Cowboys end their drought by signing Joe Thomas. No, not that one

The Dallas Cowboys ended their free agent drought Wednesday.

Linebacker Joe Thomas agreed to a two-year deal with the Cowboys after meeting with them earlier in the day, ending what has been an inactive free agency so far for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys were the last team to make an addition since free agency began last week.

They tried to lure in wide receiver Sammy Watkins, but he opted to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Cowboys also discussed possibly bringing in safety Earl Thomas, but the Seattle Seahawks' asking price is too steep.

The Thomas signing won't excite the fan base, but he provides depth to the linebacker corps. The Cowboys saw Anthony Hitchens (Chiefs) and Kyle Wilber (Raiders) bolt in free agency, and there are injury and durability concerns with Sean Lee and Jaylon Smith.

Thomas, 26, has spent the past three seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

In addition to sharing a name with a seven-time All-Pro left tackle for the Cleveland Browns who recently retired, Thomas had a brief stint on the Cowboys' practice squad in 2015. He has played in 42 games with eight starts, and has 99 tackles and seven pass breakups in his career.

His best season came in 2016 when he started seven games and was credited with a career-high 77 tackles.

It could be just the start for the Cowboys as the second wave of free agency begins. They hosted several free agents in recent days, including wide receivers Allen Hurns, Deonte Thompson, Dontrelle Inman and Justin Hunter; guards Joe Thomas and Marcus Martin; and tackles Cam Fleming and LaAdrian Phillips.

This story was originally published March 21, 2018 at 8:07 PM with the headline "Cowboys end their drought by signing Joe Thomas. No, not that one."