National Football League

Does Greg Hardy solve Cowboys pass rush needs?

Published Mar. 22, 2015 1:37 p.m. ET

foxsports

By John Westenberger

The Dallas Cowboys, in somewhat of a shocking move, signed controversial defensive end Greg Hardy to a one-year deal that could be worth over 13 million dollars with incentives. From an X’s and O’s standpoint, Hardy could not be a more perfect fit for the team. However, head coach Jason Garrett’s liking for the “right kind of guy” to build his team around made many think that Hardy would never be a Cowboy. Nonetheless, the impact pass rusher is now in Dallas and opens up their draft board. However, it would be silly to discount the Cowboys taking a defensive end with the 27th overall pick in the first round.

One-Year Deals

While Hardy will only be 27 years old as he potentially re-enters free agency again next year, he is only on a one year deal for now in a bit of a probationary period from his domestic violence allegations. If not for the off-field troubles, Hardy would likely have signed a massive, Robert Quinn-like deal already. However, his special circumstances allowed the Cowboys to be in on the pass rushing savant.

It will be interesting if Hardy has the type of season that will price him out of Dallas’ market in a possible extension. But those days are way out of sight for now. At this point, the Cowboys only have Hardy’s services as well as defensive end Jeremy Mincey’s for one year, which still make defensive end a position worth looking at.

The Cowboys would simply be silly to think of Hardy as a long-term solution at this point. He still has an impending suspension hanging over his head, as some have speculated he will be missing at the least the first four games of 2015. Beyond that, the former Panther will have played one game in the last 19 months by the time his possible suspension is up. While his young age and athleticism would suggest that he should pick it all back up quickly, there are no guarantees that he comes back the same player. If the Cowboys deem a pass rusher fit for the 27th pick, the Hardy signing should do nothing to stop them from taking that player.

Positional Needs

The good and bad thing about drafting so late in the first round is that the Cowboys will truly be at the mercy of what the other teams in front of them do. Thus far, Dallas has done a good job of eliminating some glaring needs in free agency by bringing Hardy and Darren McFadden in to partially replace the void left by DeMarco Murray. The cornerback position looks thin, and will definitely be a factor in the 27th pick. However, the Cowboys have done a very good job at allowing themselves to take the “best player available” with their first pick.

There is still plenty of time left in the process, but a slimmed down look at potential positions the team could look at could be cornerback, pass rusher, and running back. However, the draft board could push them towards taking a linebacker or defensive tackle. It will likely be either Georgia running back Todd Gurley or defense at 27 for the Cowboys. The team believes that Gurley is the best back in the class, and that if his knee checks out, he is a worthy pick for the team. Whether he lasts that long is another story.

What the Greg Hardy signing has done for Dallas, is simply eliminate any glaring need the team has to add a pass rusher. The Cowboys are no longer forced to key into that one position and possibly reach for a player. However, if the right situation presents itself on draft night, the team would be wise to make that move as Hardy guarantees nothing for this year or any future years.

More from isportsweb.com: