Report: Cowboys sign first-round pick Morris Claiborne to four-year, $16.26M deal

Dallas hopes Claiborne and Carr are difference-makers. (US Presswire)

The Dallas Cowboys weren't messing around with their secondary this offseason. They signed Brandon Carr in free agency and drafted Morris Claiborne in the first round. All told, it looks like they'll have spent about $66 million on their cornerbacks, as Claiborne reportedly signed with the team on Monday.

That's according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who reports that Dallas has signed the cornerback to a four-year deal worth $16.26 million, with no offset language. According to Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com, the deal also includes a $10.3 million signing bonus.

Claiborne is the third first-round pick to sign his deal on Monday, along with the Steelers David DeCastro and the Lions Riley Reiff.

The cornerback agreeing to a deal means there are just four top-10 picks from the first round -- Trent Richardson of the Browns, Matt Kalil of the Vikings, Justin Blackmon of the Jaguars and Ryan Tannehill of the Dolphins -- who are unsigned.

It also means Dallas can go ahead and start getting hyped for the 2012 season. They struggled badly last year in coverage. The addition of Claiborne and Carr means the team believes they are playoff-worthy.

With the rumors that Mike Jenkins will show up to camp as well, Dallas biggest weakness in 2011 suddenly looks like a strength heading into 2012.

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