Cowboys Lasso Stelers Safety Will Allen

Jerry Jones is a man who knows what he wants and goes out and gets it. When Will Allen traveled out to Dallas the word was that the Cowboys were merely “Window Shopping.”

• Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett apparently liked what they saw.

The Dallas Cowboys became the latest NFL team to poach a member from the Pittsburgh Steelers, this time wresting away Will Allen, who had severed as a back up safety since 2010.

Allen came to the Steelers from Tampa Bay in after the 2009 season, where he’d worked with Mike Tomlin. Allen played little in 2010 and 2011, but started seven games for Pittsburgh in Troy Polamalu’s absence, and was a noticeable upgrade from Ryan Mundy, whom the Steelers lost to the New York Giants.

Will Allen figured to be one free agent the Steelers could keep if they’d wanted him – perhaps they didn’t.

• The loss of Allen is far from critical, but it does rob the Steelers of their only experienced back up at safety. 

Now behind Polamalu and Ryan Clark the Steelers can only count Robert Golden and Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith, who have a total of 21 NFL games between them – the bulk of come from Golden playing special teams.

The Steelers knew they needed to inject youth into the depth chart at safety entering the off season. Allen’s defection to Dallas only reinforces that.

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