The Cowboys have 22 players designated as free agents for the upcoming offseason. Today, we’re going to rank all 22 in terms of their importance to the team for being re-signed or replaced. Among these players, who should be Dallas’ top concerns?
There are multiple factors that contribute to these rankings. The biggest, of course, is how well a player has performed and is projected to in the future. But along with that, how badly is the team hurt if they depart? Is there another guy waiting in the wings
who can probably maintain that performance level, or at least partially fill the void?
#22 – CB Corey Ballentine (UFA)
If you’re not sure who this guy is, don’t feel bad. He was added to the practice squad in late September and was called up for five games, primarily for special teams. Turning 30 in April, Ballentine is the least of Dallas’ offseason concerns.
#21 – RB Miles Sanders (UFA)
The veteran probably only stuck around because Jaydon Blue didn’t impress early, and then went out in October with a knee injury. He wasn’t very impressive at any point and now, turning 29 this spring, has no perceivable value given Dallas’ younger RB prospects.
#20 – ST C.J. Goodwin (UFA)
It’s time for the annual mistake of discounting what Goodwin means to the team. He turns 36 next week, so it seems more likely than ever that Dallas will finally find a younger guy to play gunner on return coverage. But Goodwin survived the change in special teams coordinator from John Fassel to Nick Sorensen, so he could easily return again. But given his niche role, it’s hardly a priority.
#19 – LB Jack Sanborn (UFA)
Brought in as an “Eberflus guy” to help our former defensive coordinator install his scheme, Sanborn looked uncomfortable and unathletic before finally going out with a groin injury after six games. With Matt Eberflus now gone, Sanborn’s best asset went out the door with him. And based on last year’s performance, it may have been his only one.
#18 – LB Kenneth Murray (UFA)
The other veteran added to help upgrade the linebacker corps, Murray was a borderline disaster. Dallas found out why Tennessee only needed a sixth-round pick for him, as Murray was a constant liability in the middle of the field. Unless Christian Parker thinks he can work some magic with this former first-round pick, there’s little reason to think Murray will return.
#17 – DE Payton Turner (UFA)
Another former first-rounder, Turner was one of Dallas’ latest attempts to find value in another team’s castoff. He had a quiet training camp and then spent the year on IR with a rib injury. With more 3-4 looks expected under Parker, Turner may be less appealing now than in the previous scheme. At least, unlike Murray and Sanborn, he didn’t put a bunch of negative stuff on tape. Maybe they give him another chance.
#16 – G Rob Jones (UFA)
Signed for experienced depth and a potential starting option, Jones never really got to compete as a neck injury took him out in early August. Thankfully, Tyler Booker was more than adequate in his rookie season. Jones could still get another shot, though, as other interior depth guys like Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass are also free agents and could have stronger markets. If Dallas considers shaking things up at tackle, particularly if Tyler Smith is involved, they may want Jones back as an insurance policy.
#15 – OT Hakeem Adeniji (UFA)
The veteran provided some much-needed depth at offensive tackle this year. While he doesn’t have Jones’ résumé or experience, he could be more valuable in 2026 if Dallas makes moves at the position. If Terence Steele becomes a cap casualty, Adeniji could be brought back as an inexpensive body with legitimate potential to make the roster again.
#14 – RB Malik Davis (RFA)
Davis was a fun story when he got playing time in 2025, ripping off a huge run in Dallas’ Thanksgiving win over Kansas City and leading the backfield on Christmas against Washington. Maybe the Cowboys should just call him up for holiday games? Jokes aside, Davis has always shown he can be an effective ball carrier, but has never been able to stick to the roster with limited value in other parts of his game. Even if Dallas isn’t re-signing Javonte Williams, Davis is still a low-priority backup at best.
#13 – DE Sam Williams (UFA)
If Williams could make defensive plays the way he does on special teams, he might be at a very different point in his career. But alas, the former second-round pick has reached the end of his rookie deal without a great case for returning. With immaturity off the field, and even some on it with reckless penalties, Williams has never delivered on his potential. Still, if he doesn’t find love in free agency, he could get an inexpensive deal to return for depth and special teams work.
#12 – G T.J. Bass (RFA)
After three years of providing solid interior depth, Bass will be a restricted free agent. His return isn’t a slam dunk: Dallas would have to spend a projected $3.5 million just to keep him on the first-refusal tender. Bass has been able to play enough, 10 starts since 2023, that he could be another team’s radar. The Cowboys aren’t going to overpay for an assured backup on their roster, so they may lose him to the open market.
#11 – DE Dante Fowler (UFA)
Fowler’s return to Dallas didn’t go as hoped. Despite playing in all 17 games, he only had three sacks and lost ground in the pass-rushing rotation to Jadeveon Clowney and James Houston. Set to turn 32 in August, Fowler will likely be allowed to test the FA waters. If he doesn’t find a new home, the Cowboys may bring him back on the cheap for depth and veteran leadership.
#9 – CB Reddy Steward & Josh Butler (ERFAs)
Unlike most Eberflus guys, Steward was a positive contributor as Dallas’ nickel corner for parts of the year. He deserves a chance to compete in the offseason and show the new staff what he can do. As for Butler, after a lost year due to a 2024 ACL injury, he hopes to get back into the mix of intriguing DB prospects. Both will be easy to retain as exclusive rights free agents, meaning the Cowboys only have to offer them minimal deals. And both could be needed as the entire secondary is under review.
#8 – WR Jalen Tolbert (UFA)
This may seem high for Tolbert after losing his job to Ryan Flournoy, but WR4 is no trivial position. With your third receiver being a pseudo starter in the modern NFL, the fourth guy is one injury away from playing major snaps. Without Tolbert, Dallas may be lacking there as Jonathan Mingo’s never shown anything and KaVontae Turpin hasn’t been reliable enough. Assuming Tolbert’s gone, the Cowboys should be in the market for a talented addition to their WR depth.
#7 – C Brock Hoffman (RFA)
Hoffman has been an exceptional backup center and occasional guard, and that versatility enhances his value. Like T.J. Bass, Hoffman has had enough playing time that other teams could be looking his way. But given that he can cover two spots, the Cowboys may be more inclined to open their wallets to keep him.
#5 – S Donovan Wilson (UFA) & Juanyeh Thomas (RFA)
Some would argue that the entire safety position needs an overhaul, so they wouldn’t lose sleep if neither Wilson nor Thomas returned. But you wouldn’t want Malik Hooker and Markquese Bell as the starting duo, so that means creating a major replacement need. Wilson turns 31 this month and remains very limited in coverage. His time in Dallas is probably over.
Thomas, who was flashing potential in his first two years, was limited last season due to injuries. It’d be worth giving him another look and seeing what Christian Parker could mine from him. This isn’t to say Dallas shouldn’t explore a significant upgrade at one or both safety spots, but losing Wilson or Thomas, and especially both, will at least create the need for more bodies and probably one starter.
#4 – DE Jadeveon Clowney (UFA)
Clowney was Dallas’ best pass rusher by the end of last season. That wasn’t a tall mountain to climb, but that doesn’t diminish how good Clowney looked in the rotation and the value of his veteran presence. He’s not going to be a three-down player anymore, or even close to it, but he was better at his job than most defensive players last year. He should fit just as well in Parker’s scheme, and Dallas is looking at a potential edge rusher exodus with Dante Fowler and Sam Williams also free agents. If only one of them returns, we want Clowney.
#3 – RB Javonte Williams (UFA)
You probably guessed who the top three would be at the start of the article. Williams’ was the most surprising of our individual success stories in 2025. Signed off the bargain bin, he finished as a top-10 runner for a fraction of the price. Now looking to parlay that into a payday, and probably his last one as he turns 26 in April, Williams may not give the Cowboys much of a discount. The front office has said they want him back, but their recently-adopted philosophy on running back value could make negotiations interesting.
If Williams doesn’t return, there is no new starter among the in-house options. Jaydon Blue only got out of the doghouse for the Week 17 finale: hardly enough to trust him going forward. We already discussed Malik Davis’ limitations, and Phil Mafah is just as unproven as Blue. And without a Day 2 draft pick in 2026, Dallas couldn’t rely on the draft to find a new RB1. That gives Williams some leverage, but it could also send the Cowboys back to veteran Goodwill for his replacement.
#2 – K Brandon Aubrey (RFA)
Kickers aren’t generally this high on lists like these, but Aubrey isn’t your general kicker. A game-changing weapon on special teams, he makes things possible with his range that can dramatically impact outcomes. He turns 31 next month, which could make Dallas nervous about signing him long-term with much guaranteed money. But since he’s only a restricted free agent, they may use the second-round tender at around $5.8 million to keep him on a one-year deal. That’s about the going rate for the league’s best kickers, anyway, and Aubrey is certainly among them.
And if someone wants to give the Cowboys a second-round pick to sign him away, we could live with that outcome, too. We’d miss Butter terribly, but that’d be quite a consolation prize.
#1 – WR George Pickens (UFA)
No surprise here, right? Pickens is not only Dallas’ most critical free agent but will be one of the biggest prizes of the offseason if allowed to hit the open market. He’ll be just 25 next month and is coming off an All-Pro breakout, undoing most of whatever damage his Steelers days did to his stock. As a potential one-hit wonder, he may not command the same money as other franchise receivers with more established production. But he’s the only impending free agent with clear franchise-level talent, so he will have plenty of interest.
It’s up to the Cowboys if they’re going to let him explore those options. Pickens is, by far, the most likely candidate to get the franchise tag. Projected at $28.8 million for WRs this year, that would be quite the spike in his cap hit from just $3.66 million last year. Thankfully, the NFL’s projected $22-$26 million increase in the salary cap will go a long way to helping Dallas bridge that gap. But the Cowboys would still be better off doing a multi-year deal, letting them massage those cap hits into additional space for other business.
If Pickens doesn’t return, Dallas is immediately in the market for a new starter. We all enjoyed Ryan Flournoy’s emergence as WR3, but counting on him to take the next step would be risky at best. The Cowboys could maybe turn to someone like the Colts’ Alec Pierce, who is more in the traditional WR2 mold and should cost far less than Pickens. It could also become a target point for one of their two first-round draft picks, though they’d hate to take one of those away from their major defensive needs.
The renovation project on defense is a big reason why they should do everything possible to re-sign Pickens. A defensive revival probably won’t happen right away, especially for the first half of the season. The best strategy for 2026 is to keep blowing up scoreboards while Christian Parker works on getting the defense back to basic solvency, making it harder for opponents to keep up. That’s the more attainable goal for Dallas this year, and Pickens is crucial to maintaining that same offensive potency.
