Cowboys In Lead For Greg Hardy

7:00pm: Hardy is scheduled to take a physical with the Cowboys in the morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

6:31pm: The Seahawks and Buccaneers are also in on Greg Hardy, but right now, there’s one team clearly in the driver’s seat. The Cowboys are the undisputed favorite to land the free agent defensive end, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). However, he adds (link) that the Bucs will not go quietly.

Hardy is scheduled to have dinner with some Dallas coaches tonight after spending part of day at Valley Ranch, Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com tweets. Meanwhile, Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com hears that negotiations could get underway Tuesday night with the possibility of a deal being reached as early as Wednesday. Hardy’s docket calls for him to stay in the Dallas area through Wednesday and the possible powwow tomorrow morning could include a physical if things get that far, according to Eatman.

The Cowboys have both Jeremy Mincey and DeMarcus Lawrence at defensive end but Hardy would obviously give a major boost to Dallas’ defensive line. If he comes aboard, Eatman writes that Hardy would step in at right defensive end, Lawrence would likely switch to the left side, and Mincey would serve as a roving lineman with occasional defensive tackle duties.

Both the Bucs and Seahawks have denied that they have a formal visit scheduled for Hardy, but their interest has been widely reported. Hardy, who had 15 sacks in 2013 for the Panthers before missing most of the 2014 season, remains on the commissioner’s exempt list as the league completes its review of his case. Hardy remains eligible to sign a new contract, even on the exempt list.

Hardy made the Pro Bowl in 2013 after he compiled a career-high 15 sacks, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him as the second-best overall defensive end in the league. He signed a $13.1MM deal for the 2014 season and wound up playing in just one game for that entire campaign.

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