Might Cowboys Be Interested in Ray Lewis This Offseason?

This is probably a discussion for another time given that the Ravens and Cowboys are playing the biggest game of their respective seasons in less than three hours, but, well, it doesn't hurt to bring it up now, I suppose.

NFL.com's Adam Schefter raises an interesting off-season possibility should linebacker Ray Lewis not end up re-signing with Baltimore, the team that drafted him in 1996: Dallas owner Jerry Jones could be very interested in his services.

Lewis and the Cowboys could be a perfect match. For starters, Lewis could be the forceful leader the Cowboys have lacked this season. Dallas could use help at the position. The Cowboys are opening a new stadium and would love another drawing card as powerful as Lewis. And Dallas is usually appealing to players around the league.

It's worth pointing out that Lewis will be 34 when the 2009 season begins. And while he continues to make the annual, all-expenses-paid trek to Hawaii every February, that doesn't mean his skills haven't diminished in recent seasons. That said, he's still one of the league's best linebackers, and what he's lost in physical ability he's more than made up for in his mental approach to the game.

The Cowboys' defense has been playing at a pretty high level in recent weeks, and both Zach Thomas and Bradie James have been solid contributors. But anytime you have an opportunity to add someone of Lewis' talents (not to mention his locker room presence) you almost have to do it.

And unlike Terrell Owens and Pacman Jones, Lewis isn't in the business of dividing a team or (recently, anyhow) spending much of his time away from work in the back of a patrol car. Of course, the Ravens still have a couple months to re-sign Lewis (there's even talk of franchising him which, frankly, seems like a stretch), so the Cowboys may not get a chance to subject their fans to that insane pregame Ray-Ray dance.