2025 NFL free agency: Six franchises with the toughest tasks this offseason – Matt Okada, NFL.com

The Cowboys have a lot of holes to fill, and not much suggesting they’ll be aggressive beyond the draft.

After signing Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to massive contract extensions last fall, the Cowboys got seven wins and another disappointing season out of it. Now they’re sitting roughly even on cap space, coming off their first losing record since 2020 and staring at a potential Micah Parsons extension that should make him the highest-paid defender in football. With the meteoric rise of Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, they’re also suddenly competing in a division featuring NFC runner-up Washington and the Super Bowl-champion Eagles.

Meanwhile, defensive vets Demarcus Lawrence, Eric Kendricks, Jourdan Lewis and Osa Odighizuwa are all due to hit free agency this spring, as is offensive line mainstay Zack Martin (who could hang the cleats up for good). They’ve also struggled to find a reliable run game — missing out on the Derrick Henry sweepstakes last free agency period — or a secondary receiver behind Lamb, with Brandin Cooks also on the list of impending departures. With things as they are, it looks like there is a very tall task facing the front office and new head coach Brian Schottenheimer in 2025.

3 things the Dallas Cowboys must do to become Super Bowl contenders – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News

The Cowboys will have to deal with the defending champions in their division if they hope to at least get back to the playoffs in 2025.

Find a playmaker

Cooper Kupp and Deebo Samuel are on the trade market, but the resources needed to acquire one of them could be too steep for the Cowboys. But if you’re trying to win now, which is something Jerry Jones said last week from the Super Bowl, then swing for the fences here. The draft is another way to find a playmaker. Selecting a dynamic running back or a wide receiver in one of the first two rounds is ideal.

Re-sign Odighizuwa

Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa had his best season, and it came in a contract year. The defensive tackle position has been a weakness the past few seasons for this franchise. Odighizuwa’s best came at the right time for him, but will it generate a new deal from Dallas? There are seven interior defensive linemen averaging $21 million per season. Odighizuwa should average less than that. Maybe he comes in at $10 million to $15 million per season. Is he worth it?

Don’t let Jerry Jones fool you, the Dallas Cowboys could make this work – Shane Taylor, Inside The Star

The Cowboys dependency on only using the draft to improve the roster is catching up to them, with no end in sight this offseason.

Every offseason we listen to Jerry talk about how they don’t have the money and can’t spend and everything else, yet the Eagles have 8 guys playing on a contract that’s worth $50 million or more in total.

Yes, you read that correctly. They have six guys making an average annual salary of $20 million or more, so keep this in mind the next time Jerry Jones comes out and says that the team is on a budget, don’t buy it.

The other problem is just the way the Cowboys front office does stuff. They waited way to long to sign CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott last season, they never do these deals early enough and beat other teams to save some money.

This team has over 20 pending free agents, and if we thought this season was bad, next year is going to be even worse.

Only three other NFL teams have a longer shot than Dallas to win the Super Bowl in 2026. The Giants, Saints and Panthers. How embarrassing is that?

The Eagles won a Super Bowl, tore it all the way down, went back to the Super Bowl TWICE and now have won it AGAIN!

Cowboys expected to hire former Bills and Browns OC Ken Dorsey – Connor Livesay, Blogging The Boys

Brian Schottenheimer has added even more experience to the offensive side of his coaching staff with Ken Dorsey.

Dorsey, 43, has spent time as quarterbacks coach with the Carolina Panthers (2013-2017), Buffalo Bills (2019-2021), and was promoted to offensive coordinator for the Bills in 2022. Dorsey was fired mid-year in 2023, which was met with much criticism around the league.

In his full season with the Bills, Dorsey led the Bills to the second-overall EPA/play and second-overall success rate. Dorsey’s role in Dallas is yet to be defined, but we can add him to the list as another coach who has had previous success who should help bolster the offensive coaching staff that has already received rave reviews.

As it stands today, there has yet to be a quarterback’s coach named in Brian Schottenheimer’s staff, so that is a position to keep an eye on as things develop.

5 Most Important Moves Brian Schottenheimer Must Make in 1st Year as Cowboys Coach – Brad Gagnon, Bleacher Report

For a team that seems hellbent on running the football again, who exactly will be carrying the rock next season is a mystery.

Go Get a Running Back

A great run-oriented playbook and a top-notch run-focused play-caller only gets you so far if your running backs lack talent. And with Tony Pollard gone and Ezekiel Elliott far beyond his prime, that was often the case as the Cowboys ranked 30th with 4.0 yards per carry while scoring a league-low six rushing touchdowns in 2024.

Now, with Rico Dowdle hitting free agency, Schottenheimer has a chance to go out and land a back of his choosing. That could mean former Boise State star Ashton Jeanty in the first round of the draft, but a back that early is questionable when you have other areas to address.

Alternatively, Najee Harris and J.K. Dobbins are intriguing impending free-agent targets who could pay major dividends in Schottenheimer’s offense.