Todd Archer
FRISCO, Texas – Free agency signing for the first day was permitted on Wednesday, and the Dallas Cowboys resorted to deals on previous first-round picks to bolster their defense.
The Cowboys acquired linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. and acquired the seventh pick from the Tennessee Titans with the sixth pick.
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Murray, 26, was the Los Angeles Chargers’ first round pick in 2020, and five years later he was praised for his 416 tackles and 8.5 sacks. His best tackle season came in 2023 with the Chargers, where he had a 107. He had a career-high 3.5 sacks for the Titans last season.
He is expected to earn $5.99 million in base salary this year, due to a $1 million roster bonus on Sunday.
For the Cowboys, Murray, who played for Oklahoma, made one of 30 national visits before the 2020 draft. Dallas has also agreed to a one-year deal with linebacker Jack Sanborn, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. He played three seasons for new defensive coordinator Matt Evals.
The Cowboys had seen long rehabilitation after tore multiple ligaments in his knee late last season and needed the help of DeMalvion’s Overshawn linebacker. Last year’s major tackle, Eric Kendricks, is currently a free agent. Dallas also has contracts with Marist Leufau and Damonet Clark.
When Trevon Diggs rehabilitates his left knee, which was performed in January from a cartilage tissue implant surgery and faces an uncertain return to the field, Elam will help fill in the opposite location of Daron Bland.
Elam, a first-round pick by the Bills in 2022, has two intercepts in his career, but has not recorded one since his rookie season, and he has been healthy inactive for the game. However, the Cowboys have a history of taking high chances for draft picks with other teams, and hope that changes in the landscape will improve their level of play.
Sources said Dallas was in discussion with Baltimore Ravens free agent cornerback Brandon Stevens during the exclusive negotiations.
The Cowboys may not finish looking for cornerback help. In a three-year, $30 million deal, he lost Jolldan Lewis to the Jacksonville Jaguars, guaranteeing $20 million.
Diggs have been limited to 13 games in the last two seasons due to injuries. Before the 2024 season ended with an unrelated issue with the same knee, he missed everything except two games in 2023 due to an ACL torn to his left knee.
The latest surgical rehabilitation could make Diggs, who signed a five-year extension in 2023, not miss out on some regular season games.
In addition to Brand and Elam, Dallas has Andrew Booth, Kemon Hall and Karen Carson, the fifth pick in 2024, returning from shoulder surgery at cornerback.
Elam, 24, is the final year of his rookie contract.
