Cowboys Adopt ‘Selective’ Strategy After Failed ‘All-In’ Approach

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said last offseason that the team was ready to go “all-in” following their third disappointing playoff exit in a row. But Dallas failed to sign any marquee free agents, had a contract standoff with CeeDee Lamb that nearly spilled into the season, and finished with a 7–10 record, its second worst since 2015.

To add insult to injury, it had to watch the division-rival Eagles hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season.

The Dallas front office appears to be taking a different approach this offseason. Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine on Monday, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said the team would take a “selectively aggressive” strategy—one more aligned to how it operated before last year.

“Obviously, our goals historically have been to try to fill as many of our musts and needs before the draft so you can pick the best player on your board,” Jones said. “Didn’t get that totally accomplished last year, but certainly that’s always the goal. And every year is different in terms of what those musts and needs are, and then you also have to marry what’s in free agency versus where the draft is heavy and where we can help ourselves in the draft.”

Jones’s answer is noteworthy given the team’s All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons said earlier this month that he hopes the Cowboys will be “aggressive” in building next year’s roster.

“I don’t wanna sit back and just watch other people build and build and build and [we] stay the same, so we definitely need some call to action,” Parsons said at a charity event.

Parsons’s future with the Cowboys is one of the team’s most important decisions this year. The Cowboys can offer the 25-year-old a contract extension that could make him the highest-paid defensive player in the league, one year after the team inked Dak Prescott to a $60 million per year deal (the highest AAV in the NFL) and Lamb to a four-year, $136 million contract (second highest for a receiver).

Jones seemed confident the Cowboys would secure a deal with Parsons but also spoke with caution in the wake of last year’s Lamb negotiations.

“I don’t necessarily know that there’s a lot of extenuating situations out there that would [prevent] us from being able to get our hands around something with Micah, but we’ll see,” Jones said.

The Cowboys, who have $2.5 million in cap space this offseason, according to Over The Cap, have also discussed a long-term deal with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. Other 2025 free-agency decisions involve veteran defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and receiver Brandin Cooks.

2025 Draft Plans

Jones said one of the team’s “goals” is to draft a quarterback—but it’s not because the team is ready to replace Prescott. The team’s two backups last year, Cooper Rush and Trey Lance, are both free agents.

It’s unlikely the Cowboys use the No. 12 overall pick on a quarterback. But they have plenty of options with their first-round selection and have been linked to Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty, who could help shore up the backfield. Rico Dowdle, the team’s primary back last year, is a free agent.