EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The objective permeated throughout conversations before and after Sunday’s season finale loss to the New York Giants. The work didn’t end Sunday; it simply transitioned. And after finishing with a losing record in back-to-back seasons for the first time in over two decades, there’s plenty of work to be done.
Before action comes evaluation. The coaching staff will evaluate the players, the front office will evaluate the coaches, and along the way everyone will likely take a moment to look in the mirror and evaluate themselves.
“You’ve got to go through the process and you have to do the work,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said, “and the work is not easy. Work is tedious. And we’re working just as hard over the next week and into next week, the next 10-12 days to get through all that stuff.”
There are some roster decisions that are easier than others, however. Let’s break down the state of the Cowboys roster on Day 1 of the offseason, including an overall assessment about the state of the franchise.
Cowboys
Quarterback
Free agents: None
Dak Prescott took a lot of pride in this season. He nearly was the passing yards leader for the first time, finishing with 4,552 yards. He had 32 total touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Not bad for someone who missed more than half of last season after hamstring surgery. It’s also why Prescott is confident that next season, with a fully healthy offseason at his disposal, could be even better.
That was the hope when Jerry Jones made Prescott the highest-paid player in the NFL. They believed he was a centerpiece they could build around. As the rest of this roster breakdown will show, they have to be aggressive in doing so — because at 32, this window can’t be wasted.
One note on Joe Milton: We’ll see if the Cowboys bring in a veteran to compete with him for the backup role in training camp. His arm and athleticism are special, though it’s been hard to refine with consistency that’s inherently unavailable to a backup in the NFL.
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Running back
Free agents: Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders
The Cowboys have made their infatuation with Williams known from the moment they signed him. Schottenheimer described himself early on as the president of Williams’ fan club. What transpired throughout this season only emboldened that admiration: from his teammates, coaches and the front office. Both Jerry and Stephen Jones have said they want Williams back after a season in which he set career highs in carries, yards and touchdowns.
Other teams should have interest, too, however. It’s not out of the question that Williams could reach a market value the Cowboys might not be willing to meet.
If the Cowboys let Williams walk, they will be tasked with finding the next version of him. Striking lightning twice won’t be easy.
Malik Davis feels like someone they’d want to bring back, especially with his value on special teams. Sanders feels less likely — especially with Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah set for a full offseason.
Wide receiver
Free agents: George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert
In 2024, it was Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Last year, it was Micah Parsons. Are we destined to have contract drama in 2026 with George Pickens?
Feels like it.
The Cowboys received a staggering return on their investment when it came to Pickens. He was a risk that paid off with career highs in catches, yards and touchdowns. He was one of the best receivers in the NFL — and now, undoubtedly, he wants to be paid like that.
The Cowboys have shown a willingness to draw discussions out. Franchise-tagging Pickens would allow that path to play out. A free walk to free agency, after what Pickens showed alongside Lamb, feels unlikely.
Ryan Flournoy’s development into the team’s unquestioned third receiver was a positive this season. It’s also probably the reason Tolbert, a former third-round pick, has likely played his last down in Dallas.
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Tight end
Free agents: None
This was an interesting year for Jake Ferguson, to say the least. He signed a major extension prior to the season. He was then targeted 100 times, resulting in a career high 81 catches and eight touchdowns. He also had the lowest yards per catch (7.3) and the lowest yards after catch (3.7) in his career. Both were statistics you could feel while watching Ferguson this season.
The Cowboys need more than just a reliable check-down option moving forward.
Second-year tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford’s development was encouraging. He showcased the ability to be a plow in the run game, clearing paths for running backs. There’s optimism about his trajectory.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Cowboys add a tight end in the draft to compete with Luke Schoonmaker, a former second-round pick entering the final year of his rookie deal.
Offensive line
Free agents: Brock Hoffman, T.J. Bass (RFA) Hakeem Adeniji, Robert Jones
The Cowboys may be at a crossroads when it comes to the future of their offensive line. Left tackle is the most important position on offense outside of quarterback. The past two seasons it’s been a major question for them. They drafted Tyler Guyton to be the answer, but he’s only started in 21 games the last two years.
They opened the door to an alternate answer at the end of this season by putting All-Pro guard Tyler Smith at left tackle. While it might not be the best position for Smith, it could, potentially, stabilize what’s been an inconsistent situation on the blind side.
The chain of events, if the Cowboys chose to pursue that option, could be intriguing. They’ll likely consider moving on from Terence Steele, who would generate $8.75 million in cap savings but also $9.375 million in dead money next year if they released him. Guyton could then return to right tackle, where he spent most of his college career. The Cowboys could then re-sign Hoffman and/or Bass and have them compete with another guard option for the starting job on the left side.
Or, the Cowboys could run it back and hope for the best. That feels passively risky.
One note: This does look like a talented tackle draft. Could the Cowboys draft an offensive lineman in the first round again? It wouldn’t be popular, for sure, but it will be intriguing to see if they consider it.
Defensive line
Free agents: Jadeveon Clowney, Dante Fowler, Sam Williams, Payton Turner
Who would’ve thought back in September that we’d be sitting here at the end of the season saying the Cowboys have to bring back Clowney, but also wondering if he played himself out of their price range? Clowney seemingly got better and better this season, finishing the year with 4.5 sacks in his final two games, including a career-high three sacks in the finale.
Clowney said he wants to sign early and actually go to training camp. Depending on the price, that could happen with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys do need some more pass-rushing juice on the edge. Donovan Ezeiruaku showed promise, but surprisingly, he might’ve been a better run defender than pass rusher in his rookie season. The Cowboys could use one of their first-round picks on a pass rusher.
Fowler and Williams disappointed this season, making a return to Dallas feel doubtful.
One interesting situation will be veteran Kenny Clark. The Cowboys have invested heavily in their defensive line. Could they move on from him this offseason and save cap space? An extension or restructure is more likely for a player they really like.
Linebackers
Free agents: Kenneth Murray, Jack Sanborn
This was the most disappointing unit on the team this season. An overhaul is likely. Murray took on the brunt of the criticism externally. The Cowboys defended him often, but it was clearly a struggle for him this season.
Other linebackers weren’t much better. Sanborn struggled in his limited time before he was out for the season. They traded for Logan Wilson at the deadline, but he, too, struggled, making it likely that they could cut him in a cost-cutting move. He has no dead cap on his contract left. Rookie Shemar James had a lot of tackles and a good amount of experience — can he use that to develop this offseason?
All in all, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Cowboys overhaul this position. That could include a high draft pick, as well.
Secondary
Free agents: Donovan Wilson, Corey Ballentine, Juanyeh Thomas (RFA), Josh Butler (ERFA), Reddy Steward (ERFA)
The silver medal for most disappointing unit this season goes to the secondary. In hindsight, the hope that the Cowboys could have a talented trio of Trevon Diggs, Shavon Revel and DaRon Bland was misguided, to say the least. Diggs ended the year in Green Bay after he was waived, Bland ended up on IR with another foot injury, and Revel had a late start to the year due to injury and then had an up-and-down performance once he was on the field.
That trio, for perspective, never played together.
The corners weren’t the only struggle. Donovan Wilson, a free agent, probably played his last game in a Cowboys uniform on Sunday. Hooker has one year left on his deal. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he stayed, even though there is an avenue to cut costs with him.
Overall, the secondary struggled to communicate and make plays in Matt Eberflus’ zone defense. The defense set a franchise record with six interceptions this season — the lowest they’ve ever had.
There might not be a complete overhaul, but there’s plenty of work to be done. Expect the Cowboys to invest multiple draft picks in the secondary, including potentially one of their two first-round picks.
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Special teams
Free agents: Brandon Aubrey (RFA), CB C.J. Goodwin
This unit also took a step back under first-year coordinator Nick Sorensen. Aubrey started 16-for-16, but proved to be human, missing six kicks after that. KaVontae Turpin and the return team struggled to find holes. Turpin also had multiple miscues when it came to fair catches on punts.
Overall, it was a step back, and with a coaching change in Tennessee, could the Cowboys look to bring back coordinator John “Bones” Fassel if he’s available?
Overall
This is a two-faced roster heading into the offseason: talented and powerful on one, severely damaged on the other. Prescott is in his prime and offensively they have the talent to capitalize — especially if they bring Pickens back. Defensively, outside of their interior defensive line, we could see a complete overhaul, including with the coaching staff.
Remember when Jones said before the 2024 season that they were going to have an all-in mentality? This would actually be the year to do it.
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