3 Biggest Free Agent Decisions for Cowboys' Jerry Jones in 2024 NFL Offseason

After earning the NFC's No. 2 seed, the Dallas Cowboys appeared to be a legitimate threat in the conference. The team hadn't lost at home since Week 1 of the 2022 season, and quarterback Dak Prescott had been playing incredibly well in Arlington.

The Green Bay Packers didn't get the memo, though, and rolled the Cowboys in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the 48-32 final score might indicate. Green Bay will advance to the divisional round, while it's back to the drawing board for Dallas.

Team owner and president Jerry Jones will have some difficult decisions to make in the offsason, and they could involve the future of head coach Mike McCarthy. Jones hinted before the playoffs that would evaluate McCarthy on a game-by-game basis in the playoffs.

We'll save the coaching discourse for another time, though. Here, we'll dive into three looming free-agency decisions that loom for Jones and the Cowboys.

Do the Cowboys Keep Brandin Cooks?

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Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks

The Cowboys made a shrewd trade for wide receiver Brandin Cooks last offseason, acquiring him from the Houston Texans for a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-rounder.

Cooks isn't scheduled to be a free agent, but Jones needs to decide if the 30-year-old receiver should become one.

While Cooks was serviceable as Dallas' No. 2 receiver behind CeeDee Lamb, He only had the occasional big game. He finished the regular season with 657 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Against the Packers, he had six catches for 47 yards but couldn't elevate the passing attack when Dak Prescott's connection with Lamb fell flat.

The potential problem with keeping Cooks is his $10 million cap hit. The Cowboys are projected to be $11.1 million over the cap, and releasing Cooks with a post-June 1 designation would save $8 million in cap space.

Lamb is also entering the final year of his rookie deal and due a significant pay raise.

Such a move could lead Dallas to target a receiver like Oregon's Troy Franklin or Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka in the draft. Keeping Cooks would make receiver less of a need, but would also help lead to a difficult cap situation.

Do the Cowboys Re-Sign Tyron Smith?

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Cowboys OT Tyron Smith

Left tackle Tyron Smith is scheduled to be a free agent, and re-signing him won't be an easy choice.

Smith has spent 13 seasons in Dallas and is still capable of playing at a Pro Bowl level when healthy. However, he's also 33 years old and has been limited by injuries in recent years. Over the past four seasons, he's only started 30 games.

Even with his age and injury history considered, Smith is likely to command a sizeable contract if he hits the open market. Given Dallas' cap situation, that presents a big problem.

Jones has a tendency to keep his players, but he will have to consider alternatives to retaining Smith. These could include moving Tyler Smith from guard to tackle again and/or targeting a lineman early in the draft.

Tyler Smith's ability to play tackle if needed gives Dallas some flexibility. The Cowboys could slide him over and target an interior lineman like Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga or Kansas State's Cooper Beebe in the draft.

Or Dallas could run it back with Tyron Smith covering Prescott's blind side, though doing so would limit the team's other financial options.

Does Dallas Find a New Running Back in Free Agency?

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Raiders RB Josh Jacobs

Jones' decision to release Ezekiel Elliott and roll with Tony Pollard as the every-down back didn't quite work. Pollard struggled as a runner in that role, backup Rico Dowdle was equally average, and rookie sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn rarely saw the field.

As a result, Dallas ranked just 20th in yards per carry. Dallas rarely had an alternative to letting Prescott and the passing game carry the offense.

Pollard is set to become a free agent after playing under the franchise tag in 2023. The Cowboys must decide whether to re-sign Pollard, find a replacement in free agency or target a new running back in the draft.

The 2024 draft isn't expected to be loaded with top-tier RB prospects. With TreVeyon Henderson returning to Ohio State, Florida State's Trey Benson is now the highest-ranked back on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board, at No. 47.

Several established running backs are slated to reach free agency, though, including Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler, Gus Edwards and Elliott.

Dallas isn't loaded with cap space, but the depressed running back market could allow Jones to find a value at the position—and quite possibly, more value at other positions in the draft.

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*Cap, contract and free-agent status information via Spotrac.