Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys have become infamous for their hesitancy to spend money in the NFL offseason. While they were more active than last year, especially in the trade market, the Cowboys’ 2025 outlook doesn’t look promising after failing to address their biggest weaknesses in free agency.
Cowboys Drop Outside of Top Half in Post-Free Agency NFL Power Rankings
The Cowboys’ notable signings include defensive ends Solomon Thomas and Payton Turner, guard Robert Jones, running back Javonte Williams, and linebacker Jack Sanborn. However, their additions have been widely considered underwhelming, and they’ve lost several key players, including cornerback Jourdan Lewis, offensive tackle Chuma Edoga, defensive ends Chauncey Golston and DeMarcus Lawrence, and running back Rico Dowdle.
The Cowboys did extend defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa on a four-year, $80 million deal and restructured the contracts of quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to free up cap space. But without Lewis and Lawrence, Dallas’ 25th-ranked defense from a year ago is likely to decline even further.
That’s why the Cowboys have fallen to 20th place in PFSN’s Post-Free Agency NFL Power Rankings, per Kyle Soppe, who argues that Dallas failed to address its biggest issues in free agency.
“The Dallas Cowboys’ 2024 season unraveled after Dak Prescott’s injury, but even when healthy, this team had some major flaws.
“The biggest concern? Dallas had the worst red-zone defense since the 2021 Raiders, allowing opponents to score touchdowns on 75% of trips inside the 20-yard line.
“No playoff team last season had a red-zone defense worse than 64%, so if Dallas doesn’t improve in this area, even a healthy Prescott won’t be enough to push them into the top half of the rankings.
“Losing DeMarcus Lawrence to Seattle is another huge blow. His departure caps the defense’s upside, especially in a stacked NFC East where the Cowboys need to compete with the Eagles and Commanders.”
The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders are ranked fourth and sixth, respectively, thanks to explosive offenses led by Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels, while the Cowboys look to be held back by their defense once again.
In addition to struggles in the red zone, Dallas had major issues at cornerback last season, as Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland played just one game together. While they added 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam, the former Buffalo Bills CB has just two career interceptions and remains unproven as a starter.
Dallas also hurt itself financially for the second straight year by not extending Micah Parsons earlier. His price tag has now only likely risen — particularly after Myles Garrett’s record-setting extension. If the Cowboys don’t pay him soon, they could be in for even more trouble down the road.