Update: Trey Lance has since signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, the other players named remain unemployed. What follows is the original piece prior to Lance's contract news.
It's not news to most Dallas Cowboys fans that the Trey Lance trade was a failed experiment. The 2021 draft bust hit free agency in March after throwing for just 266 yards in his two years as a Cowboy. After Dallas traded for Joe Milton, it's also unlikely the two sides work on a new contract for 2025.
But Lance is far from the only Cowboys player still unemployed. The list sits at seven names, and as the NFL Draft approaches, these guys could be without jobs for a while.
7 Former Cowboys Who Remain Free Agents in April
These seven Cowboys hit free agency in March and have yet to sign anywhere as April rolls on and the league's attention begins to shift toward the NFL Draft.
- Trey Lance
- Eric Kendricks
- Linval Joseph
- Nick Vigil
- Carlos Watkins
- Amani Oruwariye
- Carl Lawson
Usually a list like this is filled with depth players — guys who would just plug depth sports on training camp rosters once a team had finalized their rookie class in the NFL Draft. But there are some eyebrow-raising names here.
Kendricks played the third-most defensive snaps for any Cowboys last year. Lawson was on the field for 36.2% of the available snaps. Oruwariye played 25.9%. Joseph played 24.0%. Watkins played 20.4%. Even Vigil played 11.4% (not to mention his being No. 4 in special teams snaps).
This is likely good news for the Cowboys, though. If some of these guys still can't find a job before the draft rolls around, their asking price is suddenly going to be a lot lower than it might have been early in free agency.
You don't often have to hand it to Jerry and Stephen Jones, but this may be a rare case where their lack of activity in free agency actually pays off.