Cowboys NFL Free Agency: Richard Sherman Vs. Patrick Peterson

For Dallas, there are two veteran cornerbacks who might soon be available once the March free agency shopping window opens. One is Richard Sherman. The other is Patrick Peterson.

FRISCO - The Cowboys have a coming void in the secondary, as it is not difficult to envision Dallas parting ways with its own two free agent corners, Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis. 

To replace them, new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's contribution to the search will be - in his own words, really - to find a Richard Sherman-like corner.

"What you're trying to do is find some of the traits ... You may not find a corner ... like Sherm,'' Quinn said shortly after taking the Dallas job, via the Pro Football Focus NFL Podcast. "But what you can find is like, how important ball skills are ... the ability to stop and plant ... Recall - like, how smart he is.''

In fact, there are two veteran cornerbacks who might soon be available once the March free agency shopping window opens.

One is Richard Sherman.

The other is Patrick Peterson.

Peterson is 30, a perennial Pro Bowler and a three-time first-team All-Pro who is reportedly going to be parting ways with the Arizona Cardinals, in part due to a rate of pay that's been in the $14 million APY range.

Sherman is about to turn 33, has individual credentials to match Peterson, is a vocal admirer of Quinn, having recently said, "I think he's one of the best defensive minds in the game,'' and is free, coming off a contract at $9 mil APY.

Both stars - or, fading stars, if you will - wish to join "contenders.'' There is no way to know yet if that' how they view Dallas, which is coming off a 6-10 season.

READ MORE: Where Do Dak & Cowboys Rank In NFL Top 100 Free Agents?

But this we do know ...

Scouts we talk to have a deep respect for Peterson's accomplishments - including his iron-man status, as he played all 16 games in 2020. But the phrase that pops up is "fallen off a cliff'' -- that is to say, his ability has declined sharply in the last year-plus. (There might be something to wondering if a shift to safety could extend his career.)

Meanwhile, Sherman is unusually long at 6-3, and hasn't really "lot speed'' because "speed'' was never the name of his game. His game is, to use Quinn' words, "ball skills'' and "the ability to stop and plant'' and "smarts.''

Our smart bet: Dallas will not be able to sell itself on a pursuit of Peterson. But the entire building will be taking notes when Dan Quinn brings up Sherman. And when Quinn says that Sherman deserves praise for doing things "that don't necessarily show up on tape or in a measurable (way), but they have unique stuff to them''?

Their chase of a "Richard Sherman type'' might just mean they chase Richard Sherman.

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