Cowboys working to secure veteran defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins for 2023

The Dallas Cowboys have been far from idle during the first week of free agency. They’ve locked up seven of their own free agents, restructured several deals that cleared roughly $61 million in cap space and added four new faces (so far) for 2023.

Up next on the to-do list for the Cowboys is securing veteran defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.

Hankins joined Dallas in October in a trade that sent the Cowboys’ 2023 sixth-round pick to the Raiders, and a 2024 seventh-round pick back to Dallas.

The 10-year veteran out of Ohio State came in to bolster the Cowboys’ already stout defensive line group. He played in several games, then tore a pectoral muscle, and made his return in time for the playoffs. He finished the year with five postseason tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss, as well as 10 tackles in five regular season games.

Hankins had a base salary of $684,444 for the 2022 season with the Cowboys. His previous deal with the Raiders was for one year, $1.33 million, down from his one-year, $3.5 million deal made the year before.

Prior to joining Dallas for the end of the season, Hankins had 10 tackles in five games for the Raiders. In 10 seasons with the Giants, Colts, and Raiders, he had a combined 366 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 47 QB hits, and 14.5 sacks.

After a successful career at Ohio State, Hankins went No. 49 overall in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft to the Giants.

More on the 2023 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2023 calendar year began at 4 p.m. ET on March 15. At that time, contracts running through 2022 officially ran out, making those players free agents.

Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams had a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 7. The Cowboys used their franchise tag this year on Tony Pollard.

The legal negotiation period spanned from March 13 through March 15. The new year marked the beginning of all trades going official per the league office. April 21 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 26, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits.

There were 722 players due to hit free agency in 2023, including 20 unrestricted free agents for Dallas. Follow all the Cowboys free agency news with the offseason tracker.