The Dallas Cowboys have done a pile of work with the upgrades made this offseason, but I’m not ready to say the roster is finished.
I think there are still three spots that make me uneasy as we get closer to the 2026 season: left tackle, right tackle, and pass rusher. That is where I’d spend time if I were sitting in the front office with Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, and a legal pad full of names.
Dallas doesn’t need to chase every top name still available, but if the Cowboys want to give Dak Prescott a cleaner pocket and Christian Parker a deeper defensive front, these are the areas worth circling.
The current Dallas Cowboys depth chart has Tyler Guyton at left tackle, Terence Steele at right tackle, and Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku leading the outside linebacker spots. That’s not a disaster, but it does leave room for more competition and veteran insurance.
Cowboys Free Agents Who Upgrade Their Biggest Needs
Taylor Decker Would Upgrade Dallas at Left Tackle
I like Tyler Guyton and I think he could be a great player.
The tools, frame, and upside are there. But good grief, the Cowboys cannot build a Super Bowl plan around a “maybe.”
If Dallas wants an upgrade option at left tackle, Taylor Decker is the name that makes the most sense. He would be, at this point, close to bargain bin pricing, and we all know Jones’s like that. Left tackle is one of the few places I would be willing to pay him above the bargain bin.
If Guyton takes a leap, great. If he doesn’t, Dak would have a veteran protecting his blind side and that’s how a serious team operates.
The Cowboys have too many weapons to let left tackle drag the offense down. With CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jake Ferguson, and Dak Prescott, this passing attack has enough firepower to give defenses fits. But none of that matters if Dak is on his back.
That’s why I think Taylor Decker should be called.
Thayer Munford Jr. Could Push Terence Steele at Right Tackle
Right tackle may be on the other end of the offensive line, but has the same headache.
We all know Terence Steele has given the Cowboys a ton of snaps, some good, some bad. But being familiar doesn’t mean being untouchable.
The Cowboys need better protection off the right edge, and Steele should have to earn that again. No “handouts”, no “well, he’s been here” nonsense. This is the NFL, not a small-town parade line.
That’s why I believe Thayer Munford Jr. makes sense as an upgrade in pass blocking.
Munford Jr. isn’t a big-time name, but he is smart and young at 26 with three years of experience. Not every signing has to make the national news. Sometimes the best move is adding a veteran who can push the starter and give the offensive line flexibility.
Thayer Munford Jr. has experience at both tackle positions, which matters for a team during a long NFL season. Injuries and slumps happen and when they do, having a big veteran lineman who can slide around is useful football.
Let’s create some real competition and make players earn their spot.
If Steele wins the job, fine. If Munford Jr. pushes him and makes the room better, that helps. If Dallas needs Munford Jr. to step in at right or left tackle during the season, that gives the Cowboys another option instead of scrambling.
This is a practical signing which is not something we are used to the Cowboys doing.
Von Miller Gives the Cowboys More than Sacks
Now this is the one that has some real Cowboy flavor.
I know Von Miller isn’t the same monster who wrecked games in Denver. Nobody needs to act like that’s what we would be getting. He is older now, and this would not be a full-time starter signing.
But as a situational pass rusher and veteran leader? I’d kick the tires on him as an upgrade to the depth chart.
Miller has already talked about wanting to be in Dallas. There is a real connection here, and he has Texas roots, flirted with the Cowboys before, and he still carries the kind of respect that gets younger players to listen.
That is important for this defense.
Dallas has Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku, and they are a good start. The pass rush needs more than two guys. It needs waves. It needs someone who knows how to win late in games when the quarterback has to throw.
Von Miller could give them that in a limited role.
The coaching connection helps too. Dallas added B.T. Jordan, who could be the biggest upgrade of them all, as a pass-rush specialist, and Jordan has worked with Von Miller in the past. That gives Miller a natural bridge into the building if the Cowboys want another veteran voice in the room.
I don’t want this to be Von Miller getting 60 snaps a game.
Let him rush in spots, mentor Ezeiruaku, and help Gary close games.
If Miller gives 20 strong snaps on passing downs, that is useful football.
Keep Shopping Dallas
If I’m Dallas, I’m not shopping to make noise. I’m shopping for answers for upgrades to push current players.
The Cowboys need to protect Dak better and add one more veteran pass rusher who knows how to end a game. That’s it, keep the list tight and quit wandering off into positions that are not part of the problem.
My three calls are simple:
Taylor Decker, Thayer Munford Jr., and Von Miller.
Dallas has enough talent to be dangerous in 2026, but the edges need to be cleaned up. Upgrade those spots, and this team starts looking a lot more serious.
Was this helpful?
Comments