The latest departure, a key linebacker from last season’s roster, now heads back to his hometown team in the NFC North, leaving another hole in the defense. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Jerry Jones promised to be aggressive in free agency, but the Cowboys keep watching their defensive players leave. Over the last 12 months, more than 13 (defense) players have left the roster.

The latest to leave is linebacker Jack Sanborn. The Cowboys signed Sanborn to a one-year, $1.5 million deal last offseason. When this season’s free agency hit, the former Chicago Bears star, who’d come with 60+ tackle seasons in his rookie and 2nd NFL years, had choices to make. On Wednesday (March 18), Sanborn signed a new deal that brought him back to the Bears, leaving Dallas behind.

Sanborn had originally come to Dallas to reunite with then-Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, his former head coach with the Bears. The reunion was supposed to spark something. Instead, the last season saw him go without a sack for the first time in his career. 

Eberflus oversaw a Cowboys defense that finished dead last in the league in points allowed. And Sanborn’s personal season mirrored that misery. 

Sanborn suffered a concussion in Week 5. And when he fought his way back to the field in Week 7, a season-ending groin injury shut him down. He finished with just six games played, five starts, 34 tackles, and one tackle for loss. 

Now Sanborn is going back to where it all began. He grew up in Lake Zurich, Illinois, and the Bears were always home. The hometown linebacker joins a select few who have worn the jersey they once grew up cheering for, much like Foster Moreau did with the New Orleans Saints before his recent exit.

“I love it here in Chicago and being part of what [coach] Ben Johnson and [defensive coordinator] Dennis Allen have been building here and the success that they’ve had,” Sanborn told ChicagoBears.com. “It’s something I couldn’t pass up, and I’m grateful that I’m able to come back here and help in any way I can.” 

Chicago originally signed Sanborn as an undrafted free agent in 2022. And over three seasons, he racked up 164 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and 6 quarterback hits. For Sanborn, the decision was personal. For Jerry Jones and company, it was just another name added to a growing list of defensive losses.

Jerry Jones brings in new faces, but the defense still lacks answers

Since the new league year began, the Cowboys have made moves on both sides of the ledger. On the additions side, Dallas landed outside linebacker Rashan Gary, safety Jalen Thompson, and cornerback Cobie Durant. 

Gary has recorded 271 tackles, 191 blitz snaps, and 175 quarterback pressures across seven seasons. Thompson has compiled 578 tackles, 60 quarterback blitzes, and 11 pressures over the same stretch. Durant, in four seasons, brings 141 tackles, 20 quarterback blitzes, and 6 pressures.

But beyond Gary, none of those signings directly solves the two most critical needs on Dallas’s roster. The Cowboys still do not have a reliable interior linebacker or a proven pass rusher. The team was rumored to be in the market for players such as Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson, but that buzz has died down now, with the latter having gone to the Baltimore Ravens. 

ESPN’s Dallas Cowboys reporter Todd Archer put it plainly, calling middle linebacker the team’s “biggest remaining roster hole” heading into the rest of the offseason.

In fairness, Jerry Jones did try to fix it. The Cowboys pursued Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, and Devin Lloyd in free agency. They struck out on all three. 

Walker and Dean both signed with the Raiders. Lloyd chose the Panthers. Now, according to Archer, Dallas is reportedly searching for a “trade partner for a veteran” at the position. But Jerry Jones promised a splash. So far, his defense keeps depleting.