Sooner or later, the Dallas Cowboys are going to settle on a head coach. Whether that’s Mike McCarthy returning for Year 6 or someone from the outside, there will be a direction forged for the 2025 offseason. Once that shell is outlined, the front office will then turn their attention to veteran additions to the 2025 roster.

Dallas has a ton of internal free agents to consider, but they also have positions where upgrades to the roster must be considered. Many will look at the season as a whole and point to a team decimated by injuries, but things were off from the beginning. This is especially true on offense, where after years atop the league, things plummeted in 2024.

Dallas lacked explosiveness from the offense, and that was especially true at running back and tight end. While Rico Dowdle enjoyed the limelight down the back stretch of the season and ended up with over 1,000 yards on the ground, he didn’t have any breakaway runs. Meanwhile tight end Jake Ferguson regressed from his breakout 2023 campaign, and once again leaves the position as a huge question mark.

And while Dallas has been hesitant to spend in free agency, they have shown a willingness to trade draft picks for young, unrealized talent. If that’s the case this year, there may be prime targets at each position.

ESPN+ (paywall recently put out their offseason predictions for each NFL team that has been eliminated. For the Atlanta Falcons, they predicted trading TE Kyle Pitts. For the New York Jets, they predicted trading RB Breece Hall. The Cowboys should absolutely be in on both.

New York Jets

Big prediction for the offseason: While receiver Garrett Wilson is the buzzy trade candidate these days, the Jets will end up trading their other young offensive star, Breece Hall. It’s a bad year for free agent running backs, but some teams will be looking for a similar veteran boost to those the Eagles, Ravens and Packers found on the veteran market last offseason. Hall’s injuries are starting to catch up to him, and the Jets would be wise to move on from him early, while he still has some value leaguewide — especially with young backs Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis showing promise. — Solak

The NFL has seen running backs with high draft pedigree take a few years to get passed their injury-prone ways. Christian McCaffrey was somewhat this guy in Carolina and Saquon Barkley was this guy in New York.

Hall had the big injury his rookie season, but he’s played through the smaller injuries for the most part his last two seasons. If the Jets are looking to offload the former second-round pick, Dallas should find out the asking price.

The 2025 draft is seen as one deep in running backs, but Dallas will likely have four fifth-round picks. Hall has just one year remaining on his rookie deal before free agency, and may not command much in return.

Atlanta Falcons

Big prediction for the offseason: Tight end Kyle Pitts is due $10.8 million on the final year of his deal in 2025. Can the Falcons get more for him in a trade than they would in a compensatory pick after he leaves in free agency? I think they could, as he has a rosier future on an offense that actually fits his skill set. My prediction: Pitts will get dealt to the Bengals for a Day 3 pick. — Solak

Pitts is set to play on the fifth-year option in 2025 as a former first-round pick. His rookie season was sensational, catching over 1,000 yards and making the Pro Bowl, but he hasn’t approached that level since. The 6-foot-6 Florida product was seen as a unicorn entering the 2021 draft but hasn’t been a great fit for the Falcons.

What he could bring to Dallas and Dak Prescott, who adores passing to the tight end down the seams, could be incredible.