League Rumor: Cowboys Among "Interested Parties" For Mario Williams?

There is little doubt that the Texans Mario Williams is at the very top of this year's free agent class. There is also little doubt that the Cowboys are widely viewed as habitual big spenders in free agency - even if that hasn't been the case in recent years, but why let the facts get in the way of a preconceived narrative?

So when you get a story in which the two are put together, it can be hard to figure out whether there is any substance to it. So Dan Pompei from the NationalFootballPost is appropriately cautious when he writes that speculation around the league has it that the Cowboys might be among the interested parties for Mario Williams:

"In the event Mario Williams becomes a free agent, the list of suitors is likely to be a long one. Speculation around the league has it that the Cowboys and Patriots might be among the interested parties. We should point out this is sheer speculation, not necessarily rooted in fact. The Cowboys could use Williams in tandem with DeMarcus Ware in what would be the best pair of pass rushers in the NFL. Problem? Paying Williams more than Ware might not go over well in the locker room."

It doesn't happen often that a player of Williams' caliber and pedigree hits the market as a free agent, and I would expect that the Cowboys, like every other NFL team, would do their due diligence on such a free agent.

But the Cowboys have passed over the names at the top of the free agent lists for a while now in favor of solid mid-tier guys. Coupled with solid, consistent drafting, that actually sound like a pretty good strategy. Unfortunately, it hasn't really worked out that well for the Cowboys so far. So if the Cowboys do eventually end up with Mario Williams, I'd say, "Heck, why not!"

What would you say?