By Alex Al-Kazzaz
Former Minnesota Vikings LB Anthony Barr has agreed to a one-year deal with Dallas. Barr's deal is worth up to $3 million. The Cowboys are currently in Oxnard, California for training camp. Last week, the team signed former TCU wide receiver KaVontae Turpin who was the 2022 USFL MVP. With the Barr signing coming into this time of the off-season, it seems that the Cowboys are making a few precautionary adjustments.
The Vikings drafted Barr 9th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, and Barr played with the Minnesota Vikings until 2021. Barr played collegiate football at the University of California at Los Angeles from 2010 to 2013. He began his career at UCLA as an offensive player until he switched to the linebacker position his junior year.
During his time in Minnesota, Barr was a four-time Pro Bowler, having earned the accolade four consecutive times from 2015 to 2018. In March 2019, it was said that Barr would be leaving Minnesota to sign with the New York Jets, but Barr would reconsider and opt to re-sign with the Vikings.
The addition of an experienced veteran to Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn's respectable defensive scheme is reasonable. Barr appeared in eleven games last season where he registered career-highs in both interceptions (3) and assisted tackles (34). He also finished with 2.5 sacks. Barr played only two games in 2020 after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Week 2.
At this point in Barr's career, it's unclear how much he has left or what opportunities are there for him in the future as a player. If Barr's 2022 season in Dallas goes very well, he'll certainly have opportunities to possibly play elsewhere. If all goes well, it wouldn't be surprising if Dallas tried to convince him to sign a new deal to remain in Dallas. For the time being, whatever happens next for Barr may depend heavily on how his 2022 season goes.