Dallas Cowboys

Dallas has only $14.0M in room now, projects to be $10.6M over the cap next season, and carries $34.4M in dead money, making every roster addition a financial puzzle.

24 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Three starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Dallas holds five picks in the current draft, including three first-rounders, giving the front office real rebuild ammunition despite the thin overall volume.

• 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 the receiver room, headlined by a 96 overall and an 88 overall starter, while the most glaring weakness is middle linebacker, where the starter ranks 29th in the league.

• MIKEhigh

  DeMarvion Overshown starts at MIKE but Dallas ranks 29th at the position among starters, making this the most urgent upgrade on the roster.

• WILLmedium

  Jaishawn Barham is the starter at WILL and carries Star development upside, but the position still ranks 26th among starters and needs either a veteran addition or accelerated development.

• FSlow

  Malik Hooker holds the starting spot at free safety, though the position ranks 21st among starters and Hooker is entering the later stage of his career, making depth a concern.

• LEDGElow

  Rashan Gary starts at left edge with Von Miller as the backup, but Miller is at the twilight of his career and the position ranks 23rd among starters, leaving the group thin past Gary.

• LTlow

  Tyler Guyton starts at left tackle and is only 24 years old with Star development, so the 23rd-ranked starter grade reflects current production rather than ceiling.

• REDGElow

  Malachi Lawrence starts at right edge backed by Donovan Ezeiruaku, and while the depth grades fifth overall, the starter ranks 20th, meaning consistent pass-rush production from this spot is not yet a given.

• RTlow

  Terence Steele starts at right tackle and ranks 23rd among starters, with Drew Shelton as the only backup, leaving the position vulnerable to injury.

• TElow

  Jake Ferguson is a 78 overall Superstar starter at tight end, but the group ranks 25th in depth, and the backups behind him are well below his level.

• 70T.J. BassLGT.J. Bass is a 70 overall backup guard behind Tyler Smith on the depth chart and releasing him frees $5.8M with zero dead money, making him the highest-value cap cut on the roster.Frees $5.8M · $0 dead
• 77Von MillerLEDGEVon Miller is 37 years old, in the twilight of his career, and lines up as the second-string left edge behind Rashan Gary, so releasing him frees $3.1M with no dead money against a cap that sits at $14.0M.Frees $3.1M · $0 dead
• 61Princeton FantTEPrinceton Fant grades at 61 overall and sits third on the tight end depth chart behind Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker, so the $1.0M in savings with no dead money is a clean cut.Frees $1.0M · $0 dead
• 65Sam HowellQBSam Howell is the backup quarterback at 65 overall behind Dak Prescott, and releasing him recovers $2.0M against only $500K in dead money, freeing nearly $1.5M net at a position that needs only a placeholder.Frees $2.0M · $500.0K dead
• 73Jonathan BullardDTJonathan Bullard is a 73 overall backup interior lineman behind Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark, and releasing him frees $1.5M while leaving only $440K in dead money on the books.Frees $1.5M · $440.0K dead

Dallas enters this franchise window with a genuinely star-studded skill group, led by CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens at receiver and anchored up front by Quinnen Williams and Tyler Smith. The offense is capable of producing immediately, and Dak Prescott remains a high-level starter. However, Prescott is entering the later stage of his career, and the franchise must begin building a succession path at quarterback while he can still carry games. The cap picture is the most pressing structural issue: Dallas carries $34.4M in dead money, only $14.0M in current room ranked 27th in the league, and projects to be $10.6M over next season, meaning every roster move requires creative accounting. Middle linebacker is a critical on-field hole with the starter ranking 29th in the league. The young core of Tyler Booker and Caleb Downs gives reason for optimism, and the left edge and right edge groups have developmental pieces in Malachi Lawrence and Donovan Ezeiruaku. If the cap can be restructured and the linebacker room upgraded, Dallas has the talent to contend in the near term, but the margin for error is thin.

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.