Cowboys still have work to do in replenishing their roster during free agency

The front office has a lot more work to do if they want to contend in 2025.

Since NFL free agency began on March 10, the Dallas Cowboys have surprisingly made more moves than they did all of last offseason. They’ve signed multiple outside players, while trading for two. They also just recently added running back Miles Sanders.

Stephen Jones did use the term “selectively aggressive” when describing the Cowboys approach to this year’s free agency, and so far it seems fitting. After a 7-10 season last year, fans have grown impatient, hoping for a big turnaround this offseason to put them in a better position to contend in 2025.

Despite their additions, the Cowboys are still in a deficit when it comes to their roster talent. It can certainly be argued that at this early point of the offseason, the roster looks weaker. Dallas has lost several key veterans this offseason. None hurts as much as Zack Martin, who announced his retirement from the NFL after a Hall-of-Fame-worthy season. But to make matters worse, they lost veteran DE DeMarcus Lawrence to the Seattle Seahawks in free agency. Heading into the offseason Martin and Lawrence were the two longest-tenured players on the team, both having excellent careers with the star on their helmet.

These weren’t the only veterans to move on. CB Jourdan Lewis signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, becoming the highest-paid nickel cornerback in the league. Not only was Lewis a gritty and physical cornerback who had a knack for takeaways, the team is now awfully thin at the cornerback position. They made one move at the position by trading for former first-round pick Kaiir Elam from the Buffalo Bills, but so far Elam has not been as effective in the NFL as Lewis.

It can also be argued that the team has currently downgraded at the running back position. Rico Dowdle signed with the Carolina Panthers, after rushing for 1,079 yards last season with the Cowboys. Dallas signed former Broncos RB Javonte Williams, who’s best season came his rookie year in 2021 where he rushed for 903 yards. They also added Miles Sanders, but his output recently has been on the decline.

While it is certainly cool to see the Cowboys more active in bringing in outside players, they still have work to do in replacing some of the talent that walked out the door. The fanbase is itching for a big name to be acquired. While it appears unlikely for that to happen, the Cowboys need to continue adding players in free agency as well as excelling in the draft for this team to be a contender in 2025.