The ball is starting to roll in Dallas. There's a long list of top-end talent with expiring contracts on the Cowboys roster, and that's causing some serious headaches in the front office.
It's never entirely clear whether Jerry Jones has a situation like this under control until we see it in action, but we got a really good sign on Tuesday when a Trevon Diggs contract extension was announced.
Diggs forms part of the backbone of the defense that makes the Cowboys a legit contender in the NFC, and keeping him happy (and in Dallas for a long time) is crucial.
But this is just the start, with plenty more deals needing to get done. Here are the players the Cowboys need to extend next.
Next Cowboys for Contract Extensions
1. Zach Martin
This one's the most pressing with Zach Martin threatening a holdout, because that's something the Cowboys simply can't afford to happen.
Dallas doesn't necessarily need a long-term deal with the 34-year-old guard, but getting him on the field needs to be the top priority at this point. He's the anchor of this offensive line, and the offensive line is the anchor of any good offense.
It's not like Martin wanting a new contract is unreasonable, either. He's been one of the best interior linemen in the NFL for years, and he's currently only the league's eighth-highest-paid guard. I wouldn't want to give him major long-term money at his age, but he's too crucial to a potential Super Bowl run to have sitting at home.
Next up is another key cog of the defense.
2. Stephon Gilmore
Signing Trevon Diggs to a long-term deal locks in him and Micah Parsons as an incredible core to this defense, but two players are obviously not enough.
The 32-year-old Gilmore is another guy who doesn't necessarily need a long-term deal, but he does need one that keeps him in Dallas beyond 2023.
He's not showing much sign of decline (though playing in Indianapolis for a year seemed to make people forget about him very quickly), and getting a couple more years of elite production out of him will be crucial to holding open the Cowboys' Super Bowl window.
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Getting a deal done now rather than waiting until next offseason could also help the Cowboys save some money. Gilmore's leverage is down a bit after not even making the Pro Bowl last year, but showing out under the big lights in Dallas would certainly put him back on everyone's radar as one of the game's elite defenders, and Pro Bowl or especially All-Pro honors this season would drive up the asking price. Better to act now, especially with how precious cap space is in Dallas right now.
And let's stay on the defensive side of the ball for the last one.
3. Dorance Armstrong
Dorance Armstrong was second on the team (behind Parsons) in sacks last season with 8.5, and the 26-year-old has been on a clear upward trajectory over the last couple of years.
With DeMarcus Lawrence getting up there in years and seeing his production fall off lately, Armstrong has all the opportunity in the world to be the future on the edge across from Parsons. Parsons is good enough to win through double teams, sure, but you really don't want to force your best player into a tougher spot than necessary. And Armstrong developing into a legitimate threat on the edge will go a long way toward keeping defenses honest.
This is another spot where getting the deal done now would really help, because we're probably about to see new career-best numbers for Armstrong this season.
He's got another year of experience and development under his belt, and now he'll also have the best defense surrounding him that he's ever played with. Diggs and Gilmore locking things down in coverage while Parsons commands the full attention of the opposing offensive line should do wonders for freeing up Armstrong, and it's not a stretch to say that he could hit double-digit sacks this season.
Let's get a deal done now, before we're priced out of the market to keep Armstrong in town.