Cowboys Looking At Julius Peppers, Henry Melton As Replacements For Ware And Hatcher?

Who said the fourth day of free agency would be boring?

Quoting a source, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the Cowboys are among the teams talking with veteran DE Julius Peppers. No visit has been scheduled yet, but the Cowboys could be interested "at the right price".

This news comes hot on the heels of news that fellow former Chicago defensive lineman Henry Melton will also visit the Cowboys, if Melton gets out of Seattle (where he is interviewing today) without a contract.

New Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is obviously familiar with both players from his time in Chicago, and getting the two to Dallas will go a long way towards closing the gap left by the departure of DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher, though at age 34, Julius Peppers would likely be no more than a bridge player.

Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram adds Jared Allen's name to the list of players the Cowboys are looking at to close the holes on their defensive line. Same thing for Allen as for Peppers:

The Cowboys also have interest in defensive ends Julius Peppers and Jared Allen if either of their price tags comes down, according to a source.

The Cowboys have long stated that they intend to use free agency to address needs, as that will allow them to draft purely for talent. Shoring up their defensive line with any of the names above would go a long way towards achieving that goal.