The Dallas Cowboys kicked off their 2020 player movement with a very minor transaction, re-signing backup offensive lineman Adam Redmond. But while this move is easy to ignore, it may speak to what the team is planning to do with fellow free agent Joe Looney.
Redmond has been with Dallas for the last two seasons as a versatile backup at bother center and guard. He was the backup center for most of 2018 while Looney was starting, and was another depth option in 2019 that they kept on the 53-man roster.
Adam didn’t dress for any games last year before a back injury put him on injured reserve in November.
The Cowboys re-signed center Adam Redmond, who qualified as an exclusive rights free agent with fewer than three accrued NFL seasons.
— Rob Phillips (@robphillips3) March 9, 2020
Despite being in the league since 2016, Redmond only has two accrued seasons and thus was set to be an exclusive rights free agent. He didn’t have any choice but to accept what Dallas offered him, which we can be sure was a minimal contract.
Still, after spending two years with Redmond already, the Cowboys are showing they value him enough to give him one of their offseason roster spots. It may also tip their hand a bit about the intention, or lack thereof, to bring Joe Looney back in 2020.
Remember, the Cowboys drafted Connor McGovern in the third round last year. It stands to reason that they want a Day 2 draft pick to at least be a key reserve in his second season, if not challenging for a starting role.
Dallas may trust McGovern enough to let Looney leave in free agency. But it’s smart to have another semi-season option around, and Redmond offers that both with general NFL experience and time with the Cowboys.
So no, this isn’t the big news we’ve been waiting for on guys like Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. In fact, it may be one of the least consequential moves the team makes all offseason.
But still, re-signing Adam Redmond may tell us that the Cowboys are ready to trust Connor McGovern in a key backup role, and will therefore allow a trusted veteran in Joe Looney to look for a richer contract elsewhere.
However small it may be, it’s still one of our earliest ripples in this 2020 offseason.
