Like it or not, the Dallas Cowboys season is coming to an end sooner rather than later. They still have three regular-season games to play and quite possibly a playoff game, but more than that is probably too much to ask for based on the way they played this year. That means we could be saying goodbye to several members of this year’s team.
Believe it or not, but the Dallas Cowboys have a lot of players under expiring contracts right now. They will have a lot of tough decisions to make as to who to try to retain and who to let go this offseason, and that extends beyond just Quarterback Dak Prescott and Wide Receiver Amari Cooper. Don’t believe me… Take a look for yourself.
Luckily for you, I’ve already done the dirty work and conveniently arranged some the more important potential Dallas Cowboys free agents by position.
Quarterback
Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush
Odds are Dak Prescott will receive a long-term contract extension from the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, but a new head coach could have a lot to say about that. The new HC may prefer someone else, but that’s unknown right now. What is known is Cooper Rush becomes a free agent after the season and there’s a very real possibility Dallas looks elsewhere for their backup QB in 2020.
Wide Receiver
Amari Cooper, Randall Cobb, Tavon Austin
Amari Cooper could find himself in the same kind of situation as Dak Prescott. The new HC might not want to offer him a contract extension, but again that’s unknown. Randall Cobb and Tavon Austin other hand should and probably will become free agents. A case can be made to try to bring Cobb back, but it would probably wiser and cheaper to go with a younger option. There’s absolutely no reason to bring Austin back though. He’s been a nonfactor in 2019.
Tight End
Jason Witten, Blake Jarwin
Jason Witten’s return from retirement actually ended up going better than I thought, but I think it’s time for him to finally hang up his cleats for good. With a new coaching regime coming in the aging, future Hall of Fame TE may no longer be in the cards. The same could be said for Blake Jarwin, who like Witten, is set to become a free agent after the season. Finding upgrades at TE could be a top priority this offseason.
Offensive Line
Cameron Fleming, Joe Looney, Adam Redmond
Fortunately, the Dallas Cowboys starting offensive line should remain intact for the next several years, but the depth behind them could take a pretty big hit after this season. Cameron Fleming, Joe Looney, and Adam Redmond are all set to hit free agency after the season and it’s hard to imagine anyone returning. Looney and Fleming have served their purposes as injury replacements, but it may be time for the Cowboys to find younger and cheaper options.
- Correction: Cameron Fleming is signed through 2020
Defensive Line
Robert Quinn, Michael Bennett, Maliek Collins, Antwaun Woods
The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of pending free agents along the defensive line who could depart after the season in free agency. Right now it’s hard to imagine anyone of the four mentioned above returning considering the money they could make elsewhere, but Antwaun Woods could likely be retained cheaply. For me, upgrading the DL this offseason is quite possibly the top priority.
Linebacker
Sean Lee, Joe Thomas
It looks like the Dallas Cowboys could have some serious depth issues at the linebacker position with Sean Lee and Joe Thomas set to become free agents after the 2019 season. It’s even more concerning considering Leighton Vander Esch’s neck injury that has sidelined him for a few games this season and could end up landing him on injured reserve. General Lee has had his fair share of injuries and it looks as if LVE could be following in his footsteps. This may be an underrated priority in the offseason.
Cornerback
Byron Jones, Anthony Brown
Like defensive line, the cornerback position could see some key members leave via free agency after the 2019 season. Both Byron Jones and Anthony Brown are set to become free agents and could find better opportunities/more money elsewhere. Re-signing one of the two, hopefully Byron Jones, could help in the long term since both Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis become free agents next year. If upgrading the DL isn’t the Cowboys top offseason priority, CB is.
Safety
Jeff Heath, Darian Thompson, Kavon Frazier
The Dallas Cowboys relied on both Jeff Heath and Darian Thompson to start opposite Xavier Woods at strong safety in 2019, but both are set to become free agents after the season as well. There is hope former Texas A&M safety Donovan Wilson can take over in his second-year, but that shouldn’t stop them from trying to upgrade the position via free agency or the draft this offseason.
Special Teams
L.P. Ladouceur, Kai Forbath
The Dallas Cowboys special teams core could look quite a bit different in 2020 with L.P. Ladouceur and Brett Maher’s replacement Kai Forbath set to become free agents after the completion of the 2019 season. At 38, Ladouceur could be enticed to come back on another one-year deal, but that remains to be seen. As for kicker, the Cowboys absolutely need to find an upgrade there. They can’t afford to make another Maher kind of mistake.
