Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys Free Agents: Who Goes, Who Stays

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:48 p.m. ET

Fansided, Carl Daley/FanSided via The Landry Hat

The Dallas Cowboys will need to make several big decisions in the offseason as the team looks to re-sign several players. Jul 29, 2016, Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones (left) and owner Jerry Jones at press conference at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports The Dallas Cowboys will have several players on the offensive side of the ball hitting free agency this season. Who to retain may be their biggest challenge entering the offseason as they need to evaluate these players and make decisions that will affect the franchise for years to come.

Offensive Free Agents

The Cowboys will be looking to find a primary backup quarterback for the 2017 season. With both Kellen Moore and Mark Sanchez hitting free agency the quarterback position will still be a hot topic of discussion. If veteran quarterback Tony Romo wants to remain with the team he would still be my first choice to play if anything happened to starter Dak Prescott.

With Romo unlikely to remain with the club and look for a starting job most likely via trade the team will need a quality backup to Prescott. The team will unlikely re-sign Mark Sanchez after his abysmal performance against the Philadelphia Eagles, however he has been a staple in the Dallas Cowboys locker room especially to Prescott.

Moore has had an opportunity as well to start during the 2015 season and was not that impressive. The team in a pinch could look to the draft once again for their backup quarterback. The running back position will be another highly discussed subject as the team will see both Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar hit free agency.

While McFadden’s time with the Cowboys is likely over due to his age and lack of need at the position. Dunbar is a bit of a different story, the team needs a quality receiving back. Sure Cowboys star, Ezekiel Elliott is very efficient in the passing game they will likely want a different option to keep him fresh. Dunbar should be relatively cheap to retain as the team continues to build its stable of running backs.

Jan 15, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrance Williams (83) stiff arms against Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (21) in the NFC Divisional playoff game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Free Agents Continued…

Two Dallas Cowboy wide receivers will hit the open market as both Terrance Williams and Brice Butler are scheduled to become free agents. Butler has made less of an impact but will be a lot cheaper than re-signing Williams.

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I would legitimately look to move on from both and reload the wide receiving corps. But the more likely situation will be that Williams gets overpaid and Butler remains affordable.

The consistency level is just not high enough to really have either player as an effective number two wide receiver. Tight end Gavin Escobar will also become a free agent as the Cowboys will likely let him go after he failed to carve out a role for himself on offense.

Finally, we have two offensive guards, one of which is one of the Cowboys top free agents heading into the 2017 offseason. Offensive guards Ronald Leary and Jonathan Cooper will hit free agency and this may force the Cowboys to look for offensive line help in the draft.

Leary will get a monstrous contract, one in which the Cowboys simply cannot match. The team does not have the best cap situation in the NFL but can still make a play for several productive players during free agency, especially if they let Leary walk.

Nov 20, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West (28) tackled by Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Terrell McClain (97) and strong safety J.J. Wilcox (27) in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Free Agents

The defensive side of the football has some major holes the Cowboys will have to focus on this offseason. They will have a slew of defensive players hitting free agency and will need to carefully choose which ones to re-sign.

The Cowboys will see three defensive tackles in Terrell McClain, Richard Ash and Jack Crawford hit free agency, two of which they should be able to re-sign fairly easily.

McClain has played well as a quality role player and will continue to effectively stop opposing running backs as well as generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. McClain may generate a bigger salary than the other two players mentioned but the extra money could be worth it.

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The Cowboys will see defensive end Ryan Davis become a free agent however he too should also be fairly easy to ink a deal with. The linebackers and the secondary is where we see the real question marks pop up. Dallas will have three linebackers hit free agency as Andrew Gachkar, Justin Durant, and Rolando McClain’s contracts will expire.

Durant is really the only player out of the bunch I would look to re-sign as he has been the most effective on the field. McClain’s time with the franchise is clearly over after he decided to ruin his chances of landing a big contract after being suspended.

The only way the Cowboys would bring him back is for a team friendly deal however their patience has probably run out with the former first round pick.

Dec 18, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate (84) cannot catch the pass while defended by Dallas Cowboys strong safety Barry Church (42) and free safety Byron Jones (31) in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Free Agents Continued…

The defensive backfield is where the Cowboys will see a lot of talent leave their roster. It is easily the position most affected by free agency. Cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne along with safeties J.J. Wilcox and Barry Church will all see their contracts with the franchise expire.

Say what you will about his play on the field, Carr is a dependable starter, who has not missed a game in his time with Dallas.

The Cowboys will probably be interested in re-signing him, if they weren’t they would have likely traded him by now. Carr is a great guy in the locker room and on the field so the team would likely be happy with his return that is, if he lowered his salary a bit.

The team should also be interested in re-signing Claiborne however after his struggles on the field and with the ability to stay healthy the team could potentially move on from their former first round pick if he is not in a reasonable price range. Wilcox could also get the short end of the stick as the team looks to re-sign their primary starter.

The main priority for the team will likely be to re-sign veteran safety Barry Church. He remains one of the best tacklers on the Cowboys roster and has been an incredible force in this defense. Church is the priority signing for Dallas this offseason.