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Report: Dallas Cowboys sign safety PJ Locke to one-year, $5 million deal

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh03/10/26griffin_mcveigh

According to Jordan Schultz, the Dallas Cowboys have signed safety P.J. Locke to a one-year deal. Locke will earn $5 million during his time in Dallas after leaving the Denver Broncos. It’s another addition for the Cowboys that has the fingerprints of new defensive coordinator Christian Parker all over it.

“Sources: The #Cowboys are signing former #Broncos S PJ Locke to a 1 year $5M deal,” Schultz said via X. “He’s reunited with Christian Parker, the new Cowboys DC who previously served as Denver’s DBs coach. Locke has been a key contributor in Denver since 2019 — amassing 174 tackles, 4 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 11 pass deflections and 2 INTs.”

Locke spent his playing days in Austin with the Texas Longhorns. A nice four-year stint on the 40 Acres, unfortunately, did not bring much when it came to the NFL Draft. No team selected Locke in 2019, leaving him to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Locke did not make the team when cuts were being made.

Denver stepped in and signed Locke to the practice squad in December 2019. That’s where his NFL career really began, getting some actual playing time. Schultz laid out the numbers for Locke while with the Broncos in his report. Some work as a member of the special teams unit presented itself too, mainly during the early portion of his tenure.

The Cowboys knew they needed to be aggressive this offseason in free agency. Bringing somebody in like Parker meant certain players were needed to match the scheme. Looking at who Dallas has signed or been linked to, familiarity is one of the constants. Locke is just the latest, looking to carve a nice role for himself in his home state.

Dallas continues to invest in the safety position with P.J. Locke

Locke is the second safety the Cowboys have signed over the past 48 hours. Jalen Thompson is heading to Dallas on a three-year deal, worth $36 million. It’s a loss for the Arizona Cardinals in the secondary.

Thompson, a 2019 Supplemental draft selection out of Washington State, started nine games as a rookie and became a full-time starter the following season. He played in 99 games for the Cardinals, compiling 578 tackles (397 solo), 14 tackles for loss, nine interceptions and 37 PBUs. Pro Football Focus graded Thompson 34th out of 97 safeties in 2025.

On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this report