Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn could soon be reuniting with another one of his former players from his time as head coach in Atlanta.
The Cowboys have brought veteran defensive end Takk McKinley to town for a visit.
“Obviously, we have him here for a reason,” Cowboys executive Stephen Jones said, via the team’s official website. “We’re very interested in him.”
A first-round pick in 2017 out of UCLA, McKinley exited the board at No. 26. The Cowboys took defensive end Taco Charlton with the very next selection.
“We had him in for [a pre-draft visit], loved him coming out,” Jones said of McKinley. "[Former Cowboys defensive coordinator] Rod [Marinelli] was a huge fan, and we were too, of the way he plays the game -- play temperament, play style. And then of course the obvious, Dan coached him. We’ve got a lot of inside knowledge there, too. You can’t have enough guys who can rush the passer.”
McKinley spent 2017 through 2019 with the Falcons. He was released after the trade deadline in 2020, and he signed with the Raiders. Last year, McKinley played for the Browns.
A torn Achilles tendon suffered in December delayed the effort to continue his career.
In 60 regular-season games, with 27 start, McKinley has 20 career sacks. He had 2.5 with the Browns in 11 games last year.
The Cowboys lost Randy Gregory to the Broncos in free agency. They have Demarcus Lawrence, Dorrance Armstrong, Sam William, Chauncey Golston, and Dante Fowler, among others. Linebacker Micah Parsons also could spend time lining up as a pass rusher, a role at which he excelled as a rookie in 2021.