Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones potentially considering signing Shaquille Leonard

The Dallas Cowboys looked dominant on Thanksgiving in their 45-10 win over the Washington Commanders, but that isn’t stopping owner Jerry Jones from considering making a move that could make their roster even stronger.

According to The Athletic’s Jon Machota, Jones is happy with the team’s linebacker corps, but wouldn’t be opposed to adding former All-Pro linebacker Darius Shaquille Leonard to the mix. Leonard was released by the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday in the midst of his sixth season with the team, now leaving room for the decorated linebacker to potentially have a major impact on whichever team he joins.

Jones is keeping his cards close regarding potentially signing Leonard saying, “I don’t want to imply one way or the other with Leonard.” But there’s no question that having him play beside another former NFL All-Pro like Micah Parsons and the new single-season record holder for interceptions returned for touchdowns in DaRon Bland would take Dallas’ already elite defense to another level.

Leonard has humble beginnings, playing his college football at South Carolina State, but that didn’t stop the Colts from selecting him with the No. 36 overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In his rookie season Leonard led the entire NFL in tackles with a career-high 163 tackles adding seven sacks, two interceptions, and four forced fumbles to his stat line.

He’d go on to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2018 and earn First-Team All-Pro honors, which he’d go on to achieve two more times in his career along with a Second-Team selection and three Pro Bowl appearances.

Leonard was waived following frustrations with the team regarding his playing time, with Pro Football Reference revealing that he only played in 70% of the team’s defensive snaps when active this season. This year for Indianapolis he recorded 65 tackles in his nine-game appearances.

“Indy, I want to thank you for accepting me and my family with open arms,” Leonard wrote in his farewell message. “These past six years has been nothing but incredible! Through the good times and bad time y’all stood by my side. I apologize for not bringing that trophy back to the 317. The energy at Lucas Oil has been nothing but amazing and I thank you for every memory. I’m thankful to play for such an amazing fan base. I love you guys and wish the Colts nothing but the best!” 

The possibility of Leonard joining America’s Team is definitely exciting, but one that NFL insider Tom Pelissero believes is unlikely. According to Pelissero, Leonard making a $15.7 million guaranteed base salary and about $6.1M for the rest of this season with another $6.5M guaranteed for injury in 2024 makes the possibility of him being claimed unlikely, anticipating he’ll clear and become a free agent.