Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon is widely considered the top pass rushing option in this offseason’s crop of free agent pass rushers—he’ll also almost certainly be out of the Cowboys’ price range.
But according to the Dallas Morning News, the team has very real interest in another enticing pass rush option in free agency, in the person of former Bucs defensive end Adrian Clayborn, who spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons.
Clayborn started four games for the Falcons in 2015, and finished with 14 tackles and three sacks. Prior to Atlanta he was taken out of Iowa with the 20th overall pick in the 2011 Draft, and posted 13 sacks and three forced fumbles in four seasons—but really closer to two seasons, because he was limited to three games in 2012, and one game in 2014.
Falcons head coach Dan Quinn recently said the team would like to keep Clayborn around, along with fellow free agent-to-be, outside linebacker O’Brien Schofield.
“I do,” Quinn said, via ESPN. “Here are some of the things that stand out for those two guys: relentless competitors, both of them. They embody the attitude that we like.”
Of course, the Cowboys and the other teams who will pursue Clayborn probably like that attitude, too.
