kansas, Dorance Armstrong once looked like a potential first-round pick. However, he never really took his next step but he still proved to be a valuable defensive end and Dallas was more than happy to land him with a fourth-round pick in 2018.
Armstrong was used sparingly early in his career but really started to get on the field a lot over the past two seasons — with 2021 being his best professional season. The fourth-year veteran had 37 tackles and five sacks and added three tackles and a pass deflection in their playoff loss.
Dallas would love to keep Armstrong for his value as a rotational end, but chances are he will sign a much more lucrative contract with another team in the offseason.
3. Dallas Cowboys S, Malik Hooker
A former first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts back in 2015, Malik Hooker has been a very good safety in his career but there has been one thing slowing him down. Hooker has continually dealt with injuries including an Achilles tear in 2020.
This led to him playing in just two games that season and then it took some time for him to finally find a home in 2021. Eventually, he made his way to Dallas where he was able to stay healthy as he played in 15 games with 44 tackles and one interception.
He continued to play better as the season went on as Hooker grew more comfortable with his rehabbed leg as well as his role with the team. And while some players were busy pointing fingers at the refs following the game, Hooker was posting a heartfelt thank you to the team and fans for a season he seemed to truly enjoy.
https://twitter.com/MalikHooker24/status/1482904745685794820?s=20
Hooker, like every other safety they added this offseason, was signed to a one-year deal meaning he’s about to hit the open market once again. It would be wise for Dallas to bring him back but anyone who follows this team knows how they seem to downplay the need for safeties — despite it burning them time and again.
Chances are low they bring all three back — Hooker, Damontae Kazee, and Jayron Kearse — and Hooker might be the lowest on their priority list. That could lead to him continuing his career somewhere other than in Big D.
2. Dallas Cowboys G, Connor Williams
It’s hard to put the recent loss on any one player for the Cowboys since so many players were off their game. The entire defense was gashed in the first half — and no one could stop Deebo Samuel. There were also countless penalties especially ones on third down such as the hands to the face from Neville Gallimore that ended up being incredibly costly.
However, there seemed to be one guy on offense who continually made the worst plays at the worst times — and no, this isn’t in reference to the inexcusable third-down quarterback draw from Dak Prescott with 14 seconds left and no timeouts. This player who continually put the Cowboys in a bad spot was left guard Connor Williams.
A second-round pick back in 2018, Williams was the only healthy offensive lineman in 2020, and then again in 2021, he played in every game for Dallas. Unfortunately, he also seemed to have multiple penalties in every single game he played in.
In fact, Williams was benched for a three-game stretch due to his penalty issues but Dallas apparently felt better with him than Connor McGovern as Williams was put back in the lineup. On Sunday, he again was hit with several costly holding calls that negated some big plays.
Chances are, this will lead to a change in the offseason which means Williams should be playing in a new uniform this coming season.
1. Dallas Cowboys LB, Leighton Vander Esch
If Sunday ends up being his final game with the Cowboys, Leighton Vander Esch can at least go out with his head held high. The fourth-year pro had 13 tackles as he continued to fight through the struggles against San Francisco — and even made one of the better plays of the day for the defense late in the game.
With roughly 3:40 left in the game, and Dallas trailing by six, Jimmy Garoppolo was facing a third-and-five and he hit Deebo Samuel on a short pass in the middle of the field. Vander Esch then made a huge open-field tackle on the explosive wideout, getting the ball back for the Cowboys.
Dallas then stunk it up with a terrible drive that ended with Dak Prescott’s desperation pass on fourth-and-11 to Cedrick Wilson hitting the turf. Everyone can be as mad as they want at the final drive but this was their chance to steal the win and they soiled themselves in the big moment.
Still, LVE was a huge reason they even had that chance — but this could be the final big play he made for Dallas. Entering this season, the front office declined the fifth year on Vander Esch’s rookie contract making him a free agent in the offseason.
Once a huge star for this defense, Vander Esch has been trending in the wrong direction since his rookie season, and chances remain high that he could be looking for a new home in 2022.