Everson Griffen, Minnesota Vikings. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Everson Griffen on the Dallas Cowboys ensures they are a playoff team.
Everson Griffen is still waiting to be signed by a new NFL team.
The four-time Pro Bowl defensive end of the Minnesota Vikings spent the 10 years in the Twin Cities, becoming one of the best players on their defense. Griffen put together a Hall of Very Good career in Minneapolis, but will have to suit up for someone else in his early 30s if he wants to achieve Canton enshrinement. One team that should be all-in on him is the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas may already have a Pro Bowl pass-rusher of its own in DeMarcus Lawrence, but America’s Team still needs make up for losing Robert Quinn to the Chicago Bears in his NFL free agency. That’s not to say Dallas hasn’t added plenty of excellent players to its defensive line. It has in the form of Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe, as well as drafting Bradlee Anae and Neville Gallimore.
However, it feels like the Cowboys are banking heavily on Aldon Smith returning to San Francisco 49ers form half-a-decade after the fact. Though we should hope Smith’s troubled past is firmly behind him, we’ve seen Griffen be a more impactful player on a championship-caliber team considerably more recently in Minnesota. Dallas has its shot to land Griffen this offseason.
Here’s why defensive end Everson Griffen needs to be a Dallas Cowboy, baby!
Again, the Cowboys aren’t looking for a cornerstone pass-rusher right now. At his peak, Griffen certainly was that for the Vikings. However, he is simply overqualified to play off Lawrence, rookie Anae and hopefully Smith in the Dallas pass rush. It’ll be a one-year deal, but the Cowboys have roughly $10.5 million to work with this offseason. It’s not a ton of cash, but it’s enough here.
Not only will it be a one-and-done sort of deal with Griffen in Dallas, but the dollar will go further in a state with no income tax. What is the best part of Griffen potentially joining up with the Cowboys is he will be the catalyst to ensure America’s Team will be in the postseason in 2020. His signing would ensure us Dallas will be without question a top-seven team in the NFC.
Though it remains to be seen if the Cowboys are better than the arch rival Philadelphia Eagles, you can theoretically pencil in Dallas as one of three Wild Card teams in the conference. If Dallas can’t beat out the Eagles for divisional supremacy, they’ll be competing with the likes of the Arizona Cardinals, the Atlanta Falcons and the Chicago Bears for that last wild card spot.
Griffen doesn’t need to have a 10-sack campaign to make a signing with the Cowboys worth while. His persistent pressure will open up opportunities for his potential Dallas teammates to make plays. If Dallas has a top-tier pass rush this fall, the roster just might be good enough to orchestrate a deep postseason run in the NFC. Getting to a conference title bout would be sweet.
If Griffen joins the Cowboys, Dallas will be a lock for the NFC playoffs in 2020.