Cowboys to get look at Jared Allen

Last March, the Dallas Cowboys had veteran defensive end Jared Allen in for a visit but the team was not willing to pay top dollar for a 32-year-old.

The Cowboys get to see Allen on Thursday when they play the Chicago Bears. Allen ended up signing a four-year, $32 million deal with the Bears that voids to three. In the first two years of the deal Allen will earn $15.5 million guaranteed.

Allen has played in 11 games and has 4.5 sacks with two coming against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. His sack total would be second on the Cowboys, behind Henry Melton who has five sacks.

“He’s been one of the best pass-rushers of his generation,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He just has a unique ability to get to the quarterback. He’s unorthodox sometimes in how he does it. He’s just a really productive player and has been wherever he has played. It seems like he’s a guy who somehow, some way, affects the quarterback, makes sacks, makes difference-making plays in the game. For obvious reasons, we were interested in him. And it turned out for whatever reason business-wise, it was a better fit for him to go to Chicago. But certainly have a lot of respect for him.”

The leading sacker among defensive ends on the Cowboys' roster is Jeremy Mincey with three. George Selvie is the only other defensive end on the 53-man roster with two sacks.