One of the biggest NFL stories Tuesday was the Cowboys' release of DeMarcus Ware. One of the best Cowboys ever, their all-time sack leader and a sure-fire Hall of Famer, Ware is obviously at a crossroads in his fantastic career. At this stage of his career, Ware isn't the explosive player he once was and he played through a lot of injuries last season, so he is a tough player to evaluate based off his 2013 tape. However, it's clear that he is on the decline. He has had offseason surgery in each of the past two years and had just six sacks in 2013.
However, even though it may not be in an every-down role, I have no doubt that Ware can still help a contender. He is still best as a 3-4 outside linebacker, but also has proved that he can play with his hand on the ground on every down as a 4-3 defensive end.
Which teams might be interested? Here are four clubs that would be good fits for Ware.
The Falcons have been very aggressive thus far in free agency in addressing their two major needs: big men on both sides of the ball. After they signed Tyson Jackson and Paul Soliai, it is pretty apparent that the Falcons are going to play a lot more 3-4 defense going forward, which is Mike Nolan's preferred scheme. As it stands, the Falcons are deficient at outside linebacker for this scheme change.
Ware would be an outstanding guy to bring in, both for his performance and because he would be the ideal mentor for Khalil Mack or Jadeveon Clowney if the Falcons grabbed either in the first round of the draft, or for a second-round edge rusher if they opted for an offensive tackle or addressed another need area in Round 1. If the Falcons keep this up, they could be an ideal bounce-back candidate next season, after a very down and uncharacteristic 2013 season.
The Broncos got great production out of a player in a similar situation a year ago in Shaun Phillips. I contend that Ware has more left in his tank now than Phillips did a year ago -- which isn't to take anything away from Phillips, who was a pleasant surprise in 2013. Of course, the Broncos are in "win-now" mode while Peyton Manning is still leading the team, so why not add another Hall of Famer to the mix at a position of need?
Denver could still be a prime candidate to use its first-round pick on an edge rusher like Dee Ford, a high-upside rookie who would be the perfect complement to Ware. The rookie could learn from Ware, while Ware would benefit from having a young player come in and spell him to keep him fresher. The Broncos will also be getting back Von Miller, who is going to command the most attention from opposing protection schemes.
Bill Belichick has a great history of bringing proven veterans to New England and taking advantage of what they still do well, as opposed to being hung up on what they can't do anymore. The Patriots will show both odd and even fronts, which fits Ware's present skill set. The Patriots are a contender that will be getting a lot of high-quality players back from injury to make yet another run in the AFC in 2014. They need one more edge pass-rusher to spell Rob Ninkovich, who is a fine player but certainly not elite, and Chandler Jones, who is ascending and could learn a thing or two from Ware. Jones also can slide inside on passing downs, allowing all three to see the field at the same time.
As a divisional foe, the Eagles obviously are very familiar with Ware. Before free agency opened, they did a great job of locking up their own players and really stabilizing the offensive side of the ball, allowing them to concentrate on defense in free agency and the draft. Safety was their biggest remaining need and they quickly locked up Malcolm Jenkins Tuesday. But this team could also use one more edge pass-rusher, and the combination of Ware, Trent Cole, Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham could be lethal. With such depth here, it would also help prolong Ware's and Cole's careers. To me, the Eagles are far and away the best team in the NFC East. Adding Ware would further enforce that.