FRISCO, TEXAS — The Dallas Cowboys offseason has left the rest of the NFL scratching their heads. Jerry Jones loves a spectacle, but the front office decisions this spring look more like a scattered gamble than a cohesive Super Bowl blueprint. The Philadelphia Eagles just snatched the NFC East crown for the second straight year, leaving Dallas scrambling. Instead of a clear rebuild or an all-in push, the Cowboys’ brass is sending highly confusing signals.
The Defensive Line Shakeup
They dealt away their top defensive tackle, softening the middle of a defense that already struggled to hold the line against the run. Then, in a move that flipped the script, they traded a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for veteran edge rusher Rashan Gary. Gary posted 7.5 sacks and one forced fumble in 2025. He gives the edge some immediate bite. Yet, with nobody else on the roster consistently demanding double teams, opposing offenses will simply slide their protection his way.
Walking through the facilities at the Star in Frisco this week, you could feel the heavy anticipation hanging in the air. The draft war room is prepped and buzzing, but the tension extends down to the locker room. Players want to know who they are actually suiting up with come September, and the roster currently feels like a puzzle missing its corner pieces.
The Big Money Dilemma: Pickens, Lamb, and Prescott
The real elephant in the room is the Dallas checkbook. Dak Prescott is locked in at $60 million annually. CeeDee Lamb takes home another $34 million per year. Now, wide receiver George Pickens sits on a non-exclusive franchise tag after a massive 1,429-yard season, awaiting a long-term payday. Can a front office realistically support two wide receivers demanding top-of-the-market cash while paying a quarterback that much?
NFL executives aren’t buying the strategy. If you hand out historic bags to three skill players, the rest of the 53-man roster bleeds. The Gary acquisition acts as a temporary patch on a defensive unit desperate for foundational pieces.
“The Cowboys own two of the top 20 picks in the draft, which should help them for the long term, but is there any evidence they are pushing to get past where they’ve been for decades? What are they going to do with Pickens? Are you going to have two receivers making that kind of money, plus the quarterback making $60 million?”
— Anonymous NFL Executive, speaking to Mike Sando of The Athletic
Playoff Implications / What’s Next
Holding two top-20 draft picks gives Dallas a rare and highly valuable parachute. They possess the ammunition to draft elite, cost-controlled talent to balance out a wildly top-heavy salary cap sheet. If they flip Pickens for a massive draft haul—a rumor gaining serious traction with receiver-needy teams like the Jets lurking—they can reset the clock and load up on defense.
If Dallas holds pat and pays Pickens, they enter the 2026 season walking a tightrope. One rolled ankle to a star player derails the entire campaign. The Eagles built a deep, sustainable monster to dominate the division. Right now, the Cowboys are just building an expensive highlight reel. Jones needs these top-20 picks to hit instantly, or the NFC East will remain strictly out of reach.
