Dallas Cowboys Facing Ugly Situation Heading Into NFL Free Agency
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The Dallas Cowboys once again are one of the most popular topics in the NFL ahead of the 2026 free agency period. Some sense that they are a couple of moves away from contention, and they have options to improve their level.
Amid the George Pickens saga, the Cowboys retained running back Javonte Williams on a three-year, $24 million contract extension. Additionally, they cut linebacker Logan Wilson, whom they traded for ahead of the trade deadline. The move saved them $6.5 million in cap space.
The NFL announced that the salary cap for 2026 was set at $301.2 million, a $22 million increase from 2025. While many teams celebrated the decision, the Cowboys didn’t see a major change in their situation.
Dallas Cowboys Remain Dead Last on Salary Cap Space List
Over The Cap projects the Dallas Cowboys to be $56 million over the salary cap, which is $11 million higher than their closest pursuers, the Minnesota Vikings. They rank dead last in cap space across the league, even with the NFL’s latest move.
They still have chances to lower the number. Some of their best stars can help them save more money with contract restructures.
“More than $131 million can be freed up by the Cowboys via restructures that do not require a player’s permission to do (e.g., Dak Precott, Tyler Smith, CeeDee Lamb, Osa Odighizuwa, with $52 million more available via additional restructures),” wrote Dallascowboys.com’s Patrik Walker.
Extending players such as Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams to lower their respective cap hits could save them more money. They want to compete and that takes money most of the time. Time will tell how the Cowboys figure this out.
