The Dallas Cowboys must now break the rule that they didn’t during this year’s NFL free agency frenzy
The Dallas Cowboys said they would bust the budget in free agency and didn’t. Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, it’s time to finally do so. But that likely implies breaking their own rule.
Heading into free agency earlier in the year, the Dallas Cowboys indicated they would “bust the budget” to fix a defense that was largely responsible for the team’s shortcomings in 2025.
It’s safe to say, they failed to deliver. And it’s largely because they refuse to break one of their biggest rules: overpaying.
Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, they must come to terms with it. Let’s break it down.
Another quiet Cowboys free agency
As of today, the Cowboys rank 25th in free agency spending, per Over the Cap. Their biggest signing in March was safety Jalen Thompson. While he’s a very good get, Thompson’s contract makes him only the 20th-highest-paid player at his position.
The Cowboys may have spent a little bit more had they not failed to go the extra mile in a couple of free agency negotiations. Multiple reports indicate the team attempted to sign linebackers Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, and even All-Pro Devin Lloyd.
“We made a run at some guys in free agency,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said last week. “Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.”
Considering how much of a need linebacker still is and how little options remain to do something about it, it’s fair to question if the Cowboys should have gone the extra mile to secure their linebacker.
Dean was reported to receive a “similar” offer from the Cowboys but that he opted to reunite with Walker in Las Vegas.
How many more dollars would have changed his mind? I’m betting there’s a number. And I’d wager the Cowboys didn’t get to it out of fear of overpaying. Instead, now they’re about to enter the 2026 NFL Draft with no starting linebacker to accompany DeMarvion Overshown at the position.
So, no. I wouldn’t say the Cowboys did a lot of budget-busting in free agency. And it all goes back to that one rule they really don’t want to break.
It’s time for the Cowboys to overpay
We’re under 20 days away from the draft, and the Cowboys still need a linebacker. I’d argue they also need an elite pass rusher and a nickel cornerback. That’s a lot of items on their to-do list and only a few chances to make a home run swing.
Even though they’re armed with two first-round picks, they’re expected to miss out on many of the biggest defensive stars of this year’s class. That’s led to some rumors fueled by insiders about the Cowboys potentially moving up in the order, maybe even to No. 3 overall.
That brings me to this: If they want to trade up and land a big-time star, the Cowboys front office needs to be ready to overpay.
Trading up in the first round likely means overpaying
Cowboys insider Bobby Belt from 105.3 The Fan did a great job of charting recent first-round trades and he found out something crucial.
Roughly half of the time, you need to overpay to move up, according to the trade value chart used by DraftTek (which uses a modernized version of the Jimmy Johnson trade chart).
“Basically what you’ll find is that trading up will result in ‘overpaying’ the chart about half the time,” Belt wrote on a post on X. “Out of these 28 trades [in the last five drafts], 12 were an overpay, 13 were trade chart neutral, and oddly enough, three of them earned value on the chart while still trading up.”
Are the Cowboys willing to overpay to get a deal done? I’m skeptical. They missed out on the linebacker signings for a reason. Before the Maxx Crosby-Baltimore Ravens fiasco, they also fell just short of landing the star edge rusher.
To go the extra mile, the Cowboys have to come to terms with the idea of overpaying. If it means they get their guy on defense, be it EDGE David Bailey, LB Sonny Styles, or someone else, it would be worth it for a team in win now mode.
Dallas Cowboys News
It sounds like there’s a realistic chance the Dallas Cowboys make the biggest trade of the 2026 NFL Draft
At least two NFL Draft insiders are teasing a potential Dallas Cowboys trade that could shake up their strategy later this month while landing them one of the best defenders in this year’s class.
