For little over a decade now the Dallas Cowboys have been pretty consistent about how they choose to approach free agency year after year. They’ve chosen to shop from the “bargain bin” for about 11 years
now and haven’t really paid an outside free agent over $6 million annually in that timeframe. This approach to free agency hasn’t netted any positive results and it’s definitely time for a big shift.
As luck would have it, it looks like 2026 will be the year Jerry Jones and Company are finally willing to make some big changes in order to become more productive as an organization. They appear to have already allowed Brian Schottenheimer to run more of the show without their interference as evidenced by the hiring of 34-year-old, first-time defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
The hiring of Christian Parker already bucks the trend of the Cowboys going with a more tried-and-true coordinator with a proven track record, which signals a big shift in mentality and that other changes could be coming this year. The next big change we expect coming in Dallas is how they approach free agency and the players they choose to target because of it.
As we know, the NFL is a copycat league, monkey see monkey do if you will. And, as we also know, Jerry Jones has Super Bowl envy and wants more than anything to add to his Super Bowl trophy collection sooner rather than later before his time on earth comes to an end. That’s probably one of the reasons why he and the rest the Cowboys brass are allowing Brian Schottenheimer more control, but of course it extends beyond that too.
With the Super Bowl LX set between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, this will mark the 30th season the Dallas Cowboys have had to watch the big event from home. As difficult as that is to fathom, this could actually serve as a learning experience for Jerry Jones and Company, and if he’s paying attention, follow the blueprint both of these teams utilized to have a chance to lift the ever elusive Lombardi trophy.
Coincidence or just their roster-building strategy, both the Patriots and Seahawks were among the league leaders in the free agency spending a year ago and now both organizations are vying for the opportunity to be the sole survivor and Super Bowl champion as a result. Both teams were in the Top 5 in the offseason free agent spending (Patriots 1st, Seahawks 4th).
Now, just because being the league leaders in free agency spending ended up working for both the Patriots and Seahawks doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for the Cowboys as well. However, how both of the Super Bowl bound teams were able to turn things around in a short amount of time is a good blueprint for Jerry Jones and Company to follow.
The Seahawks (10-7 in 2024) didn’t necessarily need to turn things around all that much. Still, the money they spent in free agency though is arguably the biggest reason they are now competing in the Super Bowl. Seattle identified their “needs” and went out and signed QB Sam Darnold, WR Cooper Kupp, and DE DeMarcus Lawrence to top of the market deals. All three have been instrumental to the teams success this year.
The Patriots of course had the biggest turnaround. They were 4-13 in 2024 and made some huge changes in the offseason. They replaced their head coach and spent mightily in free agency to help upgrade their roster, signing DT Milton Williams (four-year, $104 million), WR Stefon Diggs (three-year, $63.5 million), and CB Carlton Davis (three-year, $54 million). All aided in the organization’s dramatic turnaround this season.
This is the blueprint the Cowboys should follow in regards to free agency. They don’t necessarily need to go out and blow the budget, but the days of “bargain bin” shopping should come to an immediate halt because it’s painfully obvious it is not working. Instead, Dallas needs to properly identify the free agents who can come in and upgrade things and pay accordingly.
Spending more wisely in free agency on the right players to help upgrade the Cowboys roster isn’t the end all to getting back to the Super Bowl. A lot of other things need to fall into place for that to happen. But, it is the next step Jerry Jones and Company need to make in order to put together a more complete/competitive team to give them their best chance of winning in the future.
