Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones started the offseason by saying his front office is “fully committed to this year” to help the team overcome its challenges and compete for a Super Bowl appearance. With most of the NFL's top free agents off the board, Dallas has been the least active team this offseason.
The Cowboys were never expected to be the biggest spenders this offseason, but some thought they would make small improvements to the roster and keep their homegrown players. Instead, within weeks, Dorance Armstrong, Tyler Biadasz, Tony Pollard, Dante Fowler-Jaer, Jonathan Hankins, Neville Gallimore and Tyron Smith all signed with other teams.
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Dallas signed one outside free agent this offseason, pulling linebacker Eric Kendricks hours after verbally committing to a contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Other than that, the only new money Jones spent on the roster this offseason was re-signing Rico Doodle, Trent Sieg, CJ Goodwin and Jordan Lewis.
According to 105.3 The Fan's Bobby Belt, the Cowboys spent just $11.13 million this offseason. That's not only the lowest amount in the NFL, it's one-third of what the second-lowest team spends.
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Teams spending the least in NFL free agency
| team | Total expenditure (millions) |
| dallas cowboys | $11.13 million |
| Los Angeles Chargers | $39,207,000 |
| new orleans saints | $52,167,000 |
| denver broncos | $53,697,000 |
| cincinnati bengals | $72,177,000 |
For context, the guaranteed money that 40 NFL players received immediately after signing their contracts was more than the total amount the Cowboys paid in NFL free agency this offseason, according to Spotrac.
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Dallas has a good track record in the NFL Draft, which is a good sign that they have the ability to fill some of the holes on the roster. However, the lack of spending in NFL free agency creates additional needs for the Cowboys to address, and even the best teams don't have a high hit rate for draft picks.
It's clear the Cowboys' roster is even worse now, especially when it comes to their lack of depth, and years of playoff disappointment could lead to another setback in 2024.
