Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones attends the Big 12 football between Texas Tech and Texas, Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. © Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK.
Remember that out-of-nowhere Anthony Barr reunion with the Minnesota Vikings? Well, the Dallas Cowboys’ rumor mill seems to believe it’ll be short-lived.
Barr currently lives on the Vikings’ practice squad, and in theory, any NFL team could steal him if it were willing to add the veteran defender to its active roster.
And according to ex-Cowboys scout Bryan Broaddus, Dallas is entertaining precisely that possibility.
The Cowboys were recently in the free-agent mix for former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard, but Leonard swerved and joined the hated Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. Dallas evidently still needs linebacking depth, so the working theory suggests it could spitefully add Barr from the Vikings as a diet Leonard plan.
“Name I heard was Anthony Barr. Just reporting what I heard,” Broaddus said Monday.
Barr joined the Vikings’ roster three weeks ago when linebacker Jordan Hicks was injured with compartment syndrome. Vikings fans universally applauded the transaction, but right after Barr arrived, Minnesota hit road bumps with back-to-back losses against the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears.
Of course, to end any Cowboys-themed rumors, the Vikings could sign Barr to the active roster, disqualifying any potential Dallas pilfer. But it remains to be seen if they’ll do that.
Another Cowboys podcaster, Bobby Belt, floated the Barr-to-Dallas theory, as well. Belt said on his show about a week and a half ago, “Anthony Barr was recently signed to the Vikings practice squad. And he was actually a practice squad elevation, played in the Vikings game last Sunday after they had been dealing with some injury issues at linebacker themselves. But he is on the practice squad.”
Barr played for the Cowboys in 2022 — hence the Dallas media fascination with a reunion, not unlike the Vikings’ edition last month.
Belt added, “That is somebody who does understand the Cowboys’ defense. Has played within it. I wonder, just myself, if the Cowboys do lose out on Shaquille Leonard and they need to go get another linebacker. They need to go get another body. It would seem that it would make some sense to say, ‘Well, let’s go get a veteran who was also here last year. He’s on a practice squad. He’s in playing shape. Let’s just go make this signing off the practice squad.'”
Barr has played 26 defensive snaps for the Vikings in two games and recovered a fumble versus the aforementioned Bears in Week 12. Losing him would sting a bit, but life would go on. Hicks is eligible to return from injured reserve on Christmas Eve.
In Dallas last year, Barr tallied a 59.7 grade from Pro Football Focus while playing 609 defensive snaps, a considerable amount.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.