It appears to some that the Cowboys' signing of Rashan Gary is a head-scratching move. Let's take another look.
The Dallas Cowboys' signing of Rashan Gary has been met with different opinions.
Some think it was a little odd that the franchise traded away a pick for a player Green Bay was likely to cut, especially given Gary's salary for 2025, which has now been cut significantly.
Others think that he is a good fit for Christian Parker's scheme in a way Osa Odighizuwa wasn't, hence the trade of Osa to the San Francisco 49ers.
Still, with young pass-rushers out there, the Cowboys chose to go with a veteran who has question marks on him.
He posted 7.5. sacks last season, but they all came in the first seven games, and he didn't record a sack for the rest of the year.
Dallas believes the talent is there, although some folks in Green Bay and in Bristol disagree.
And it appears ESPN's Ben Solak does as well, naming the move for Gary a head-scratching one for Dallas.
“The Cowboys trading for edge rusher Rashan Gary,” Solak wrote. “A fourth-round pick for Gary's deal, which will average out at a $19.5 million cap hit over the next two seasons.
“Was that really necessary when Boye Mafe and Bradley Chubb signed close to that amount?''
The big thing here is the money.
And that's the big thing ESPN is wrong about, says our Cowboys insider Mike Fisher.
With the Cowboys restructuring Gary's contract, per Over The Cap, his cap hit for 2026 is now just $5.4 million.
That's cheaper than both Mayfe and Chubb in 2026. So that would likely play into Dallas' decision.
Fisher was the first to mention Greenard as a potential option as well, and Dallas might still go after another player or two before the draft.
But back to Gary's money ...
Says Fish: "The sneaky Cowboys negotiated his deal to give him some guaranteed money in exchange for him reducing his $41 million owed down to $32 million owed. So the ESPN criticisms are off by $10 million. … and Dallas gets 14.1 million in cap savings for 2026.
"Go ahead and hate on the Cowboys for this trade. But at least let’s get the facts straight when we do so.”
In this end, it is clear this is Parker's pick. And he believes Rashan will fit his scheme and be a key piece for the defense. And if the new coordinator is right? The money will become even less of an object.