It felt inevitable that the Dallas Cowboys would sign a pass rusher in free agency. They ultimately inked a one-year pact with Dante Fowler Jr., but before that fans were banging the table for Joey Bosa following his Chargers release.

A five-time Pro Bowler, Bosa was viewed as someone who could feast against 1-on-1 matchups created by Micah Parsons. The only drawback? Bosa’s health has really deteriorated over the last three years.

That is ultimately what led to the Chargers moving on and those concerns are already rearing their ugly head in Buffalo, as Bills head coach Sean McDermott revealed on Tuesday that Bosa will be out until at least the start of training camp with a calf injury.

Cowboys dodged a bullet not signing Joey Bosa in free agency

Bosa has had a much more decorated career than Fowler, but Fowler hasn’t missed a single regular-season game the last three years. Bosa, meanwhile, has played 28 of a possible 50 games during that same span.

The 29-year-old has logged just three full seasons in his nine-year career. He last played a full season in 2019.

While Bosa would have been a big addition for Dallas, it felt like an unnecessary risk. The Bills gave him a one-year deal worth $12 million. Fowler will be making less than half of that ($5 million guaranteed) with the Cowboys this year and almost doubled his sack output last year.

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Bosa suffered six different injuries with the Chargers, per CBS Sports. That includes a strained hamstring, a foot sprain, a bone bruise in his foot, two separate concussions and a groin tear.

The former Defensive Rookie of the Year was ailed by a hip injury last season that caused him to miss three games. His 14 appearances were his most since 2021, but he also posted his lowest sack output in any season where he played at least six contests.

While there are still two months until training camp, Bosa’s track record suggests this could be the start of another injury-shortened season.

He made sense for the Cowboys from an X’s and O’s standpoint, but the injury risk was not worth a roll of the dice, especially for a team whose 2024 season was derailed by injuries.