Bobby Wagner Signs With Rams; Cowboys Content with Jabril Cox and Micah Parsons?

Jones says of Cox: "We really like his upside ... We feel great about him.''

PALM BEACH, Fla. - Bobby Wagner is a top-notch free agent linebacker who this offseason had a brief flirtation with the Dallas Cowboys.

Keanu Neal is a highly-respected guy who last year started at linebacker for the Cowboys.

And yet this week here in Palm Beach at the NFL annual meetings, team COO Stephen Jones spoke of both of those players in the past tense.

And why? Maybe the answer is Jabril Cox.

Cox at the goal line

"We feel great that he’s the right fit for what (coordinator) Dan (Quinn) wants to do defensively,'' Jones said. "Should be a big plus for us this year. He'll probably fill right in where Keanu left off.''

Combine Jones' veiled goodbye to Neal, who played for one year in Dallas after being with Quinn in Atlanta, with Jones' "It just didn't work out'' dismissal of the then still-free Wagner (who has just signed with the Rams), and ...

Yes. Dallas must feel pretty good about Cox.

Dak and Jabril

Cox, the team’s fourth-round pick, was starting to show something in his rookie season before an ACL tear ended his season in Week 8. The Cowboys, who also re-signed Leighton Vander Esch to a one-year deal, envision Cox pairing with first-round choice Micah Parsons as the centerpieces of the linebacking group. Luke Gifford has also been re-signed.

Said Jones: “Some people in the building consider Jayron Kearse a linebacker. So we don’t need as many ‘backers as we used to because we kind of play that hybrid style with our safeties. ... I wouldn’t say it’s a huge priority before the draft.”

Wagner and Quinn

Jones said Cox, 23, is "doing really well'' in his rehab. "We think he’s got great coverage skills. A good offseason with him will be good for him. We really like his upside ... We feel great about him.''

That doesn't mean Cox is Bobby Wagner. There is no guarantee he's Keanu Neal, either. But it means Jabril Cox is being counted on in a way that puts those two established vets in Dallas' rear-view mirror.

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