Armstrong, with 16 sacks for the Dallas defense since the start of the 2022 season, joins former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn — now Washington’s head coach. Armstrong could be a major help for a Commanders pass rush graded by PFF as the league’s seventh worst in 2023. Washington’s 16.8 percent pressure rate ranked 32nd last season and only six teams had fewer sacks than the Commanders. Armstrong should step in as a full time player after playing about half the snaps last season in Dallas.

We don’t know about the specifics of this deal for Armstrong, but the six-year vet has spent his entire career in Dallas and has totaled 16 sacks since 2022. While the sack totals aren’t elite, Armstrong has played on less than 50 percent of the Cowboys defensive snaps over the last two years and has had to compete with sack artist Micah Parsons. Armstrong’s familiarity with the defensive scheme run by head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. should make for a seamless transition to the Commanders.

That's a decent amount of coin for a player with 7.5 career sacks, but five of them came last season and the Cowboys are severely undermanned at defensive end after losing Randy Gregory to the Broncos. They are betting on an ascending player who does not turn 25 until June to take another step forward in 2022. The money is definitely emblematic of some competition on the open market, so that can't be only the Cowboys' assessment. Expect Armstrong's snaps to increase on last year's 507. 

Wideout Malik Turner will make his season debut after opening the year on injured reserve. He'll likely be glued to a special teams role out the gates.