The Athletic‘s NFL writers recently published an article pegging the best offseason move for each of the 32 teams in the league.

For the Dallas Cowboys, the re-signing of former Clemson safety Jayron Kearse was named the Cowboys’ best offseason move by Jon Machota.

Here’s what he wrote about Kearse, who re-signed with the team in March on a reported two-year deal worth $10 million, with the ability for him to earn as much as $11 million.

The Cowboys didn’t make many significant additions, but keeping Kearse was important. Kearse was Dallas’ leading tackler a year ago and a key piece in the one-year turnaround on defense. It’s also notable because of how little the Cowboys have gotten from the safety position over the past decade. By re-signing Kearse, 28, they kept a valuable playmaker in the prime of his career and brought stability to a position that for too long had been arguably Dallas’ biggest weakness. 

After signing with the Cowboys last spring on a deal worth around $1.1 million (with $137,000 in guarantees), Kearse had a career season in Dallas last year, leading the team with 101 tackles (67 solo) to go with 10 pass breakups and two interceptions.

Kearse — who played with the Detroit Lions in 2020 following four years with the Minnesota Vikings after being drafted by the Vikings in the seventh round (244th overall pick) of the 2016 NFL Draft — could have an even bigger year in his second season with the Cowboys and second in defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s scheme.

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