Who is Linval Joseph, the defensive tackle Cowboys signed?

There have been rumors of the possibility of the Cowboys adding defensive tackle Linval Joseph all summer and now it looks like it’s finally happening. The former Minnesota Vikings player will be reuniting with Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was the Vikings head coach at that time.

The Cowboys recently added DE Carl Lawson and DT Jordan Phillips, but on Tuesday this week, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he was leaving the door open to potentially add more players to the defensive line. Several reports say that Joseph has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cowboys, but the team has not yet made an official announcement.

Who is Linval Joseph?

Linval Joseph joined the NFL in 2010 and was drafted in the second round by the New York Giants. The 6′4″, 330-pound tackle spent his first four seasons with the Giants and was part of the Super Bowl XLVI team that beat the Patriots in the 2011 season.

Joseph joined the Vikings as a free agent in 2014 and spent six seasons there, all under the coaching of Zimmer. Joseph then spent the last three seasons with three different teams - the Los Angeles Chargers, the Philadelphia Eagles, and most recently the Buffalo Bills during the 2023 season. In his career, he’s had 676 tackles and two Pro Bowl nods.

The Cowboys are really hoping to improve their run defense this season, something Zimmer has been majorly focused on. The additions of Phillips and Lawson were with that in mind. Phillips actually played with Joseph in Buffalo last year, so they’ll be familiar as well. Defensive tackle Mazi Smith has shown improvement since his rookie season last year, but Dallas is looking for more experience and depth to add to the line. Smith and Joseph will play at nose tackle while Phillips and Osa Odighizuwa will be mainly the 3-techs.