Cowboys did their due diligence with Greg Hardy

Sep 7, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy (76) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys talked to dozens of people before signing Greg Hardy.

Coming into the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys needed to upgrade their pass rush. DeMarcus Lawrence showed potential in 2014, Jeremy Mincey came into his own, and Tyrone Crawford was an absolute menace from the 3-technique defensive tackle position. However, the Cowboys have planned on moving Lawrence to the left end in their Tampa Two 4-3 scheme.

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By signing Greg Hardy, perhaps the best defensive end on the market at the time, the Cowboys did wonders to do their pass rush. However, because of his domestic violence issue, the Cowboys did their due diligence on Hardy and they talked to dozens of people before signing him.

According to CBSSports.com, the Cowboys did their due diligence on Hardy before signing him. Head coach Jason Garrett talked with Carolina Panthers‘ head coach Ron Rivera about Hardy before signing with him.

Here’s what Garrett had to say about the conversation:

"“We just had good discussion with Ron about Greg,” Garrett said. “He talked about everything. I had a real good visit with Ron about Greg. His experience with him. On the field, Off the field. And then how we should try to approach the situation with Greg now that he is on our football team. I got some great wisdom from Ron.”"

If it weren’t for the domestic violence issue, an argument could be made that this signing was the best of the offseason. However, because of the issue, his contract with the Cowboys will be contingent on how many games he plays this year. That being said, if he receives an eight-game suspension from the NFL, the Cowboys actually save some money from that contract. Garrett also talked about the contract:

"“The conditions of the contract were important,” Garrett said. “At any point if we feel like you’re not doing what we want as a player [we can get out of it].”"

Knowing that the money they will give Hardy is contingent on the number of games he plays in Dallas, this contract is basically a win-win for the Cowboys. If he produces, the Cowboys benefit tremendously as they look to make a Super Bowl run in 2015. If he fails, well the Cowboys won’t be paying that much money for him.

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