As training camp draws closer, a handful of familiar Cowboys names are still sitting on the open market, and Dallas could still circle back on some of them.
One of the biggest surprises is edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney. He joined Dallas midseason and finished as the team’s sack leader with 8.5, catching fire late in the year. At 33, he remains unsigned, with the sense that he may simply be waiting to land in the best spot for a playoff push.
There are also several former Cowboys who ended the season on the roster and are still free agents. That group includes LB Logan Wilson, who retired, RB Miles Sanders, CB CJ Goodwin, who also retired, OL Hakeem Adeniji, DT Perrion Winfrey and CB Corey Ballentine.
While Dallas could still look to add experience, the bigger internal storyline is at left tackle, where Tyler Guyton is working to sharpen his game before a crucial season. Guyton has spent part of the offseason training with Eagles left tackle Lane Johnson, a future Hall of Famer, along with a high-level group that includes Patriots left tackle Will Campbell, Buccaneers tackle Tristan Wirfs, Chiefs center Creed Humphrey and Bills tackle Dion Dawkins.
That work matters because the left tackle job is open, and Dallas needs someone to take a real step forward in year three. The offense is bringing back all 11 starters from its impressive 2025 campaign, which puts the spotlight squarely on Guyton or Thomas to handle Dak Prescott’s blindside and keep the unit operating at its highest level.
Guyton has played in 25 games with 21 starts over his first two seasons, and he was on the field for 93 percent of snaps in the 10 games he appeared in last season. Now the question is whether that offseason work translates once camp and the preseason arrive in a matter of weeks.
Another young Cowboy facing a tough path is Marist Liufau. Dallas added eight linebackers this offseason, a group headlined by rookies Malachi Lawrence and Jaishawn Barham plus veteran additions Rashan Gary, Dee Winters and Curtis Robinson. With that much movement, the linebacker room is still being sorted out as Parker tries to determine who fits where, and Liufau is no longer working on the inside.
That shift comes after two seasons in Dallas in which Liufau started 14 games and, by the source’s description, struggled badly. His coverage numbers have been rough - 35 receptions allowed on 39 targets - and he’s giving up 9.5 yards per catch, according to Pro Football Focus. The run defense hasn’t been much better, either, with a missed tackle rate of 18.4.
There is at least some pass-rush production to point to. Over those two seasons, Liufau has posted 3.0 sacks and 14 hurries. But the Cowboys clearly felt they could not keep putting him in a spot where he was hurting the defense at inside linebacker.
And while Dallas sorts through its own roster questions, one thing appears clear in the division: the Eagles are still dangerous, but not without concerns. Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith and that offensive line still give Philadelphia plenty of firepower, but the offense may need to become more structured in the passing game without A.J. Brown to lean on.
The take there is blunt: Hurts prefers simple looks and easy throws that can turn into big gains, and the challenge will be asking him to do more without Brown as the safety net. Maybe he handles it.
Maybe nobody cares by Thanksgiving. Either way, the hope from Dallas’ side is obvious - get to the top of the division before Philadelphia sorts itself out.
In Other News...
Commanders Just Twisted The Knife On Cowboys' Biggest Secondary Concern
The Commanders kept building out their secondary by adding veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas on a deal reportedly worth $3.8 million, a move that gives Washington another experienced body in a room that still has its own questions. Douglas has been around the league enough to know the job, with stops that include Green Bay and Miami, and his arrival is the sort of depth signing teams make when they want a steadier floor on the back end.
For Dallas, the timing lands with a little more sting because the Cowboys are already dealing with uncertainty at corner. Health concerns around DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel have made the position a real watch item, and the depth behind them is thin enough that every outside move in the division feels a little louder than it otherwise would. In a race where secondary stability matters, Washington just made sure it has one more option while the Cowboys are still sorting out theirs. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Linked To Veteran Answer For A Defense That Needs One
The Cowboys linebacker room remains one of the cleaner places to look for help on a defense that still needs it, and a veteran option has surfaced as a logical fit. Bobby Wagner is coming off another productive season, showing he can still handle a full workload and bring the kind of steadiness that teams lean on when the middle of the defense needs sorting out.
Dallas has at least one added wrinkle here, too, because Brian Schottenheimer already knows Wagner from their Seahawks days. Even so, this is still more of a fit check than a transaction report, with the Cowboys linked to the idea of adding a proven linebacker but no move actually in hand yet. [Read more 🡒]
New Findings On Marshawn Kneelands Death Will Hit Cowboys Fans Hard
Marshawn Kneelands death has already left the Cowboys community grieving, and the latest findings add another painful layer to remember about the former defensive lineman. The Boston University CTE Center examined his brain tissue, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation later announced a posthumous diagnosis of Stage 1 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition tied to repeated head impacts and one that can only be identified after death through neuropathological examination.
Kneeland was just 24 when he died, and the news is especially sobering for a player whose NFL career had only just begun to take shape. His family donated his brain tissue for the examination, and the foundation has emphasized that the diagnosis should not be read as a cause of death or a proven suicide risk factor, a distinction that matters even as the football world keeps confronting the long-term toll of the game. [Read more 🡒]