The Dallas Cowboys made several additions throughout the first wave of NFL free agency, but on Friday, they watched their first two internal free agents sign with other teams.
Former receiving touchdowns leader Jalen Tolbert agreed to a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins, while safety Juanyeh Thomas agreed to a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts.
Both players provided valuable depth, but were searching for larger roles. Despite moving on to a new opportunity, Thomas wasted no time sending an emotional farewell to Cowboys Nation. Thomas penned a heartfelt statement and paired it with a video montage on social media.
"From Undrafted to making it to year 5... Cowboys Nation, thank you! Nothing was ever given to me, and thatโs the way I wanted it. Iโve grown as a man and built a beautiful family on the soil of Dallas. to my real ones, Iโm rocking with y'all till the end," he wrote.
๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌโฆ
๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ ๐โฆ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐จ๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง , ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ !!! ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ญ. ๐โ๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐โฆ pic.twitter.com/W7GtpUFjk6
โ Juanyeh Thomas (@STG_Yeh1) March 14, 2026
He continued, "This journey has been a blessing and i wouldnโt change it for anything. in 2022 god planted my feet where i needed to be. was it easy ? No. Was it worth it ? Absolutely.
"I gave my heart and soul into everything I did. I hope I made my people proud. Itโs time to spread my wings and elevate. I owe it to myself. For the ones who counted me out and still do till this day. Buckle up, Iโm in it for the long haul. God showed me what was for me. How dare I question his plan? Cowboys Nation, you changed my life forever."
During his three-year career with the Cowboys, Thomas appeared in 36 games with four starts. Unfortunately, the writing was on the wall after the team's early wave of signings.
Two of the team's early signings came at the safety position, with the Cowboys adding former Arizona Cardinals standout Jalen Thompson and former Denver Broncos safety P.J. Locke. Both players are familiar with new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker and appear poised to battle for starting roles.
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