Don't let the doomsayers sway you, the Dallas Cowboys aren't in terrible cap space right now. While it's true they're sitting at nearly $20 million in the hole, they've been in much worse shape in the past yet found a way to not only get under the limit — but also add more talent to the roster.
This year, they even have a simple path to doing so — fix Dak Prescott's contract. Right now, Prescott counts for $59.455 million against the cap but that will change should they sign him to an extension. Of course, he's not coming off a torn ACL like Terence Steele or Michael Gallup, so they might be hesitant to pay him long-term, but they should.
There are other ways to free up space as well which could include a CeeDee Lamb extension or DeMarcus Lawrence restructure. There's also the possibility of making a few cap-related cuts with these six players standing out as possible targets.
6. Josh Ball, OL
Pre-June 1 Savings: $1.055 million
Pre-June 1 Dead Money: $32,676
Post-June 1 Savings: $1.055 Million
Post-June 1 Dead Money: $124,836
Josh Ball is someone who wasn't expected to make the roster this past season. A former fourth-round pick, Ball struggled mightily in 2022 when pressed into action following an injury suffered by Tyron Smith. Dallas then went out and added more help around him and gave Ball a shot at moving inside to guard.
He wasn't much better but stuck around. He then suffered an injury in the final preseason game and was sent to the IR for the year. Now entering year four, it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see Ball let go. The dead money would be negligible and while $1.055 million doesn't go long in the NFL, it's space they can free up with ease.
5. Bryan Anger, P
Pre-June 1 Savings: $3 million
Pre-June 1 Dead Money: $800,000
Post-June 1 Savings: $3 Million
Post-June 1 Dead Money: $800,000
For the past three seasons, the Dallas Cowboys have had one of the best punters in the NFL. Bryan Anger, who spent nine years in the NFL playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Bucs, and Houston Texans signed with Dallas in 2021 to a one-year deal. He then made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career when he averaged 48.4 yards per punt with 24 landing inside the 20. He also had only four touchbacks on the year.
Anger performed so well that the Cowboys signed him to a three-year extension worth $9 million, making him one of the highest-paid punters in the NFL. So far, he's continued to earn that contract as he averaged 48.4 yards per punt once again in 2022 and then in 2023 had a career-high 51.4-yard average.
He also made the Pro Bowl for the second time and had just two touchbacks in 44 punts. That kind of efficiency can be a weapon, but he also makes a lot more money than the team would like to pay at the position. And if they get desperate for cap space, they can free up a full $3 million by letting him go.
If they were to do so, they would likely bring in a younger punter who would make a fraction of the money Anger makes. It would be a risk since he helped them win so many field position battles but it's one they could make.
4. Leighton Vander Esch, LB
Pre-June 1 Savings: $2.147 Million
Pre-June 1 Dead Money: $2.25 million
Post-June 1 Savings: $2.147 Million
Post-June 1 Dead Money: $2.25 million
A former first-round pick out of Boise State, Leighton Vander Esch has had an up-and-down career thus far. He burst onto the scene as a rookie with 140 tackles and two interceptions in 2018 but then slowed down in 2019 when he missed seven games due to injury.
The injury concerns continued in 2020 as he played in just 10 games and had 60 tackles. He did work his way back to health and appeared in all 17 games in 2021. He played well enough that Dallas signed him to a one-year deal in 2022 and that led to a career resurgence.
LVE thrived when he was on the field but a neck injury forced him out for a few games. He returned in the playoffs and was all over the field with nine tackles in the win against Tampa Bay. That led to another new contract, this time a two-year deal.
Sadly, Vander Esch appeared in just five games before his neck — which was an issue in college — acted up again. He was sent to the IR in November and there are concerns his career could be over. Even if he does attempt a comeback, it's not likely going to be on his current salary. Instead, the Cowboys will save just under half of his deal by making him a cap-casualty.
3. Cooper Rush, QB
Pre-June 1 Savings: $2.25 Million
Pre-June 1 Dead Money: $625,000
Post-June 1 Savings: $2.25 Million
Post-June 1 Dead Money: $625,000
In 2017, Cooper Rush started to earn the respect of Cowboys' fans when he showed up as an undrafted rookie from Central Michigan and played well in the preseason. He fought his way to the roster and while he had just three passing attempts in his first three seasons in the NFL, there was always a belief he could do more if given the chance.
Rush did wind up leaving the team, however, in 2020 as he signed with the New York Giants. He followed Jason Garrett, who took over as the offensive coordinator, but was brought back when Dak Prescott was out and Andy Dalton suffered a concussion late in the year.
By 2021, he was the No. 2 quarterback once again and got his first career start in a Week 8 contest against the Minnestoa Vikings. Rush threw for 325 yards with two touchdowns, including a game-winner. He then started five more games in 2022 and led the Cowboys to a 4-1 record in place of Prescott.
Rush finished that season with 1,051 yards and had five touchdowns against three picks. He didn't see the field nearly as much in 2023, although he did get some garbage-time play and had 144 yards passing.
Now heading into the 2024 season, there's an outside chance Dallas could move on. They added Trey Lance in a trade last year and while some believe they could look to move Lance, there would be no real cap-savings for releasing him. They also wouldn't be guaranteed to get more than the fourth-round pick they surrendered to land the former No. 3 overall selection.
As for Rush, they could save more than $2 million by letting him go. If they believe Lance can start in place of Prescott — in case of an injury — then this could be the way they go.
2. Brandin Cooks, WR
Pre-June 1 Savings: $4 million
Pre-June 1 Dead Money: $6 million
Post-June 1 Savings: $2 Million
Post-June 1 Dead Money: $8 million
Brandin Cooks wound up coming on strong as the season went along but it's hard to say his addition lived up to the hype. The veteran journeyman has played for five teams now and has recorded at least 1,000 yards for four of them. For Dallas, he had a mere 657 yards which is his lowest total since 2014 when he had 550 yards as a rookie for the New Orleans Saints.
In his defense, Cooks wasn't seeing the targets he should have early in the year. Dallas was still trying to justify their contract extension with Michael Gallup and foudn themselves force-feeding him often. Cooks suffered as he had fewer than 20 yards twice and didn't hit more than 49 yards until Week 9 against the New York Giants.
Cooks broke out in that one with 173 yards on nine receptions and scored a touchdown. He was much more involved from that point in the season on and recorded a total of 54 catches and eight touchdowns. The problem is, he never again topped the 100-yard mark and went AWOL in their loss to Buffalo with a total of 10 yards. He had 14 the following week in Miami, another loss, but nearly pulled off a game-winning touchdown to save some face.
Heading into the 2024 campaign, Dallas has a decision to make. Cooks could save them either $6 million or $8 million depending on when they released him but they can't simply do so without another option. Of course, if they do land another free agent they feel can take his spot, this could be a move to free up some space.
1. Michael Gallup, WR
Pre-June 1 Savings: $800,000
Pre-June 1 Dead Money: $13.05 million
Post-June 1 Savings: $9.5 Million
Post-June 1 Dead Money: $4.35 million
If not for the Terence Steele signing, this might have gone down as one of the worst extensions the Cowboys have handed out over the past 20 years. Dallas made a huge mistake in believing they could move on from Amari Cooper in 2022 and replace his production by paying Michael Gallup and Dalton Schultz.
They told everyone this move had to happen to keep the roster together but in reality, they were paying more for Gallup and Schultz when you add in the dead money Cooper had then they would have to simply keep Cooper. And as we've all seen, Cooper went to Cleveland where he set franchise records this season.
As for Gallup, he was fresh off a torn ACL when he signed his five-year, $62.5 million deal. He's rewarded Dallas with 73 receptions for 842 yards with six touchdowns. For some comparison, Cooper was said to have put together a "down year' in 2021 and had 68 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. More production than Gallup has had the past two seasons combined.
At this point, the Cowboys have to try and cut bait. Gallup has shown he's not the same player he once was and the offense was considerably better with Jalen Tolbert on the field over him. They would have to designate him a post-June 1 cut to make it worth moving on which means the money won't be available until then, but they can use it to give CeeDee Lamb or maybe even Micah Parsons an extension at that point.
What they can't do is keep paying Gallup this much.