Dallas Cowboys

Dallas is dead last in cap room at $2.6M with $34.4M in dead money dragging the sheet, so every addition this season requires a corresponding cut.

30 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Six starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

The roster's top strength is its receiver and defensive tackle talent, led by the 93-overall Lamb, 92-overall Williams, and 89-overall Pickens, while the offensive tackle positions, both currently grading in the 70s, represent the weakest spot on the depth chart.

• LTmedium

  Tyler Guyton is the starter at 73 overall with a Star dev trait and room to grow, but the position remains a medium need until he develops into a reliable anchor.

• RTlow

  Terence Steele holds the starting job but grades out at just 75 overall, making right tackle a low-priority upgrade worth addressing when cap space allows.

• Vertical SpreadoffensiveGood

  CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens give Dak Prescott two legitimate deep threats, and Jake Ferguson as a receiving tight end further stresses defenses vertically.

• Balanced 4-3defensiveGood

  Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark form a disruptive interior tandem, Rashan Gary provides pass-rush juice off the edge, and the secondary is headlined by DaRon Bland, making a four-man front a natural fit.

• 69T.J. BassRGT.J. Bass sits third on the right guard depth chart behind starter Tyler Booker and is redundant at 69 overall, and releasing him frees $5.8M with zero dead money.Frees $5.8M · $0 dead
• 59Curtis RobinsonWILLCurtis Robinson grades out at just 59 overall and sits second on the SAM depth chart, making his $1.2M cap hit an easy cut with no dead money attached.Frees $1.2M · $0 dead
• 61Princeton FantTEPrinceton Fant is buried on the tight end depth chart behind Ferguson and Schoonmaker at just 61 overall, and his release frees $1.0M with no dead money penalty.Frees $1.0M · $0 dead
• 65Sam HowellQBSam Howell sits third on the quarterback depth chart at 65 overall behind Prescott and Milton, and cutting him recovers $2.0M against only $500K in dead money.Frees $2.0M · $500.0K dead
• 78Malik HookerFSMalik Hooker is the backup free safety behind Jalen Thompson at 78 overall, but his release carries $3.8M in dead money against only $2.8M freed, making this cut one to weigh carefully.Frees $2.8M · $3.8M dead

The Cowboys enter franchise mode as a genuinely talented but financially strained contender. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Quinnen Williams give the team legitimate star power on both sides of the ball, and the offensive line is anchored by Tyler Smith with young Tyler Booker already starting at right guard. The concern is the cap sheet: Dallas carries $34.4M in dead money, sits at $2.6M in cap room ranked last in the league, and is committed to $335.6M next season. That reality limits roster maneuvering in the near term. Prescott is entering the later stage of his career, so the contention window is real but not unlimited, and the plan must balance winning now with succession planning at quarterback. Caleb Downs and Tyler Booker represent a genuine young core, and the defense is further bolstered by Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark, though both are trending toward the later portions of their careers. If the front office can shed dead weight, hit on young contributors, and develop Guyton at left tackle, this roster has the ceiling to compete.

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.