3 positions the Cowboys are hoping to fill with in-house free agency

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The Dallas Cowboys' offseason began with player exit interviews and the firing of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. They are now conducting interviews to hire a new one, and then the team moves on to roster construction. All these things are in the hopes of helping set up for a more successful 2026 season. For that to happen, Dallas will have to improve the team in free agency, have a fruitful draft, and rely on the development of their own talent.

Every offseason, players move on to other teams in one way or another, and the guys under them in the rotation must ascend to take over the spot that has opened up. Last year, Dallas drafted Tyler Booker to replace the retiring Zack Martin. They traded for George Pickens after Brandin Cooks wasn't brought back. Jadeveon Clowney was signed after the trade of Micah Parsons. Some positions require current players to develop into more impactful roles rather than relying on talent acquisition.

Here are three positions the Cowboys need to address in the 2026 season.

A second running back option

Javonte Williams played so well for the Cowboys that the team might have relied too heavily on him, wearing him down as the season went on. This was especially true in the three games Dallas played around Thanksgiving. In those 10 days, Williams touched the ball 65 times. Dallas won all three contests, but that might have been the key to them not having enough to end the season strongly. If the Cowboys plan to sign Williams long-term, they might need someone to step up and take more snaps for his long-term sustainability.

Before the third game in 10 days, Williams averaged 5.0 yards a carry and 2.6 pass receptions per game. Since the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, his average dropped to 4.3, and his receptions fell to 1.4 per game. No back should be asked to carry that type of workload in that short a time.

Whether it’s Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, or Malik Davis, Williams needs some relief so he can be fresh for a postseason push.

Dallas might need a starting offensive tackle

Dallas could save $14 million on the cap by releasing Terence Steele with a June first designation. He was never a great pass protector, but with his reliability and run blocking, he brings positives to the team that the coaching staff will need to replace. He played the most snaps of any tackle in the NFL with 1,163 and earned a run blocking grade of 70.2 with Pro Football Focus (PFF). Even if he stays, left Tyler Guyton has only played 21 of 34 games in his first two seasons.

Nate Thomas and Ajani Cornelius will get the first chance to step up to replace Steele. Thomas had the worst PFF grades across the board compared to Steele in his 342 snaps in 2025. He allowed three sacks and was called for four penalties, and his highest PFF grade wasn’t even 53. Thomas had a pressure rate allowed of 6.7%, compared with 4.4% for Steele. He has played well in spots, and 2025 was basically his rookie year after he was on injured reserve in 2024.

Cornelius had a redshirt rookie season, but the 2025 sixth-round pick is a 6-foot-5, 315-pound option with extensive college experience that could translate to the NFL level. He played over 3,000 college snaps, more than 1,300 pass-blocking snaps, and over 1,000 run-blocking snaps. One of these two young players could have the opportunity to earn a starting role this offseason, depending on some decisions the Cowboys' front office makes.

Defensive end rotation

Dallas had Sam Williams, Jadeveon Clowney, Dante Fowler Jr., and Payton Turner all on expiring deals for the 2025 season. The team has already talked about wanting to bring back Clowney, but it’s not a guarantee that he won’t get a bigger payday elsewhere. The team is left with Donovan Ezeiruaku and James Houston to at minimum be significant parts of a rotation.

Houston played over 300 snaps and sacked the quarterback 5.5 times. He had six tackles for a loss and 19 pressures, with PFF grades all just under 70. He was a key rotational piece in 2025, but can he do more with all the defensive end snaps that could be coming available? Ezeiruaku had a solid rookie season. He played over 600 snaps, had two sacks, nine tackles for a loss, and 26 pressures. His pass-rush and run-defense grades didn’t reach 70, but his overall grade was 73.1. Neither Houston nor Ezeiruaku played well enough to start on a great defense, but they might need to in 2026 if free agency and the draft don’t land the way Dallas hopes they will.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 3 positions the Cowboys are hoping to fill with in-house free agency

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