The Dallas Cowboys have 22 players with expiring contracts this offseason. They will have to make some tough decisions about who they will try to retain and who they will let walk. Some of the toughest
decisions may come from their Restricted Free Agents (RFAs).
A RFA is a player who has completed three accrued seasons and has an expiring contract. They are free to negotiate and sign with any team, but the original team can extend a qualifying offer, also known as a draft tender. Each tender has a predetermined cost that is depending on which one is used.
Cowboys 2026 restricted free agents
- K Brandon Aubrey
- OL Brock Hoffman
- OL T.J. Bass
- RB Malik Davis
- S Juanyeh Thomas
A case could be made that the Cowboys would likely want to retain all five players listed above. Each one has been a solid contributor when called upon, however, only Brandon Aubrey is probably the only one worthy of a multi-year deal with the Cowboys. The rest they will have to decide who they want to try and keep and who they are willing to let walk. To retain any one of them could be costly though.
2026 projected RFAs tenders
- First round – $7,893,000
- Second round – $5,658,000
- Right to first refusal – $3,453,000
Based on these projected numbers, we can probably rule out the majority of the Cowboys RFAs receiving one of these tenders. The way Brock Hoffman proved he’s a capable starter this year, he may have played himself out of the Cowboys price range. T.J. Bass has been a reliable backup that they’d probably like to keep around, however, whether that happens or not depends on his market value. And as far as Malik Davis and Juanyeh Thomas are concerned, it’s too costly to retain them using a tender.
As you can see, the Cowboys will have to make some tough decisions about their RFAs. All of them have proven reliable contributors when called upon, but in the end it all comes down to money and the cost it will take to retain them.
