Cowboys' Team Needs to Fill in 2024 NFL Free Agency

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off another 12-win season but are also coming off a disappointing early playoff exit.

There's work to be done in the 2024 offseason, and Dallas will have to be judicious in its approach. The NFL recently announced that the salary cap will be a record $255.4 million, but that still leaves Dallas facing a $3.2 million cap deficit. Additionally, the Cowboys will need to address contract extensions for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb in the very near future.

Because of their situation, the Cowboys would be wise to address certain needs in April's draft, where rookie contracts can provide a bit of financial relief. Dallas may not be especially active in the free-agent market, but it can help narrow its draft search by targeting a few veterans.

With this in mind, let's examine three positions that the Cowboys must try filling in free agency.

Running Back

Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard

Last offseason, the Cowboys used the franchise tag on Pro Bowl running back Tony Pollard and released longtime starter Ezekiel Elliott. That plan didn't exactly work out, as Dallas ranked just 20th in yards per carry and lacked balance offensively.

The Cowboys are highly unlikely to tag Pollard two years in a row, which leaves big question marks at the position—backup Rico Dowdle is also scheduled to be a free agent.

Dallas still doesn't know exactly what it has in second-year back Deuce Vaughn, and while it may target a back in April's draft, the 2024 class isn't loaded with top-tier prospects.

Florida State's Trey Benson is the top-ranked RB on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board, and he comes in as the 49th overall prospect.

Even if the Cowboys plan to target a prospect like Benson or Wisconsin's Braelon Allen, they should add some veteran insurance first. Fortunately, the free agent class is deep at the RB position.

Pollard, Elliott, Saquon Barkley, D'Andre Swift, Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry headline an impressive group of free-agent running backs. And if the Cowboys don't want to chase the top of the market, potential bargains like Gus Edwards and Zack Moss should also be available.

Cornerback

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Cowboys CB Stephon Gilmore

Cornerback was a team strength for Dallas in 2023, even with standout Trevon Diggs sidelined for most of the season. However, cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore, Jourdan Lewis, C.J. Goodwin and Noah Igbinoghene are all slated to hit the market.

This is a position Dallas should target early in the draft. Prospects like Alabama's Terrion Arnold, Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell and Alabama's Kool-Aid McKinstry have elite potential. Landing one of them could give Dallas a long-term complement to Diggs on the perimeter.

However, the free-agent cornerback market is set to be one of the better ones we've seen in recent years. It's headlined by young, budding stars like Jaylon Johnson and L'Jarius Snead and features several proven vets.

Cornerbacks scheduled to hit the market include Rock Ya-Sin, Chidobe Awuzie, C.J. Henderson, Kenny Moore II and Steven Nelson.

Dallas may be inclined to start with its own impending free agents—at least one of whom appears eager to return.

"I want to come back," Gilmore told 96.7 The Ticket. "We can't talk until March. But that's the goal."

Regardless, the Cowboys would be wise to double-dip into free agency and the draft to address the cornerback position.

Linebacker

Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Buccaneers LB Devin White

While Dallas' pass defense was mostly dependable last season, its run defense was not. The Cowboys weren't exactly awful against the run—they ranked 15th in yards per carry allowed—it struggled against top-tier teams.

Dallas was gashed on the ground by teams like the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills in the regular season and by the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.

The Cowboys have a severe lack of reliable off-ball linebacker depth, and with Leighton Vander Esch suffering another neck injury in 2023, there's a massive need at the position. The need is great enough that banking on a draft prospect like Clemson's Jeremiah Trotter Jr. or Texas A&M's Edgerrin Cooper alone wouldn't be enough.

Dallas should target a proven sideline-to-sideline defender in free agency, and fortunately, several should be available. The list of impending free agents includes legitimate stars like Patrick Queen, Bobby Wagner, Devin White and Lavonte David.

And if the Cowboys aren't willing to shell out top dollar for a non-rush linebacker, players like Azeez Al-Shaair and Jordyn Brooks should also be available.

If the Cowboys hope to contend against the NFC's top teams, who can all run the ball effectively, they need to improve in the second level, starting in free agency.

---

*Cap information via Spotrac.