{"id":162155,"date":"2026-03-10T08:33:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T08:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=162155"},"modified":"2026-03-10T08:33:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T08:33:31","slug":"jerry-jones-makes-a-game-changing-move-as-the-finally-fill-a-position-theyve-ignored-for-years-the-surprise-free-agency-splash-has-fans-wondering-if-this-is-the-missing-piece-for-a-champions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=162155","title":{"rendered":"JERRY JONES MAKES A GAME-CHANGING MOVE as the finally fill a position they\u2019ve ignored for years. The surprise free agency splash has fans wondering if this is the missing piece for a championship run. \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Cowboys are on the board!<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_1198,y_215,w_2457,h_1382\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/129\/01kk9ymc1nep81559xda.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The Dallas Cowboys set the stage for the start of\u00a0NFL free agency\u00a0when they traded for Green Bay Packers pass rusher Rashan Gary on Monday morning.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">While Dallas watched from the sidelines in the first hour of the signing frenzy, they are officially on the board, with Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reporting that they\u2019ve\u00a0signed safety Jalen Thompson\u00a0to a three-year, $36 million deal. Thompson\u00a0was a reported target\u00a0for the Cowboys coming out of the NFL Combine, so that smoke was very real.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div_adsconex_banner_responsive_1\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Thompson might not be a household name, but he was a rock-solid starter for the Cardinals, making 89 starts to go with 99 appearances in seven seasons. He is an outstanding and much-needed addition to one of the thinnest safety rooms in the league.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div_adsconex_banner_responsive_2\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><\/div>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The Dallas Cowboys have reportedly signed longtime Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Remember, deals can\u2019t become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday. Barring any last-minute rejection, though, Dallas has found its news starting safety.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div_adsconex_banner_responsive_3\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Coached by the Cowboys\u2019 new cornerbacks coach Ryan Smith in Arizona, Thompson fits like a glove. He lines up all over the secondary, logging 389 snaps at free safety, 320 in the box, and 249 in the slot,\u00a0per PFF, which credits him with just a 5.8 percent missed tackle rate over the last two seasons. That\u2019s fifth-best among safeties during that span.<\/p>\n<div id=\"js_adsconex_parallax_1\" class=\"\" data-type=\"parallax\">\n<div class=\"adsconex-parallax_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"adsconex-parallax_ad-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"adsconex-parallax_ad\" align=\"center\">\n<div id=\"div_adsconex_inpage_1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The Cowboys\u00a0restructured Malik Hooker\u2019s\u00a0deal to free up $2 million in cap space, so he\u2019s not going anywhere. Hooker was circled as a potential cap casualty this offseason, but with veteran Donovan Wilson also hitting free agency, they couldn\u2019t take that chance.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div_adsconex_banner_responsive_4\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Outside of Thompson and Hooker, the other safeties on the roster include Markquese Bell, Alijah Clark, and Zion Childress. Restricted free agent Juanyeh Thomas was not tendered, making him a restricted free agent.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div_adsconex_banner_responsive_5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thespun.com\/.image\/c_fill,g_faces:center\/MjA5OTY0NjQyNTczNzU2MDcz\/screenshot-2024-10-13-at-8-00-38pm.png\" alt=\"Jerry Jones Makes Personal Announcement After Monday Night Loss - The Spun\" \/><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Suffice it to say that safety was a major need, and signing Thompson shouldn\u2019t prevent Dallas from drafting one in April, but let\u2019s not get too far ahead of ourselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cowboys are on the board! The Dallas Cowboys set the stage for the start of\u00a0NFL free agency\u00a0when they traded for Green Bay Packers pass rusher Rashan&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":162185,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-162155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>JERRY JONES MAKES A GAME-CHANGING MOVE as the finally fill a position they\u2019ve ignored for years. 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