Best players Cowboys must re-sign in 2024 NFL free agency.
These three athletes must remain in Dallas.
The most recent era of the Dallas Cowboys is coming to an end this summer. Dak Prescott’s contract expires (for the time being) next season, along with CeeDee Lamb’s and DeMarcus Lawrence’s, and Ezekiel Elliott’s has already left.
Though there is still time before those players make a decision, on March 13th, a number of important players will become free agents. Even though there are a lot of well-known players available, these three Cowboys will be Dallas’ most important players in 2024–2025.
Retaining Rico Dowdle would be just as much about keeping a promising young back in the system as moving on from Tony Pollard. Tagging Pollard last season didn’t turn out the way the Cowboys hoped it would, and the prospect of an even greater financial commitment to the Memphis product isn’t an enticing one.
The Cowboys have a low-mileage runner who has been a part of the offense for years in Dowdle. Last season, the seasoned Cowboys backup made the most of his touches. Dowdle averaged 5.2 yards per tote and scored in both of the games in which he had more than ten carries. In the final game of the regular season against Washington, Dowdle demonstrated his worth as a receiver once again by converting nine carries and four targets into 100 scrimmage yards.
Although it seems unlikely that Dowdle would start the following season, his salary should be quite low. Keeping Dowdle as the backup running back is well worth it, even if the Cowboys decide to take a shot at Derrick Henry or choose someone early, like Blake Corum or Jonathan Brooks.
Tyron Smith’s 2022–23 season was marred by yet another round of ailments, and he faced retirement last summer. A few months later, Smith received his sixth career All-Pro selection from the Associated Press.
Is he finished now? Perhaps. He poses the same risk of injury at the beginning of the next season as he did the first, if not more so given that he will be one year older. If any player in Dallas has shown that he can outperform his risks, it’s player number 77.
If the money works, Smith should be on the field for one last ride. Dallas’ offensive line is about to go through a significant transitional period once Smith and Zack Martin finish their careers. Both were All-Pros in 2023, and both are the Cowboys’ best option at their position next year.
The chance to sit that youngster behind one of the best left tackles in franchise history for a season is significant, especially considering the possibility that the Cowboys try to choose their left tackle of the future in the next draft. It would be time to let Smith ride off into the sunset if he hadn’t performed like one of the greatest tackles in the league the previous season. Rather, the Cowboys must once again determine how much of a commitment they make to one of the best offensive lineman in the NFL.
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