$6 Million 'Budget Sack Artist' Could Be Key for Cowboys Defense

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Washington Commanders edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. in 2024.

When edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 and 2023, he outplayed the $6 million he made over 2 seasons by playing in 34 consecutive regular season games and racking up 10.0 sacks without making a single start.

In 2024, Fowler outplayed his 1-year, $3.25 million contract with the Washington Commanders by leading the team with 10.5 sacks and helping guide his team to the NFC Championship Game.

Fowler is now back with the Cowboys for a second stint — this time on a 1-year, $6 million contract and will be a full-time starter in Dallas for the first time. It should force teams to not focus all their attention on stopping NFL All-Pro Micah Parsons, who has yet to play opposite a player with double digit sacks through his first 4 seasons.

It might end up being the key to the Cowboys’ bouncing back from a 7-10 record in 2024 after going 12-5 in 3 consecutive seasons — including the 2 years with Fowler.

““Commanders pass-rusher Dante Fowler Jr. figures to be one of the more underrated free agents this offseason,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote before NFL free agency began. “ … Fowler was extremely productive in his latest stop, finishing the 2024 season with 10.5 sacks and 20 quarterback pressures. Teams looking for a budget sack artist this offseason should have Fowler atop their lists.”

Commanders Could Regret Losing Fowler

The Commanders were not only unable to bring back Fowler for 2025 — they elected to not draft an edge rusher with any of their five picks in the 2025 NFL draft.

“I’m a little confused by not taking any edge rushers,” Barstool Sports’ PFT Commentator and Commanders superfan said on “Pardon My Take” on April 28. “That’s a position we really need and there’s nobody there right now, pretty much.”

Seeing Fowler go to an NFC East rival in Dallas and have another big year would be a tough pill to swallow for head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters.

“One of the former Cowboys that Quinn lured over from Dallas, the 30-year-old has been impactful as a rotational edge-rusher this season,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote on November 27. “The Commanders should be looking to get younger on the edge, but Quinn knows what he has in Fowler. Extending an offer before Fowler hits the open market again would be sensible.”

Fowler In Midst of Career Renaissance

The last 3 seasons have represented a career renaissance for Fowler, who was the No 3 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2015 NFL draft but tore his ACL on the first day of minicamp his rookie season.

In Jacksonville, Fowler was illegally fined $700,000 by former head of football operations and 2-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Tom Coughlin for missing team scheduled rehab and doctor’s appointments — a voluntary activity Fowler was not required to attend. That incident led to Coughlin’s firing.

The Jaguars traded Fowler to the Los Angeles Rams midway through the 2018 season. He played his way into a 1-year, $12 million contract with the Rams in 2019 and a 3-year, $45 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.

Following the 2025 season, Fowler will have approximately $74 million in career earnings.

Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame