6 Cowboys Preparing for their Final Season in Dallas

4. Chauncey Golston, DL

In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cowboys had a bit of a roller coaster. Their top pick was Micah Parsons — who they took at No. 12 after trading back with the Philadelphia Eagles. They then took Kelvin Joseph at No. 44 and the Kentucky cornerback was a bust.

Joseph was traded after just two seasons but the next pick became a regular starter. Osa Odighizuwa from UCLA was taken 75th overall and might have developed into a talented starter. Also in Round 3, they selected Nahshon Wright at No. 99 and he also looks like a bust.

Between Odighizuwa and Wright, the Cowboys also had the 84th pick, which was obtained from the Eagles when they dropped from No. 10 to 12 for Parsons. Their selection there was Iowa's Chauncey Golston, who has been a solid but not an explosive player.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 268 pounds, Golston was moved inside for Dallas and has 79 tackles and 3.5 sacks in three seasons. He should get more time on the field in 2024 and might even spend more time playing defensive end — which is a better position for him.

Golston has plenty of talent and the additional snaps will be all he needs to audition for a larger role — and a bigger pay check — elsewhere. Much like Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler, Jr., Armstrong is likely going to play himself out of the Cowboys' range.

3. Jourdan Lewis, CB

Entering his eighth season in the league, Jourdan Lewis seemed to be on the chopping block for the past couple of seasons. In 2022, the Cowboys added Stephon Gilmore in a trade that pushed Lewis down the depth chart.

With the presence of Trevon Diggs as the No. 1 cornerback and DaRon Bland — who was a surprise star as a rookie — Lewis was suddenly fourth on the depth chart. Despite rumors he could be on the trade block following a campaign where he only played in six games due to injury, the Cowboys never tried to move on from the veteran.

That proved to be a wise move since they lost Diggs in Week 3. With him out, Bland and Gilmore became the starters and Lewis was the nickel back. He excelled in this role early in his career and turned back the clock down the stretch.

His numbers don't jump off the page (52 tackles, five pass defenses, and one pick) but Lewis was a key contributor in several late-season wins. He made some impressive stops, especially on third down plays, and forced three fumbles.

Again, he was expected to be gone in 2024 when he hit the open market but re-signed on a one-year deal. This time, it might really be his last ride with the franchise.

While Lewis has risen to the occasion time and again, he's approaching 30 years of age and there's a potential replacement in-house. The Cowboys selected Caelen Carson in Round 5, which was a surprise to them. They considered him in Round 3 and believed they missed their chance by going in a different direction. If he develops as they hope, it will signal the end of the line for Lewis.