It's the Dallas Cowboys offseason!

That means the Cowboys now turn the page to their pending free agents ahead of what will be a key March where the front office will need to be aggressive if they're going to "run it back" with head coach Mike McCarthy and company.

With that, let's dive into this year's free agency class and predictions for each of the 16!

Cowboys' 2024 unrestricted free agents

• RB Tony Pollard
• CB Stephon Gilmore
• LT Tyron Smith
• DE Dorance Armstrong
• S Jayron Kearse
• CB Jourdan Lewis
• DE Dante Fowler Jr.
• CB Noah Igbinoghene
• DT Neville Gallimore
• DT Johnathan Hankins
• CB C.J. Goodwin
• LS Trent Sieg
• OT Chuma Edoga
• RB Rico Dowdle
• TE Sean McKeon
• C Tyler Biadasz

Predicting Cowboys' biggest  free agency decisions

RB Tony Pollard: Gets a second-tier deal

The Cowboys have a complicated situation going on with Pollard. They've got to decide if a down 2023 season was a result of him being promoted to a RB1 role and him not being able to take the workload or a result of his ankle injury. 

Be it as it may, the Cowboys need a running back and this front office has been known to want a strong running game so I'll take a guess and say they find a way to keep him around.  Per A to Z Sports' contract projection, Pollard is set to end up in a market space that fits with what Dallas will be likely looking for:

Still Pollard missed tackle forced rate (which was better than both Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley in 2023), combined with his overall value as both a runner and a receiver, combined with the relatively low miles on his tires should have teams lining up to give him a 2nd-tier deal on a two-to-three year timeframe.

Franchise Tag Likelihood: Low
3 yrs $22.5M, $7.50M APY, $13M fully GTD
Year One Cap Hit: $3.5 million 

CB Stephon Gilmore: Walks in free agency

The Cowboys have Trevon Diggs working back from injury and they've clearly found something special on the rising DaRon Bland. While they could move Bland back to the inside and bring back the veteran, it would be cheaper to re-sign Jourdan Lewis (more on that later). It was a nice one-year rental season the Cowboys got from Gilly but it'll be tough for them to pay up for another year.

You can read an excerpt from Gilmore's A to Z Sport's contract projection below: 

It is reasonable for potential suitors to fear next year is the year that the wheels fall for a guy playing a position that requires said wheels. This will call for another one-year deal (the third in a row for Gilmore) at a lower APY than Gilmore’s statistical production would normally warrant.

Franchise Tag Likelihood: Low
1 yr $8.5M, $8.5M APY, $8.5M fully GTD
Year One Cap Hit: $2.9 million

LT Tyron Smith: Running it back!

Listen, I hear you on all the injury concerns regarding Tyron Smith. But the guy received Second-Team All-Pro honors because he looked like he was back in his prime. If the Cowboys are running it back with the same coaching staff and same project, give me No. 77 protecting Dak Prescott's blindside. 

However, the Cowboys better have an improved Plan B for when Smith needs to miss games in 2024. Expect a deal with heavy playing-time incentives yet again. The Cowboys seemed interested already. 

CB Jourdan Lewis: Re-signed on a team friendly deal

Lewis might not be the best nickel cornerback in the NFL but he's starting-caliber at one of the hardest positions in the sport. The Cowboys should be trying to get him onboard for another run. Based on Lewis' own comments, he seems ready to move on if there's not a strong enough offer, though. 

DT Johnathan Hankins: No other choice but extending him

This is a tricky one. When the Cowboys drafted Mazi Smith in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, it seemed like Hankins was gearing up to play his last year in Dallas. But Hankins is one of the very few legit defensive tackles on the team and I'm not sure the front office can afford to let him walk unless they're looking for an upgrade in free agency. Specially considering they asked Mazi to drop weight. 

S Jayron Kearse: Time for a divorce

Kearse's last couple of seasons have been trending downward and the Cowboys seem to have players that are ready to take over his role in DeMarvion Overshown and/or Markquese Bell. I don't see him coming back in 2024.

C Tyler Biadasz: Surprise departure

I strongly believe the Cowboys could use an upgrade at center. But even if keeping Biadasz would be smart as you seek a replacement, he'll likely ask for enough money to where Dallas will need to consider letting him walk. I expect Dallas to look for an upgrade in the Draft but in the meantime, let's teach T.J. Bass how to snap the football and let's move on. The 2023 UDFA played very well in limited playing time. 

Predicting the rest of the Cowboys' FA decisions

• DE Dorance Armstrong: Walks as he gets too much in free agency. 
• DE Dante Fowler Jr: Brought back on a one-year deal. 
• CB: Noah Igbinoghene: Walks in free agency.
• DT Neville Gallimore: Walks in free agency. 
• CB C.J. Goodwin: Returns on a one-year deal.
• LS Trent Sieg: Returns on a two-to-three year deal. 
• OT Chuma Edoga: Walks in free agency. 
• TE Sean McKeon: Walks in free agency, Cowboys have a couple of young TEs to develop. 

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