3 ideal Tyrann Mathieu landing spots in 2022 NFL Free Agency

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Jan 16, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Dorance Armstrong (92) and outside linebacker Micah Parsons (11) in action during the NFC Wild Card playoff football game against the San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

Tyrann Mathieu landing spot No. 2: Dallas Cowboys

2021 saw a huge swing for the Dallas Cowboys defense. The arrival of Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator had a major impact after a frustratingly bad season under Mike Nolan — and nearly a decade of up and down performances from Rod Marinelli’s group before that.

Under Quinn, they had Micah Parsons rip off 13 sacks while Trevon Diggs tied a franchise record with 11 picks. They also saw safety Jayron Kearse put up the best season of his career while Malik Hooker got his back on track.

Both Hooker and Kearse are returning for the 2022 season but Quinn utilized three safeties a lot in his first season with Dallas as he started Damontae Kazee and Kearse with Hooker on the field a lot as well. With his desire to use so many safeties, it would make sense to keep Kearse in his hybrid safety role — where he was able to shine — and use Hooker and Tyrann Mathieu more in coverage.

Every time Mathieu has become a free agent, fans in Dallas start clamoring for the front office to make a move. However, they usually have had a staff that seems to undervalue the safety position as a whole, which has kept them from going after Mathieu.

On top of that, they once claimed he wasn’t a fit in the scheme run by Marinelli — and somehow didn’t realize a scheme that couldn’t use an elite player was the real issue (also see T.J. Watt for another example of how bad things were when Dallas was stuck believing in Rod’s scheme).

Now with Quinn, they might finally understand that All-Pro players can actually make a team better. And for Mathieu, he would be able to join a talented team that’s trending in the right direction.

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