The offseason for the Dallas Cowboys was extremely quiet. The atmosphere surrounding America’s Team is never boring, despite the absence of activity.
Dallas’s long-term prospects are questionable for a number of its best players, and the team might not look the same this time next year. In light of this, we examine three players that are currently with Dallas that are probably not going to be on the team in the upcoming season (plus an additional special mention).
Cooks, WR Brandin Wide receiver Brandin Cooks, a veteran, had a fantastic rookie season in Dallas. Cooks, a 30-year-old wide receiver, was essentially a non-factor during Dallas’s sluggish start before he emerged as a crucial component of the offense. Cooks finished the Cowboys’ regular season with 45 receptions for 584 yards, an average of almost 13 yards per reception, and an astounding eight touchdowns. The Cowboys were practically invincible after Cooks got engaged in the offense. For the season, Dallas was 9-0 when Cooks caught three receptions or more in a game, 9-0 when Cooks gained more than thirty receiving yards, and 7-1 when Cooks scored a touchdown.
All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is well-complemented by Cooks, but their playing careers are probably coming to an end after this one. Given that the Cowboys have numerous star player extensions pending and that both wideouts will be free agents at the end of the following season, Dallas will probably have to decide which of the two to bring back. Although Cooks has had a fantastic career spanning ten years and has achieved some amazing things, Lamb is the obvious favorite to return. Despite his significance to Dallas’ offensive performance, it is highly likely that Cooks’ time in Dallas will come to an end this season.
2. Marcus Lawrence DE thirty-two Over the past few seasons, one of the NFL’s most undervalued and underappreciated defensive players has been DeMarcus Lawrence. Pro Football Focus ranks the 2014 second-round draft selection as the second-best run defender in football after he participated in all 17 regular season games. He was terrific last year. Both Lawrence’s overall defensive grade of 91.0 and his PFF run defense grade of 92.2 were the second-highest of his career. In his ten years in Dallas, Lawrence has been a fantastic Cowboy, but this fall’s 11th season will probably be his last. Marshawn Kneeland, a Western Michigan edge, was selected by the Cowboys with their second-round pick in the current draft.The 22-year-old, who has a considerably less polished profile than Lawrence, is best known for his ability to halt the run. Dallas will almost definitely insert Kneeland in for Lawrence, who is scheduled to become a free agent after this season, so saving them a significant amount of money at the position. These savings may provide enough budget room in the upcoming spring to award teammate edge rusher Micah Parsons a long-term contract extension.
OL Zack Martin #3 Zack Martin has a good shot of ranking among the top ten Cowboys of all time when it all comes down to it. For the third time in his ten-year career, the 33-year-old guard was named to the First Team All-Pro after an incredible season. Martin, who agreed to a two-year contract extension during training camp the previous summer, will make his NFL debut on the open market in the spring of 2019. Although Martin might choose to follow Tyron Smith’s path and play out this season before accepting a free agent contract with another team, it appears quite likely that he will play for the Cowboys.
interview with Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Martin stated, “I think it’s definitely in the realm of possibilities, but I’m not saying 100%.” And that’s one thing I’m not interested in doing. I don’t want to be thinking, “Oh, this is it,” for me. This concludes it.
I want to play as well as I can right now, be in the present, and be the best right guard this team needs every single week. We will then determine the situation following the season. It appears likely that Martin will give this option serious thought after the forthcoming season if he is already thinking about retiring. This could be the ideal moment for one of Dallas’ greatest players of the past 20 years to retire because his contract is about to expire.
Commendation – Quarterback Dak Prescott Though the Cowboys claim they will sign Prescott to a new contract, this one is still up in the air. However, the impact on the team would be so significant that we would go ahead and address it. Dallas’ offensive have led the league in 2021 and 2023 and have been in the top five in points scored in each of the last three seasons since 2021. The 30-year-old quarterback, Prescott, has been the primary force behind this offensive success, even in the face of an erratic offensive line and an up-and-down rushing assault. Prescott arguably had his best year ever the previous season. In the NFL, the signal-caller placed second in terms of EPA+CPOE (0.164), EPA/Play (0.245), and Success Rate at the end of the season. (52.6%)
- With 36 touchdown throws, Prescott led the league. Had his defense managed to stop Miami in Week 16, he most likely would have won league MVP. In spite of everything, the Cowboys have yet to extend their star as training camp is just over a month away. Long-term contracts have been given to a number of quarterbacks who perform worse than Prescott, such as Trevor Lawrence and Jared Goff, but not to Dallas’ signal-caller. Dallas may decide to change their ways and offer Prescott a contract worth about $60 million a year, but the longer they delay, the more doubts grow about whether they will allow Dak leave after this season.