The Dallas Cowboys (and every NFL team) understand that cash is king in the league. And that the always-discussed salary cap is nothing but an accounting system. Manage it poorly and yes, then you're in trouble.

But it has nothing to do with what your payroll actually looks like in any given year. Why? The amount of cash that a player actually intakes in a year isn't the same as his respective cap number. For example, while prorated bonuses are accounted toward the length of a contract, they're paid at the start of the deal.

That brings us to today's topic: While the Cowboys are in the red right now in the salary cap, they are expected to be big spenders this off-season.

Let's break it all down.

Cowboys have not spent much since 2021

The new CBA the NFL and NFLPA agreed to recently mandates a minimum spending threshold for teams of 90% of the cap. But there's a caveat: That 90% runs over a three-year period, not on a yearly basis.

That means (for example) that teams don't have to spend 90% of this year's established cap of $225 million. In reality, there's a three-year period that runs from 2021 to 2023 in which the cap amounts to around 615.5 million. Teams must send 90% of that number.

As a result, teams that aren't in line to meet the threshold yet need to do so in 2023.

The Cowboys are one of those teams. In fact, according to Over The Cap, they're the second-lowest team in spending over the last two years!

"Most of the teams in the league are well above the minimum threshold. Really there are only three teams that need to spend up this year- the Bears, Falcons, and Cowboys," writes Jason Fitzgerald for OTC.

That being said, there's a question we would all like to be answered.

Will the Cowboys actually spend that much?

Well, yes.

Will they get OBJ? Or maybe a top-tier offensive lineman? Are they throwing cash at every free agent available?

Well, no.

This is where it gets tricky. They probably will spend money. But not in the sense Cowboys fans would hope for. They're still unlikely to add a big-name free agent as many would want them to, for instance.

Instead what it means is the Cowboys will likely spend by extending Dak Prescott's contract (which would result in the quarterback earning a lot more cash today) and by taking care of the stars they need to pay very soon; Trevon Diggs, CeeDee Lamb, and even Micah Parsons.

Why do I include Micah if he's still not eligible for contract negotiations?

Ah, well, the thing is the league's new year doesn't start until March. So what happens between January and early March of 2024 would technically be cash spending that accounts for the 2021-2023 period. Accounting!

Here is how salary cap expert Jason Fitzgerald explains that specific rule over at OTC:

"All three of these teams (Falcons, Bears, Cowboys) are this low because the spending valuations treat cash commitments made in February/early March as belonging to a prior league year so teams that do a lot of restructures for cap purposes could lose money to a prior valuation period, which is what I believe happened to these three teams. That rule also means that our spending period really doesn’t end in January of 2024 either. It means that teams have until the start of free agency in 2024 to make the numbers work."

In summation, expect the Cowboys to spend big on their in-house players as they have usually operated this year. I'd be fairly confident Diggs, Lamb, Prescott, and Parsons (2024) are all going to be taken care of by the team.

NFL will force the Cowboys to do something they normally don't do, though…

This requirement could also force the Cowboys to do something they normally won't do though: They will likely be proactive with their contract extensions. The front office has usually waited until the last moment to negotiate contracts instead of working ahead of the schedule like many other teams have around the league.

This time, they still need to spend approximately $100M in cash before the end of the current 2021-2023 window. The easiest way to spend money will likely be with the stars that are already on the roster.

All of that being said, the Cowboys would greatly benefit from figuring out a way to add significant free agents to fix the issues at wide receiver and the offensive line to give Prescott more weapons on offense.

Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports