Which five Cowboys do you think are facing a critical season?
Nearly every NFL player reaches a crossroad at some point in their career. The Dallas Cowboys have several players who have reached that juncture and are facing a make or break 2025 season with the organization. Below are the ones we believe have the most to prove this year one way or another.
DT Mazi Smith
Anyone else surprised to see Mazi Smith make this list? Probably not. Sadly, Dallas’ 2023 first-round pick as of yet hasn’t lived up to his draft status. Playing for different defensive coordinators in each of his first two seasons with the Cowboys probably didn’t help his development, which puts into question how he’ll perform with his third DC in three years (Matt Eberflus). If he doesn’t take a significant jump during his ever important Year 3, he could be playing elsewhere as soon as next season.
TE Luke Schoonmaker
With Jake Ferguson entering the final year of his contract and with Brevyn Spann-Ford possibly pushing for the TE2 job, Luke Schoonmaker’s future with the Cowboys currently stands on shaky ground. While he’s shown flashes of starting material, he’s lacked consistency. Because of that, he could need a big 2025 season to stick around. If Ferguson is retained, he remains buried on the depth chart. But, if Ferguson exits in free agency, he could be competing with Spann-Ford and another draft pick for the TE1 job.
CB Trevon Diggs
Unless Trevon Diggs has a huge bounce-back season in 2025 he could be playing elsewhere next season. Injuries and regression over the past couple years could make him a salary-cap casualty after the completion of the 2025 season. The Cowboys can save more than $12.25 million by releasing him in the offseason and carry a dead cap hit of just under $6 million. They could also designate him a post-June 1 release and save $15.5 million and spread the dead cap over the 2026 and 2027 seasons at just under $3 million per year.
