NFL Free Agency 2022: Predicting one signing for all 32 teams

2022 NFL Free Agency predictions for the NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: OJ Howard, TE (Buccaneers)

The Dallas Cowboys could lose Dalton Schultz in free agency if they are unable to clear almost $11 million in additional cap space to be able to franchise tag him.

As you saw earlier in this NFL free agency prediction piece, the Cowboys lost Dalton Schultz to the New York Jets anyway.

Dallas spent most of its free agency budget in the 2021 offseason on exactly that — budget players. Mostly, players who wanted to come over and play on prove-it deals or play with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

They might need to have a similar approach in 2022 and that could lead to some intriguing one-year flyer types of players like OJ Howard.

Howard is an athletic freak and with the Cowboys poised to potentially lose both Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson in free agency, an athlete like Howard at tight end could be featured alongside Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb.

Howard was a first-round pick out of Alabama in the 2017 NFL Draft and the first two years of his career were outstanding. Then, injuries piled up, and the Buccaneers acquired Rob Gronkowski in the 2020 offseason along with Tom Brady.

Howard has been a reserve player and barely even a role player in the Bucs’ offense lately, so an opportunity to get maybe 80-100 targets from Dak Prescott in the Dallas offense? That could certainly resurrect his value.