The Dallas Cowboys are off for the summer and they won’t practice again until late July. But that doesn’t mean the roster is complete. Stephen Jones and Will McClay will turn over every stone over the next six weeks, searching for talent to help the 2025 squad. We’ve already seen some of that in action as they worked out a handful of players, including a UFL star in the last week.
They will also work on the contract extension for Micah Parsons, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. While there is no doubt that a deal will eventually get done, the Cowboys would obviously like to get a deal done before their first training camp practice. Will that happen? That remains to be seen, but surely they want him on the field as soon as possible as they are ushering in a new defensive coordinator with Matt Eberflus.
But what’s next for the Cowboys after the Parsons extension? The smart thing to do would be to work on an extension for Tyler Smith, who is now eligible for a deal. But the Cowboys will likely let him play out the 2025 season before discussing a new contract. Instead, you can bet that their focus will be improving the current roster, especially on defense.
In a recent article by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, he wrote about all 32 teams’ to-do lists for the remainder of the 2025 offseason. For the Cowboys, Knox mentioned the Parsons extension, but also noted that they could use more help stopping the run.
Cowboys' Jerry Jones continues to ignore the nose tackle position
Here is a snippet of what Knox had to say about their run defense going into the year:
"Once Dallas has sorted out Parsons' situation, it should seek additional help for a run defense that ranked 30th in yards per carry allowed last season. Players like C.J. Mosley and Raekwon Davis could help strengthen the depth of Dallas' front seven."
Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report
The Cowboys have plenty of depth at linebacker, especially if DeMarvion Overshown is able to return at any point this season. But defensive tackle is a spot where Dallas could really use more veteran help. The top defensive tackle available is Raekwon Davis, whom Knox mentioned in the piece. But Lival Joseph, Austin Johnson, and Maurice Hurst are the next-best options.
Read more:Cowboys finally sign a cornerback (and it's the worst one imaginable)
It's a pretty rough defensive tackle market, but it wouldn’t be a shock if the Cowboys signed one at some point in the offseason. They did sign Joseph ahead of Week 1 last year, and he could be an option again if the young defensive tackles don’t step up.
Another position the Cowboys could target in free agency is cornerback, with Trevon Diggs, Shavon Revel, Josh Butler, and Caelen Carson all dealing with injuries that ended their 2024 seasons. Dallas lost Jourdan Lewis in free agency, so adding a veteran cornerback like Mike Hilton, who has plenty of slot experience, could be considered.
We should fully expect the Cowboys to make one or two more moves before the 2025 season begins, but don’t anticipate any significant activity. Instead, look for Stephen Jones and Will McClay to make some moves around the fringes to improve the back-end of the roster.