The Dallas Cowboys’ “all in” 2024 offseason was just the opposite of what owner and general manager Jerry Jones initially promised.
Dallas ended up spending an NFL-low $20.47 million in free agency, per OverTheCap.com, and procrastinated on extending both All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott, which is why Jones’ offseason slogan transformed into “get it done with less.” Having less experienced depth and just less depth in general doesn’t yield positive results in the NFL. That’s why the Cowboys went from having three consecutive 12-win seasons from 2021 to 2023 to going 7-10 in 2024 amid an injury-plagued campaign.
Cowboys executive vice president and COO Stephen Jones took some accountability on behalf of the team’s front office at head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s introductory press conference, saying they needed to “take a long hard look” at their free agency strategy. Following some reflection, the younger Jones declared Dallas will be “selectively aggressive” this offseason.
“We’re going to look at everything we can. We’re going to be selectively aggressive,” Stephen Jones said Monday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Obviously you know there are things in this league, you have certain amount of resources they allow you to have. We’ll look at that. We’re going to try to improve our football team. Not try, we’re going to improve our football, and we expect to have success next year.”
As we get closer and closer to the unofficial kickoff to free agency with the legal tampering window beginning on March 10, let’s take a closer look at the Cowboys and where they stand entering this key period on the calendar.
Cowboys free agency lookahead
Unrestricted free agents: DE DeMarcus Lawrence, LB Eric Kendricks, CB Jourdan Lewis, DT Osa Odighizuwa, RB Rico Dowdle, G/C Brock Hoffman, WR Brandin Cooks, QB Cooper Rush, DE Carl Lawson, WR…
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