QB – All players locked up
RB – Either need to lock up Tony Pollard, or draft a new RB
TE – Cowboys are set at TE
WR – Cowboys are set at WR, but could choose to cut Gallup if he doesn’t perform in 2023. Cooks is signed through 2024.
OT – Both of the Cowboys starting Tackles are in the final year of their contracts. The Cowboys need to lock up Terence Steele with a contract extension, or potentially use the franchise tag to keep him. Tyron is likely on a year-to-year contract basis with the Cowboys. The interesting thing is this. If Tyron retires next season, do the Cowboys spend a 1st round pick on another LT, or do they move Tyler Smith back out to LT, and draft a Guard to replace Tyler Smith at Left Guard? Will Asim Richards or T.J. Bass be able to take over at LG next season??
OG – Both of the Cowboys Guards are signed through 2024, but if Tyler Smith moves outside to Guard, do the Cowboys already have players on the roster to replace Smith at Guard? Or do they need to draft someone? Only the coaches will know if they have confidence in the current players to play Left Guard next season. This will be intriguing.
C – Tyler Biadasz made a Pro Bowl (substitution) in 2022. But no one seems to be talking about a new contract for him, even though he’s in the last year of his contract. Do the Cowboys plan to use a high draft pick to replace him in 2024, or will they try to resign him?
Bottom line for offense in 2024 – The Cowboys have a good starting roster this season, but there may be needs on the Oline and at RB next year.
DE – The Cowboys are stacked at DE this year. But Armstrong and Fowler are in the final years of their contracts in 2023, and Lawrence will be in the final year of his deal in 2024. The Cowboys really need Sam Williams to step up this season and prove he can eventually replace Lawrence.
DT – Hankins and Gallimore are both in the final years of their contracts in 2023. Odighizuwa and Golston will be in the final years of their contracts in 2024. Assuming that Bohanna gets cut this season, that leaves only Mazi Smith tied up through 2025. The Cowboys are likely to try to extend Odighizuwa next year to preserve their two starting DT’s. But who will back them up after 2024. Fehoko is still listed at DE, but he could transition to DT to back-up Odighizuwa by next year.
LB – counting Parsons as a DE, the Cowboys will have Vander, Esch, and Overshown tied up in 2024. Depending on what other backups they keep this season, either Cox or Harper, or both may still be under contract in 2024.
S – the Cowboys have the best starting trio of safeties in the NFL. But Kearse is in the final year of his deal, and Markquese Bell seems poised to take over for him in 2024.
CB – Stephon Gilmore is in the final year of his contract. If he plays well and stays healthy, then the Cowboys will likely try to sign him to a new deal after the season to keep their top trio of CB’s intact. Jourdan Lewis is in the final year of his deal. The Cowboys still have Joseph, Wright, and Scott on the team, but at least two of those players are likely to be cut once Lewis is back from the PUP list. The Cowboys might keep Israel Mukuamu as another CB, although he plays both safety and CB.
Defense – The Cowboys are in good shape for 2024, with their starting front 7 all under contract, and all but two of their starting DB’s under contract. With Bell waiting in the wings, Kearse may not be resigned in 2024, but the only real question for the defense in 2024 is at the Left Cornerback spot. Can one of the younger players step up, or will the Cowboys try to resign Gilmore for 2024?
All in all, the Cowboys have done an exemplary job of stocking the Cowboys roster for the next two years. The only real question marks for 2024 are at 2-3 offensive line spots, running back and CB. If they extend Steele this year, that reduces the questions to 2 Oline spots. The front line starters that potentially could be gone in 2024 are Tyron Smith, Terence Steele, Tyler Biadasz, Tony Pollard, Jaylon Kearse, Stephon Gilmore and Johnathan Hankins. The Cowboys have replacements already on the team for Kearse and Hankins.
That leaves only 5 key players that either must be resigned, or replaced in 2024. Tyron Smith, Steele, Pollard, Biadasz and Gilmore. Who will the Cowboys resign, and who will they replace?
