Cowboys Veteran, Ex First-Round Pick Latest to Bolt for Commanders

Getty The Cowboys are losing LB Dante Fowler to the Commanders.

Another Dallas Cowboys veteran is bolting for the Washington Commanders.

Just hours after the Commanders signed key Cowboys veterans such as defensive end Dorance Armstrong and center Tyler Biadasz, Dallas’ division rival is plucking another one of their players. According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the Commanders are signing pass rusher Dante Fowler.

“Free agent pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. plans to sign with the #Commanders, sources tell @BleacherReport,” wrote Schultz on Tuesday, March 12. “Dan Quinn continues to bolster his defensive line.”

The 29-year-old Fowler had spent the past two seasons with the Cowboys, initially signing as a free agent during the 2022 offseason. The former No. 3 overall pick’s signing meant a reunion with his former head coach with the Atlanta Falcons, Dan Quinn. While playing under Dallas’ then-defensive coordinator, Fowler posted six sacks and 27 tackles in a productive reserve role during the 2022 season.

However, his production saw a major dip in 2023 despite not seeing a major decrease in snaps. He posted just 13 tackles to go along with four sacks this past season. Fowler appeared in 25% of the defensive snaps during the 2023 season compared to the 30% of the defensive snaps he played during the 2022 season.

Since entering the NFL as a high first-round draft pick in 2016, Fowler has shown flashes of greatness — he posted 11.5 sacks with the Los Angeles Rams during the 2019 season — but he’s never really been consistent. He hasn’t started a game since the 2021 season and has posted less than five sacks in five of his eight seasons in the league.

Across stints with the Cowboys, Rams, Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars, Fowler holds career totals of 45 sacks and 240 tackles in 125 games and 40 starts.

Fowler’s signing in Washington means Quinn — the new head coach in Washington — has now poached three of his former players from the Cowboys early on in free agency.

Armstrong — who posted 7.5 sacks this past season and 8.5 sacks during the year before — signed a three-year deal worth a maximum value of $45 million. Meanwhile, Biadasz — who had started over the past three seasons — signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Commanders.