The Cowboys bolstered their defensive front from outside the organization earlier this week when they added Greg Hardy, but they also will look to a holdover to continue his work. Nick Hayden agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Cowboys, Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Terms of the deal are not known, but they won’t be anything extravagant.
An unrestricted free agent, Hayden started at defensive tackle in all 16 games for the Cowboys the past two seasons, stabilizing his career after part-time starting responsibilities with the Panthers and Bengals the previous three years. Pro Football Focus, however, graded Hayden as the worst defensive tackle among 81 regulars at the position last season (subscription required) and second-worst in 2013, illustrating what kind of shape the Cowboys’ interior might be in after Henry Melton‘s exit.
A greater need opened up for the 29-year-old Hayden’s workmanlike services once Dallas jettisoned Melton. The cap-drained Cowboys are also likely to lose George Selvie and Anthony Spencer.