It's hard to find a team that takes a more confusing approach to the offseason than the Dallas Cowboys. While they've typically shied away from high-priced free agents in the past, this offseason was a new level of cheap. The Cowboys refused to negotiate with practically every free agent and have signed just Eric Kendricks as an outside addition.
Even their re-signings have been limited as they've seen players such as Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong, and Tony Pollard leave with Jordan Lewis being their main returning free agent. The Jones family will try and sell this as a positive offseason but even they won't be able to put a positive spin on these three moves that will backfire.
3. Letting Tyron Smith leave with no plan
Moving on from Tyron Smith was a gutsy call by the Cowboys, and it was the right idea. The problem was there was no plan in place beyond Smith.
Selected ninth overall back in 2011, Smith has been one of the best tackles in the NFL for more than a decade. He's also been injured in every campaign since 2015. And as long as he was under contract, Dallas was never going to find a more durable solution.
Now Smith is gone and they signed no one else to replace him. They also seem intent on keeping Tyler Smith at left guard. Perhaps they change their mind down the road but it's clear right now that they decided to let Smith leave with no clue what would come next.
2. Staying out of the RB market
Another tough decision for Dallas was letting Tony Pollard hit the open market. A former fourth-round pick out of Memphis, Pollard became a fan-favorite as the change of pace back behind Ezekiel Elliott. Their contrasting styles fit well together and Pollard finally topped 1,000 yards in 2022.
That led to him being hit with the franchise tag as Elliott was let go. Pollard didn't impress as the lead back but he was also coming off a fractured leg and high ankle sprain suffered in their playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Pollard signed a three-year deal worth $24 million to join the Tennessee Titans, and it's understandable why the Cowboys didn't sign him to a similar deal. What's not understandable is their failure to bring in a replacement.
Dallas was linked to Derrick Henry, Aaron Jones, Zack Moss, and A.J. Dillon but never made a real offer to anyone. That leaves them with Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn as the primary backs. Sure, they can land someone in the draft but that means they'll have to skip on one of the other positions they ignored. It also could lead to them reaching out of necessity.
Adding a veteran back who could start would have allowed them to go for the best player available whereas their lack of a starting option means they have to prioritize need over talent.
1. Botching yet another negotiation with Dak Prescott
Back in 2020 and 2021, the Cowboys infamously botched their negotiations with Dak Prescott. They hit him with the franchise tag in 2020, which paid him $31.4 million for the season. Rather than negotiate with that as the starting point, they did nothing until 2022 — and again started with the franchise tag.
Getting tagged again shot up the starting point for negotiations and Prescott ended up with $160 million over four seasons. Now, that contract is coming to an end and the Jones family is once again botching their relationship with Prescott.
Reports have surfaced that they're going to let him play out the final year of his deal and then hit the open market in 2025. If they think his contract demands are bad now, wait until multiple teams are fighting for the chance to sign him.
Throw in the fact that they've continually blamed Prescott and his contract for their lack of moves in free agency and it could be hard to convince him to come back — unless they outbid everyone else.
Every other team has figured out how to pay their quarterback and still field solid playmakers. Dallas, on the other hand, has used the salary cap as an excuse to lowball players and it could finally backfire if they lose their franchise quarterback in 2025.