Enjoy film rooms? Find more about the Cowboys’ offseason at the end of this post: including immediate roster fixes and players who could benefit from the Mike McCarthy hiring.

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t always been the most active team in free agency. With a new coaching staff in tow, that could all change this year.

A new coaching staff brings new schemes and usually leads to an influx of new talent. This is why it makes no sense to argue about which schemes fit the roster. With the number of Dallas players becoming free agents and the new staff, there is still potential for a lot of personnel turnover.

So while a potential switch to a 3-4 defense (which has been likely defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and defensive line coach Jim Tomsula’s preferred scheme at previous stops) seems difficult now given the personnel (though it really isn’t), a few moves in free agency could make it much more palatable.

This doesn’t mean that Dallas is actually making the switch to a 3-4 base defense — that’s still up in the air as McCarthy finalizes his coaching staff — but it does mean the Cowboys could be more active in free agency in an attempt to fill in the roster in accordance with McCarthy’s team philosophy and schemes.

The fact of the matter is that Dallas is filled with a lot of Jason Garrett’s players who McCarthy had no hand in procuring, you can bet that McCarthy will want to add some new blood into the mix.

With that in mind, let’s take an early look at a few free agents the Cowboys should consider in free agency.

Javon Hargrave, DT

We’ve written about it ad nauseam over the last couple of years, but it deserves to be said yet again: the Cowboys badly need an influx in talent at the nose tackle position. No matter what front the Cowboys play next season, they need someone who can be more impactful between the A-gaps, both against the run and pass.

Enter Javon Hargrave, who has become one of the most disruptive nose tackles in the NFL, as he finished with 60 tackles, seven for loss, and four sacks in 2019.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 305 pounds, Hargrave wins with leverage and lower-body strength to hold his ground at the point of attack. Hargrave processes blocks quickly, which makes it extremely difficult for opposing linemen to create movement in the run game against him.

Javon Hargrave sack vs PIT pic.twitter.com/DSI1p2ZS1a — All22Hype (@All22Hype) January 14, 2020

Hargrave has also developed into one of the better interior pass-rushers in the NFL, finishing 10th among all interior defenders in total pressures with 49 (one above Maliek Collins), and he’s third among defensive tackles who spend a meaningful amount of time at nose tackle (behind Kenny Clark’s 62 and Vita Vea’s 56 total pressures).

Javon Hargrave sack vs CIN. pic.twitter.com/TfCncJ5nJG — All22Hype (@All22Hype) January 14, 2020

Hargrave often uses his quickness to attack a blocker’s edge while using his power to attack through the blocker’s shoulder, which opens the gate and gives him access to the backfield (above clip).

Overall, if controlling the A-gap is the problem, then Hargrave is one of the best available solutions. Not only does he fill a giant need on Dallas’ defense, but he’s also young (turns 27 in early February) and is impactful against the run and pass.

He’d likely cost more than what Dallas has been accustomed to paying a nose tackle, but trust that he’d be worth it.

Adrian Phillips, S

Another year and another offseason spent advocating that the Cowboys should sign free agent safety Adrian Phillips.

Long-time readers should remember Phillips as a name frequently brought up as a potential replacement for Jeff Heath last offseason. Unfortunately, as you can tell, the Cowboys didn’t listen then, but maybe they will now with Nolan running the defense instead of Kris Richard and Rod Marinelli.

With Heath scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, Phillips is the perfect replacement who won’t break the bank. On top of that, Phillips is also one of the best all-around special teamers in the NFL, as evidenced by being named a first-team All-Pro as a special teamer in 2018.

Unfortunately for Phillips, a broken arm limited him to playing in just seven games in 2019, but in limited action, he demonstrated the traits necessary to be a capable starter at strong safety.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, Phillips excels near the box, where he does an excellent job sniffing out runs while also providing good coverage in the short-to-intermediate zones. He’s a reliable tackler who takes good angles in pursuit and understands the value of coming to balance when filling from space.

Phillips excels in zone coverage where he can read the route distribution before matching the receiver in his zone. In a Week 17 loss to the Chiefs, Phillips did an excellent job preventing some deep shots by taking away some of Mahomes’ deep and intermediate throwing windows in zone coverage.

Phillips lacks the quickness and change-of-direction ability to maintain sticky in man coverage against quicker receivers, but he has the requisite straight-line speed to turn and run with receivers on vertical routes downfield.

Phillips would be a fantastic option in free agency. Not only would he provide an upgrade over Heath — both on special teams and defense — but he also won’t break the bank, which gives Dallas more money to fill other needs to re-sign more of their own free agents.

Eric Ebron, TE

If the Cowboys want to give Dak Prescott a high-impact weapon at the tight end position, then look no further than Eric Ebron, who is probably the most talented pass-catcher in this year’s free agent tight end class.

Eric Ebron Van Halen

🤝

might as well jump pic.twitter.com/XlwfWISkb9 — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 18, 2019

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 253 pounds with legitimate 4.6 speed, Ebron is the type of seam-stretching presence that could help the Cowboys offense reach new heights. Ebron moves in a way that most tight ends couldn’t dream of. Even at his size, Ebron performs feats of physical expression, including leaping over defenders (above clip), that can make your jaw drop.

Ebron is a matchup nightmare because he’s simply too fast for most linebackers and too big for defensive backs. He’s especially effective as a “big slot” where he’s a big-play threat down the middle of the defense.

For a team that ranked in the middle of the pack in red-zone efficiency, Ebron could be a boon for the Cowboys near the end zone where his big body and leaping ability make him a tough cover.

Ebron will have bouts where his motor runs cold, which typically happens when he’s forced to block. He isn’t a bad blocker as much as he’s a disinterested one. On top of that, Ebron will also have his fair share of concentration drops: he’s posted at least five in every season outside of his rookie year, per Pro Football Focus.

Moreover, despite scoring 14 TDs in 2018, Ebron wore out his welcome in Indianapolis, leading to the Colts general manager revealing that the team would likely move on from him this offseason. There is cause for concern whenever a team is so quick to jettison a blue-chip talent.

While that may give some pause, the idea of providing Prescott with such a dynamic threat at the tight end position is too much to pass up. The NFL is a matchup league and an Ebron-presence would drive defenses into madness trying to scheme up ways to stop all the weapons on Dallas’ offense.

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