If your definition of “all in” for the Dallas Cowboys means spending big early in free agency, clearly you and Jerry Jones have different opinions. As expected, Dallas was not active when the NFL’s free-agency negotiating period opened Monday. However, the Cowboys have seen three of their top unrestricted free agents agree to deals with other teams. Running back Tony Pollard agreed to a three-year, $24 million contract with the Tennessee Titans. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $45 million with the Washington Commanders. Center Tyler Biadasz agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract with the Commanders.
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None of the departures were a surprise, especially after seeing the numbers. The Cowboys were never going to match those three offers. How Dallas will address those losses remains to be seen. The Athletic’s Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf answered three quick questions to sum up where things stood through the first six hours of the two-day negotiating period.
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Just because the Cowboys were inactive Monday doesn’t mean they will be the rest of the week, right?
Machota: Correct. Jones and company will make some moves, it’s just unlikely to be the big splash moves many were probably expecting when the Cowboys owner and general manager mentioned being “all in” this season while he was at the Senior Bowl. At the very least, the Cowboys will fill some roster holes so they aren’t forced to draft a certain position next month. With that said, the loss of Biadasz makes it very likely that Dallas will be drafting a center at some point. Drafting a running back to replace Pollard also seems like a good bet. In regard to adding veterans, linebacker and defensive tackle are two areas I expect them to make moves either via free agency or trade.
Yousuf: That’s right. Based on their history, the Cowboys’ silence Monday was the expectation, even though there was a strong case to be made that a change in philosophy should have been in order. However, the Cowboys stayed true to their ways. They’ll have to jump into the action at some point, though, because the roster — as it stands right now — is significantly flawed, or downright empty, at a few positions. Overpaying is always a risk early in free agency, but there is a reason why these players got scooped up early. The Cowboys once again decided that the perceived difference between the early and later talents available wasn’t worth it.
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Which player who agreed to terms surprised you most because you thought Dallas might be a landing spot?
Machota: None. I never expected the Cowboys to be active early in free agency. Most of the deals surfacing Monday were ones where the players were getting noteworthy deals. Dallas is going to do what it has been doing, not overpaying, hoping to find bargains to fill holes later in free agency. Understandably, that angers fans. But the Cowboys maintain they don’t want to do anything to jeopardize their chances of re-signing Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb. They believe spending big on a player right now could do that.
Yousuf: I wouldn’t say Blake Cashman signing elsewhere was terribly surprising because there weren’t any strong rumblings of interest from the Cowboys, but the former Houston Texans linebacker is coming off his best season and plays a style the Cowboys can use on the second layer of their defense. For how much the Cowboys front office has talked about improving the run defense, I thought there might be a player at defensive tackle or linebacker who could be pursued in the first wave of free agency. Cashman, who signed in Minnesota, didn’t profile as a top-tier talent but was still an upgrade for Dallas.
Which player are you most interested in now to see if the Cowboys pursue?
Machota: I don’t believe they will add either of these players, but running backs Derrick Henry and Aaron Jones are interesting. Running back is clearly a need. Could the price fall on either far enough where the Cowboys would be players? Maybe. Henry would bring a great physical style that was missing last season, and he appears to have tread left on his tires. Jones, who was released by the Green Bay Packers on Monday, has been a Cowboys killer. He was outstanding against Dallas in Green Bay’s wild-card win, finishing with 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns. In three regular-season games against the Cowboys, Jones has rushed for 370 yards and six touchdowns.
Yousuf: There are always players who wait out their options, and Cincinnati defensive tackle D.J. Reader is in that category this year. Reader has some injury history that teams have to be wary of, but he’s talented and the Cowboys could use him to anchor their defensive line and improve the run defense. Defensive tackles have been flying off the board, with Chris Jones at the very top to Christian Wilkins and Grover Stewart, among others. Guys like Reader and Leonard Williams are still available.
(Photo of Aaron Jones: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)