This offseason has been one of the more confusing in recent memory for Dallas Cowboys fans. While they've grown accustomed to Jerry Jones sitting on his hands during free agency, they're not used to hearing a team refer to being “all-in” to mean keeping a few of the players they already have.
Dallas not only stuck with this approach but they also doubled — and even tripled — down on their “all-in” claim. The confusion grew when they added nearly no one, lost several key players, and then had Jones describe his commitment to winning at all costs by scribbling all over his notepad at the owners’ meeting.
Jones can draw all the lines and circles he wants but when they (again) fall short of the ultimate goal, he will regret passing on these six free agents.
6. Raekwon Davis, DT
Dallas has struggled in recent years against the run and attempted to correct this with the addition of Mazi Smith in the 2023 NFL Draft. They misused Smith in year one but hope to see him improve under Mike Zimmer. However, they needed to add more depth, especially after losing Johnathan Hankins and Neville Gallimore in the offseason.
So far, they haven't made any additions. While they didn't need to go after Christian Wilkins who earned more than $100 million, they could have kicked the tires on his former teammate, Raekwon Davis.
The 6-foot-7, 325-pound Davis hasn't lived up to his second-round draft status but he's still a starting-caliber player and signed for an affordable $14 million over two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Even though Stephen Jones will claim the Cowboys can't afford that, they easily could have fit this into their salary in 2024.
5. Trent Brown, OT
Another loss for the Cowboys happened on the offensive line. Tyron Smith, who was the ninth overall pick in 2011, wasn't retained. He then joined the New York Jets on a one-year deal worth $6.5 million guaranteed. Smith can earn up to $20 million if he hits playing time incentives, and the Joneses claim that's where their issue exists.
Dallas claims the additional $14 million, which would go onto the 2025 cap if the incentives were hit, would be too great to deal with. That's not something they truly know since they're still unsure what the cap will be. Considering the jump in 2024, chances are high they could have swung that without a problem.
They would have looked better saying they moved on from Smith due to his injury history, which would be understandable — even if not popular. They could have then looked brilliant by landing a replacement such as Trent Brown for under $5 million.
Instead, they remained “all-in” by not even contacting Brown, who signed a one-year deal worth $4.7 million with the Cincinnati Bengals. Brown isn't as good of a player as Smith but he's more than capable of starting at left tackle and would have been a steal at that amount.
Again, things could be forgiven if a solid plan was in place. Perhaps that would mean moving Tyler Smith to left tackle, but Mike McCarthy poured cold water on that theory. So as of now, they have no options at left tackle. Or center. When the season starts, they'll likely wish they would have filled at least one of those holes with someone such as Trent Brown.
4. Jordan Hicks, LB
Linebacker was an issue for the Cowboys in 2023, due in large part to injuries. First, they lost rookie third-round pick DeMarvion Overshown for the year during the preseason. With him out, Dallas turned to Markquese Bell, who was originally a safety. Bell stepped up and played well but another injury made things even worse in the middle of their defense.
Former first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch suffered a neck injury, which is an issue he's dealt with since college. Vander Esch has since retired from the NFL due to the problem.
With him out, the Cowboys need more depth. They did sign veteran Eric Kendricks, giving them one starter to play alongside Damone Clark. However, they're still going to be banking on Bell and Overshown for depth in 2024. Each player has some positive traits but Overshown is an unknown and Bell might be better served moving back to safety.
That's why going after Jordan Hicks would have been a good move for them. The former Texas standout has been a starter for several years and has always been underrated. He recently signed with the Cleveland Browns for $8 million over two years, which would have been affordable for the linebacker-needy team.
3. Leonard Floyd, EDGE
Watching Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler both leave in free agency was tough. Fowler was a savvy addition, giving them 10 sacks over the past two seasons in a reserve role. While he was a solid contributor, it wasn't a shock to see him follow Dan Quinn to Washington.
It also wasn't surprising to see Quinn lure Armstrong away. There's an argument he was overpaid but that's not the case. Armstrong has always been an underrated player who doesn't get the praise he deserves.
A former fourth-round pick, Armstrong worked his way into a prominent role with the Cowboys. He had five sacks in 2021 and then signed a two-year extension. He provided them with 16 sacks in that timeframe, leading to the three-year deal with the Commanders.
Despite losing two pass rushers, the Cowboys added no one to replace them. Yes, they have Sam Williams but if he doesn't prove to be ready for a larger role, they're going to be in trouble.
That's why it would have made sense to target someone in free agency and a solid option would have been Leonard Floyd. The former Georgia product has been in the NFL for eight seasons and has been highly productive since leaving the Chicago Bears.
In three seasons with the Rams, Floyd had 29 sacks and then added 10.5 with the Buffalo Bills in 2023. He's now with the San Francisco 49ers, who truly understand the importance of having multiple pass rushers. Floyd signed for two years at $20 million which is a steal for someone who is averaging just under 10 sacks over the past four seasons.
2. Marquise Brown, WR
The passing game was off to a slow start in 2023 but eventually, they figured things out. Dak Prescott finished the year with 4,516 yards and 36 touchdown passes — which had him in the MVP conversation. CeeDee Lamb was his favorite target, hauling in 135 passes for 1,749 yards with 12 touchdowns.
Dallas also had a huge performance from tight end Jake Ferguson, who had 761 yards and five touchdowns on 71 receptions. Brandin Cooks, who wasn't used correctly early in the season as they were force-feeding Michael Gallup, also had a strong campaign with 657 yards and eight touchdowns.
Heading into 2024, they still have those three players but will need to replace the production Gallup and Tony Pollard gave them in the passing game. Jalen Tolbert, Rico Dowdle, and KaVontae Turpin will help but it would have been wise to add a receiver in free agency — especially since they left holes at offensive tackle, center, linebacker, defensive tackle, and running back. There are only so many contributors they can find in the NFL Draft, so going for a bargain veteran would have been brilliant.
A perfect option for them was Marquise Brown, a former first-round pick who can stretch the field with his speed. Brown had 1,008 yards in 2021 for the Baltimore Ravens and was traded to the Arizona Cardinals that offseason. He spent two seasons there and had 118 receptions for 1,283 yards and seven touchdowns.
Those weren't the numbers he expected and it led to him taking a smaller contract in free agency than he hoped. Brown signed with the Kansas City Chiefs for one year at $7 million. K.C. will surely benefit from this move but the Cowboys should regret not trying to lure the Oklahoma product to Dallas.
1. Derrick Henry, RB
Jerry Jones raised eyebrows (as he often does) when he said he had no regrets over the comically large extension he signed Ezekiel Elliott to back in 2019. He can say all he wishes that he was proud of the move but the team cut bait as soon as it was financially possible. They also clearly learned their lesson since they refused to pay Tony Pollard.
After topping the 1,000-yard mark for the second year in a row, Pollard signed a three-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. That opened the door for quite the pairing since it meant there would be no reunion between Derrick Henry and Tennessee.
As was the case with most free agents, the Cowboys never even made an offer to Henry. The two-time NFL rushing leader instead signed with the Baltimore Ravens on a two-year deal worth $16 million. That's about the average per season Elliott received on the deal Jones says he doesn't regret.
It's also a steal for Henry, who may be 30 years of age, but is still going strong.
Henry ran for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. It was the sixth season in a row he had double-digit touchdowns and the fifth time in six years he had at least 1,000 yards. He only missed that mark during that span in 2021 when he had 937 yards and 10 touchdowns — in just eight games.
Dallas passed on Henry, Aaron Jones, D'Onta Foreman, and every other running back outside Rico Dowdle in free agency. They'll try and sell to fans they made the right call but when Henry is bowling over defenders late in the playoffs this year, and Jones is watching at home, he will start to realize what a whiff this was.