There are a number of veterans on the market who could help the Cowboys.
The term “selectively aggressive” from Stephen Jones took the world be storm at the NFL combine. While Cowboys fans have become very familiar with the Cowboys lackluster use of free agency, the recent reports and whispers suggest we could see a slight change in their approach in 2025.
With that being said, no one expects the Cowboys to go out and spend major money in free agency, but could signing one of these recently released vets help get the Cowboys back to playoff contention in 2025?
Joey Bosa
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Let me start off by saying this is a big name, which likely means his price tag will take the Cowboys out of the running for pursuing the former Los Angeles Chargers pass rusher. But we are mentioning him due to how highly the Cowboys viewed him coming out of Ohio State in the 2016 NFL draft.
Joey Bosa, when healthy, is still one of the better defensive ends in the NFL, but staying healthy has been the main issue for Bosa over the last few years. Since 2022, Bosa has played in just 28 games, racking up 18 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Bosa primarily plays on the left side which is where DeMarcus Lawrence spent most of his time since Micah Parsons arrived in Dallas. Depending on the money here, the Cowboys could very well make an aggressive push for Bosa, based on his success in the NFL so far, and how they felt about him coming out of Ohio State back in 2016.
Dre’Mont Jones
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Fresh off the new contract for Osa Odighizuwa, the Cowboys would be wise to add another versatile defensive lineman prior to the NFL draft. Dre’Mont Jones is a very intriguing option for Dallas due to his ability to play both defensive tackle and defensive end. Jones signed a nice contract with the Seattle Seahawks in 2023, but was released on March 4th as the Seahawks are looking to clear cap space before the start of the league year.
Jones had a very strong 2024 season, finishing with four sacks, seven tackles for loss, 13 QB hits, and 45 pressures. Those 45 pressures would have ranked fourth on the Cowboys last year behind Micah Parsons, Osa Odighizuwa, and DeMarvion Overshown.
Tyler Lockett
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This is one that just makes a lot of sense for both parties. The Cowboys have a big need at wide receiver with Brandin Cooks likely leaving in free agency, and even though Tyler Lockett is on the wrong side of 32, he has plenty of familiarity with Brian Schottenheimer.
While Lockett is on the decline at this point in his career, he still has enough left in the tank to be a nice complement to CeeDee Lamb and bridge to a young receiver the Cowboys could draft this April to develop into an eventual WR2. Lockett played 762 snaps in 2024, 545 coming on the outside with 215 coming from the slot. That split matches up well with CeeDee Lamb’s role in the offense and would be a great replacement for Brandin Cooks who had a similar percentage of snaps on the outside in 2024.
At this point in his career, Lockett will likely be pretty affordable and could look to return to his familiarity with Schottenheimer to close out his NFL career. While he should not be viewed as the solution for the Cowboys wide receiver issues, he can be a major part of the fix moving forward.
Preston Smith
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Last but not least, we have Preston Smith. Smith, a former Green Bay Packer and Pittsburgh Steeler, was released by the Steelers in February after trading for him at the deadline last season.
Smith, now 32, finished with just 4.5 sacks in 2024, but reached eight sacks in 2023 (8), 2022 (8.5), and 2021 (9) with the Green Bay Packers. While Smith may not be the pressure player he was in his younger days, he remains a very good player against the run, receiving run defense grades of 64.3 (2024), 74.3 (2023), 64.1 (2022), and 72.1 (2021). If the Cowboys are unable to bring back DeMarcus Lawrence, finding a reliable run defender to play opposite Micah Parsons will be a key need for the Cowboys coming out of this offseason.
With Smith’s age and natural decline, he could be a player that falls in the Cowboys price range, which would bring some value to Matt Eberflus as the team’s first-year defensive coordinator.
