5 Most Important Cowboys Free Agent Targets in 2024
By Jovan Alford
The Dallas Cowboys had a disappointing end to the 2023 season as they lost to the Green Bay Packers at home in the Super Wild Card Weekend round.
The Cowboys’ season was filled with so much promise as they dominated opponents at Jerry World and gift-wrapped the No. 2 seed in the NFC East, thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles falling flat on their faces.
However, Dallas couldn’t capitalize and now enters a pivotal offseason where head coach Mike McCarthy is in the last year of his deal. And the team needs to make some financial decisions on star QB Dak Prescott and others.
The Cowboys aren’t projected to have a ton of salary cap this offseason ($14-$21 million over the cap), so they’ll need to restructure some contracts to hopefully make some plays in free agency.
Below, we’ll highlight the five most important free-agent targets for the Cowboys this offseason.
1. Derrick Henry
The Cowboys will have to decide if they want to re-sign starting running back Tony Pollard Jr. or go in another direction. Pollard is coming off his second-straight 1,000-yard rushing season, but he might not be the guy to help Dallas have the most complete ground attack.
This is where star running back Derrick Henry comes into play. The 30-year-old running back had 1,167 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns this season with the Tennessee Titans, but it wasn’t easy for him.
Henry also averaged 4.2 yards per carry in 2023 with Tennessee, which was his lowest YPC average since 2017 (4.2). After spending several years with the Titans, the veteran running back will look to join a contender in the offseason.
Spotrac projects Henry’s calculated market value this offseason at a surprising one-year, $10 million deal. If those projections come to fruition, the Cowboys would be foolish to not entertain the idea of signing the star running back to run behind this offensive line.’
And at the same time, Dallas could draft a running back behind Henry, giving them a cheaper option for the future. It sounds like a good idea on paper, but let’s see what the Cowboys do, as they’ll have to move some money to bring in the former Alabama Crimson Tide running back.