Dallas Cowboys

Dallas carries $34.4M in dead money and only $1616.8M in cap room (21st in the league) this season, with the bill rising sharply to $338.0M in committed spending next year, so there is very little margin for error in free agency.

22 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Two starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Dallas holds five picks in the current draft cycle including three first-rounders, and 19 picks across the next three years, giving the front office real ammunition to attack the left tackle and linebacker needs.

• Acquired: Round 1 from Packers, this draft
• Acquired: Round 6 from Saints, next draft
• Acquired: Round 6 from Steelers, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Saints, next draft
• Traded away: Round 1 to Jets, this draft
• Traded away: Round 5 to Steelers, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Eagles, this draft
• Traded away: Round 4 to Packers, this draft

The roster's top strength is its star-level skill talent at receiver, quarterback, and defensive tackle, while the weakest spot is the starting left tackle and middle linebacker combination, both of which rank near the bottom of the league.

• LThigh

  Tyler Guyton starts at left tackle but grades out as one of the worst starters in the league at 74 overall (28th of 32), making this the most pressing need on the roster.

• MIKEhigh

  DeMarvion Overshown starts at MIKE at 75 overall and ranks 28th of 32 at the position, leaving the middle of the defense as a clear vulnerability.

• REDGElow

  Malachi Lawrence starts at right edge at 78 overall and ranks 20th of 32, a serviceable but upgradeable spot with young depth behind him in Donovan Ezeiruaku.

• RTlow

  Terence Steele holds the right tackle spot at 75 overall and ranks 21st of 32, a below-average starter the team should look to upgrade over the next few seasons.

• 69T.J. BassLGT.J. Bass is a 69 overall backup guard sitting third on the LG depth chart behind Tyler Smith and is a clean release that frees $5.8M with zero dead money.Frees $5.8M · $0 dead
• 78Von MillerLEDGEVon Miller is a 37 year old twilight-stage edge rusher at 78 overall who sits second on the LEDGE depth chart and releasing him frees $3.1M with no dead money.Frees $3.1M · $0 dead
• 61Princeton FantTEPrinceton Fant is a 61 overall tight end buried on the depth chart behind Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker, and cutting him frees $1.0M with no dead money.Frees $1.0M · $0 dead
• 65Sam HowellQBSam Howell is a 65 overall backup quarterback with no realistic path to the starting job, and releasing him frees $2.0M against only $500K in dead money.Frees $2.0M · $500.0K dead
• 73Jonathan BullardDTJonathan Bullard is a 73 overall backup defensive tackle at 32 years old who sits third behind Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark, and a cut would free $1.5M against $440K in dead money.Frees $1.5M · $440.0K dead

Dallas enters this franchise window with legitimate contender ingredients: Dak Prescott operating as an X Factor behind an offense built around CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, Quinnen Williams anchoring a stout defensive interior, and young cornerstones like Tyler Smith, Tyler Booker, and Caleb Downs already entrenched in the lineup. The offense can move the ball in a vertical power run system while the 4-3 Cover 2 defense is well-suited to the personnel. The critical question marks are left tackle, where Tyler Guyton is a 74 overall starter ranked 28th in the league, and middle linebacker, where DeMarvion Overshown ranks similarly low. Prescott is entering the later stage of his career, so the urgency is real: this team must compete now while building succession depth behind him. Cap space is limited this season and tightens further next year, but the rollover balance of $22.9M, ranked 3rd in the league, provides a cushion. Three first-round picks in the upcoming draft cycle give the front office the ammunition to close the roster gaps and sustain the contention window.

The Dallas Cowboys were founded in 1960 as an NFL expansion team in Dallas, Texas, originally to be called the 'Steers' and then 'Rangers' before settling on 'Cowboys.' Owned by Clint Murchison Jr. and run by GM Tex Schramm, personnel chief Gil Brandt, and head coach Tom Landry, the team went 0-11-1 in its first season. Beginning in 1966 the Cowboys reeled off an NFL-record 20 consecutive winning seasons (through 1985), and Landry, the only head coach for the franchise's first 29 seasons, built the 'Flex' Doomsday Defense and won Super Bowl VI and Super Bowl XII behind Hall of Fame QB Roger Staubach. After the 1978 season NFL Films editor Bob Ryan dubbed Dallas 'America's Team.' The modern era began in 1989 when Jerry Jones bought the team and replaced Landry with Jimmy Johnson; shrewd drafting (Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith) and the Herschel Walker trade fueled a 1990s dynasty led by 'The Triplets' (Aikman, Smith, Michael Irvin) that won Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII under Johnson and XXX under Barry Switzer. Those five Lombardi Trophies tie Dallas for third-most all-time, and its eight Super Bowl appearances are tied for second-most. Since Super Bowl XXX (January 1996), however, the Cowboys have not returned to a conference championship game, the recent Jones era defined by regular-season competitiveness paired with chronic playoff disappointment.