Cowboys Free Agency Scorecard: Who's In, Out & Signed; DT Starter OUT; How Many Roster Holes to Fill?

The Dallas Cowboys have seen several starters and rotational players leave via free agency, which has left the franchise with a lot to do and little capital to do it with.

Entering free agency, all eyes were on the Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones after his "all in" comments. We now know (think?) that Jerry's words were intended to reference the planned contract extensions of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and potentially Micah Parsons.

Still, nothing has happened on that front, and as free agency began, the Cowboys were ravaged by other teams ... and by their own voluntary decisions. To wit, Dallas' free agency scorecard at the moment ...

Signed (outside): Eric Kendricks, LB

Signed (inside): Jourdan Lewis, CB, C.J. Goodwin, ST, Trent Sieg, LS, Rico Dowdle, RB

Lost via free agency: Tyron Smith, LT (Jets), Tony Pollard, RB (Titans), Dorance Armstrong, DE (Commanders), Tyler Biadasz, C (Commanders), Dante Fowler, DE (Commanders), Neville Gallimore, DT (Dolphins), Noah Igbinoghene, CB (Commanders), Johnathan Hankins, DT (Seahawks).

Cut: Michael Gallup, WR, Leighton Vander Esch, LB

There are suddenly holes to be plugged. Lots of them. And no, the internet obsession with "how many compensatory picks will Dallas get in 2025'' doesn't really soothe. 

With the 2023 Cowboys thought to be so close to having a Super Bowl-caliber roster, losing that bundle of players without replacing them - with comparable talent! - leaves this Dallas team at this moment far worse than the one that succumbed to the Green Bay Packers in playoffs.

That's not ideal when other teams have significantly strengthened. 

Linebacker Kendricks will help. He might be an upgrade. But the retentions of C.J. Goodwin, Trent Sieg, and Jourdan Lewis (all three needed) are not needle-movers. ... and simply keep the roster afloat in their areas of specialty.

Clutchpoints

But this now leaves the Cowboys, whose plan in free agency was to wait and see which players would be released and then swoop in, needing several starters with only a handful of top draft picks and limited free agency options to become better than they were in 2023.

The Cowboys have just three picks in the top 100 (24, 56 and 87). The franchise then has two compensatory picks (173 and 216), with the 244th overall selection ending Dallas' draft hand.

It looms as a herculean task to replace three starters with those selections. With the Cowboys needing to be better than the 2023 version of themselves, can they achieve that by picking up bargain free agents and hitting on draft picks? Or is the franchise hoping the second-year leap for several players will help alleviate those losses? 

Either way, there are a lot of things that need to go right.

Life After Tyron: Projecting Cowboys O-Line; Who Starts?

After the too-slow development of top picks Mazi Smith and Luke Schoonmaker last season, the Cowboys simply have to get the draft right (which they have been known to do), but with the loss of several starters and not replacing them, Dallas has, by its own gameplan, put itself into a serious hole with its roster.

And the punchline to all this? If you believe our "Blow It Up!'' theory? This path the Cowboys have taken appears to have been their plan all along.