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Dallas Cowboys free agency 2020: Top 5 targets

By Mike Phillips

FRISCO, TEXAS - JANUARY 08: Team owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys talks with the media during a press conference at the Ford Center at The Star on January 08, 2020 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
FRISCO, TEXAS - JANUARY 08: Team owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys talks with the media during a press conference at the Ford Center at The Star on January 08, 2020 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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A.J. Klein, New Orleans Saints
A.J. Klein, New Orleans Saints. (Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. A.J. Klein, ILB

The Dallas defense was pretty good a year ago, but there are still areas on it that could use fortifying. One of those spots is the inside linebacker position, which may not seem logical when you consider the fact that the Cowboys have two talented players capable of manning it in Sean Lee and Leighton Vander Esch.

The problem is that the 33-year-old Lee is a pending free agent, and he has recently indicated he is willing to explore his options in free agency. Add in the fact that Vander Esch missed seven games last season and is playing with a form of spinal stenosis and suddenly the Cowboys are perilously thin at inside linebacker.

Dallas needs to seriously explore adding another linebacker to the mix in free agency, and one of the more intriguing options on the market is A.J. Klein of the New Orleans Saints. Klein has steadily improved his game since joining the Saints in 2017, picking up a combined 137 tackles, 4.5 sacks, three fumbles recoveries, and two interceptions over the past two seasons.

Considering how much money the Cowboys will have to pay to retain Prescott and Cooper, splurging for a top inside linebacker won’t make sense with the salary cap. Klein is a guy who is younger than Lee and should be a steady presence alongside Vander Esch in the middle of the Dallas defense.

This kind of move fits more in line with the second wave of free agency, when teams find values on players who are just about to break out or veterans who are ring chasing. Klein falls into the former category, as does the next guy on our list.

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