DALLAS — NFL free agency has just begun, and it’s already been a nightmare for the Dallas Cowboys. The league opened its legal tampering period on Monday, and the Cowboys were quickly part of the furious action but for all the wrong reasons.
There were 32 teams in the NFL, but only one that didn’t make a move on Day 1. The Cowboys were silent as the rest of the league went about improving themselves, all while Jerry and Stephen Jones watched their franchise lose players and stay dormant.
Dallas had 16 free agents coming into the offseason, and although many were expected to leave, it was hard to watch the exodus take flight so early in the process. Players that the team had hoped might return swiftly found other, richer opportunities elsewhere.
The first domino to fall was running back Tony Pollard. The Cowboys had hoped that last year’s starting running back, who eclipsed 1,000 yards for the second straight year, might return. Pollard was rumored to be interested in returning on a team friendly deal to remain in Dallas, but that went out the window when he was offered much more money to play with his hometown team. The Tennessee Titans and Pollard agreed on a deal that will pay him $8 million annually.
Losing Pollard wouldn’t have been a huge issue if the team had found a way to replace him, and there is still time, of course, but the premium options have dwindled. The effort to solve the running back shortage on day one fell short with former Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss.
After not hearing from the organization all day, the Cowboys finally tried to sign Moss as a free agent. Moss inked an inexpensive deal with the Cincinnati Bengals at a price the Cowboys felt uncomfortable with.
That’s not a high cost for a starting-caliber running back in the NFL today, but the team wasn’t willing to pay for Moss coming off a career year. It’s a telling comment on where the franchise is that they are unwilling or can’t afford to pay a good running back market value.
If the Cowboys don’t want to pay over the $4 million mark for their next running back, they surely weren’t in on any of the bigger names at the position in free agency. Most of the best options are already off the market now and any dreams of adding Derrick Henry ended early on Tuesday.
The Washington Commanders in particular raided the Cowboys under former defensive coordinator-turned new head coach Dan Quinn.
Three now-former Cowboys are headed to the Washington D.C. area. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong, who had spent his first six seasons with Dallas, left to play with Quinn. Armstrong will get more opportunities with the Commanders and is coming off his two best seasons, tallying 8.5 and 7.5 sacks respectively.
The veteran defensive end is also a good special teams contributor who blocked punts and field goal attempts during his time in Dallas. At 27-years old when the 2024 season begins, Armstrong is still in his prime and is a solid rotation pass rusher that the Cowboys will miss.
Center Tyler Biadasz followed Armstrong to Washington to reunite with Quinn. Unlike Armstrong, Biadasz didn’t play on the defensive side of the ball for the new coach, but the Commanders offered the center more than Dallas would’ve been willing to pay.
As the starting center for the last three years with the Cowboys, Biadasz played well taking over for former All-Pro Travis Frederick and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2022.
Edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. also will be headed to Washington, according to reports. Fowler recorded 10 sacks over the past two seasons under Quinn's defense.
If you’re keeping score at home, that makes two starters, and a valuable role player that the team lost in free agency on the first day. It’s not just that the Cowboys aren’t signing expensive free agents, it’s that they’re seemingly no longer able to re-sign their own players, which is entirely the point of their ongoing philosophy.
Nevertheless, the Cowboys were expecting to lose many of their free agents as they save up to pay their bigger stars and things escalated quickly. Any thoughts of keeping any of their homegrown depth players on a cheap deal were gone early in the process.
While the Joneses were busy sitting on their hands, staying true to a process that has not even produced a conference championship game appearance, every other team in the NFC East got better. The Philadelphia Eagles signed running back Saquon Barkley and edge rusher Bryce Huff, both among the better free agents available.
Meanwhile the New York Giants added two starting offensive linemen, running back Devin Singletary for the backfield, and traded for pass rusher Brian Burns. The Giants may have lost Barkley to a rival, but Burns is one of the best edge rushers in the league with 46 sacks in his first five seasons.
The Commanders added the two Cowboys, one of the better linebackers available in Frankie Luvu, and running back Austin Ekeler. That’s a hefty haul for a team that had money to spend and needed an influx of talent.
All this happened while the Cowboys frustrated their fans and confused pundits by doing nothing after ownership had declared 2024 as the year that they would focus on getting the Cowboys over the hump. Instead, with nothing to show from the opportunity to acquire the best available veteran talent, they opened themselves up to ridicule.
It wasn’t a banner day in Dallas as the team continues to cite salary cap reasons for not being aggressive while 31 other teams find their way around such issues. Yet it shouldn’t have been a surprise. This is how the team has operated in free agency in the last 12 years. The Cowboys simply do not get involved early in the open market.
Day two did see Dallas finally jump into the fray by re-signing long snapper Trent Sieg and fans across the globe jumped for joy! The Cowboys are on the board!
It’s still early in the process, but don’t expect much to change for the Cowboys until the second or third week of free agency. In the meantime, the frustration for the franchise grows.
Welcome to the offseason for the Dallas Cowboys!
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