Cowboys free agent Dante Fowler signs new contract

Former first-round draft pick Dante Fowler is staying with the Dallas Cowboys for the 2023 season after hitting the free agent market this week. The defensive end out of Florida is signing a one-year deal, according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, following a successful first year in Dallas.

After joining the Dallas Cowboys last offseason on a one-year, $3 million deal, he had 27 tackles, six sacks, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles in 17 games. He also added an additional tackle during the two playoff games.

Fowler was the third-overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He tore his ACL during minicamps and missed his entire rookie year. However, he came back to play consistently the two seasons after that. He had eight sacks in 2017.

His best year was in 2019 with the Rams. He had a career-high 11.5 sacks and then signed a 3-year, $45 million deal with the Falcons where Dan Campbell was his coach. He started six games the year before the Falcons released him.

Fowler is the fourth player to ink with the Cowboys on Tuesday. Dallas re-signed restricted free agent running back Rico Dowdle for the 2023 season on a one-year deal. They also added offensive lineman Chuma Edoga who played for the Falcons in 2022 and running back Ronald Jones who is fresh off of a Super Bowl win with the Chiefs.

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.