Cowboys Free Agency Opens - NFL Primer: Signings, Trades, Moves & Goodbyes

From Inside The Star ... Your Cowboys Nation Free Agency Primer as the NFL windows fly open!

FRISCO - Monday at 11 a.m. marks the opening of the "legal tampering'' portion of NFL free agency, with signings allowed to go official on Wednesday.

And right now? While it's an important offseason for the Dallas Cowboys, at this moment it's also a quiet one.

Your Cowboys Nation Free Agency Primer ...

THE BEHIND-THE-CURTAIN MOVE After parting ways with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and replacing him with Brian Schottenheimer, coach Mike McCarthy is now his own play-caller as he installs his West Coast Offense.

Good. It's now time to put those expensive offensive toys to work while improving the team.

THE FIRST NEW MONEY DECISION We reported weeks ago that Tony Pollard would be No. 1 on Dallas' priority wish list. And indeed, he's got the franchise tag now at $10 million for one year. When (if?) will Dallas negotiate a long-term deal for Pollard, 25, as his contract value per Spotrac is listed as three years, $27 million.

As we write this, there is no movement in that direction.

SPEAKING OF 'NO MOVEMENT' ... CowboysSI.com broke the story on the eve of the start of "legal tampering'' that Dallas hasn't actually made a contract offer to ...

Anybody.

What about "sign our own''? Sure. But as of Sunday, there was zero proactivity.

We write here about Dallas' top five, in terms of priorities. All of that can still come true. But the story of a "solid offer'' for Dalton Schultz? Offers on Leighton Vander Esch or Donovan Wilson?

Nope. Zero. Nada - according to our source.

We're not counting Pollard here, and we're not counting the earlier signing of kicker Tristan Vizcaino.

SO, WHO ARE THE SOMEBODIES? The Cowboys unrestricted free agents: Schultz, Vander Esch, Wilson, Anthony Brown, Dante Fowler Jr., T.Y. Hilton, Anthony Barr, Jason Peters, C.J. Goodwin, Johnathan Hankins, Noah Brown, Luke Gifford, Carlos Watkins, Cooper Rush, Brett Maher, Connor McGovern, Aviante Collins, Jake McQuaide and Matt Overton.

Terence Steele, by the way, is restricted and has been tendered at $4 million, so Dallas has contractual control there.

DAK & ZACK & HOW'S CAP SPACE? The "switch-flips'' on the contracts for Dak Prescott and Zack Martin pushed Dallas under the cap (a league-wide number of $224.8 million) by about $15 million.

So, let's go shopping? Not exactly ...

But more room can be created. And a new-money extension for Prescott might be on the horizon as well, one that provides even more space - but also one that further locks in Dak as this team's "franchise QB'' for a long, long time.

Said COO Stephen Jones: “My bet is there’s not gonna be a lot said about it. We’ll wake up one day and it’ll be done.” 

Doable?

Indeed, and additionally, at the start of this offseason we outlined some cap-juggling, which Dallas can do - to the tune of carving out $50 million in room if it wishes. So more money is likely to get moved.

THAT 'BIG BIG MOVE' BEING WORKED ON'? That is turning out to be more "rumor'' than "report.'' ... but we will certainly continue to chase everything from a DeAndre Hopkins trade to an Odell Beckham Jr. signing and all the stuff below that, in terms of headline-grabbers, as well.

Said Jerry Jones: “Don’t dismiss us doing something special with the right veteran free agent.''

OK, how about this: We won't "dismiss it.'' But we also won't "hold our breath.''

Deal?

WHAT ABOUT ZEKE AND TYRON? Dallas did the Ezekiel Elliott monster deal and . ... is now trying to escape it as a money-saver as he costs $16.7 mil against the cap. Meanwhile, the Cowboys will also continue to working with Tyron Smith's deal, with a desire to keep him without spending $13 million in salary (and $17.6 million on the cap) to do it.

With Elliott, we know he's now the backup running back, if that.

With Tyron, a different issue: What's his position? What's his role? If he's the starting left tackle in the final year of his deal, just how much of a salary shaving should he agree to?

RECRUITING COORDINATORS Micah Parsons fancies himself a recruiter. Will he help? Mike McCarthy and Dan Quinn have connections all over the league. Can they bring more of "their guys'' here?

Or will Dallas' success in free agency be based on two things that are more traditional, in terms of what players ask themselves? Those two things ...

1- Can the Cowboys - who made strides last season, beating Tom Brady for the first time and making it to the Divisional round of the playoffs, where they won a postseason road game for the first time since the 1992 season - win big in 2023?

2- What are you going to pay me?

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