3 free agents the Cowboys might have to bring back

With the well running dry, the Dallas Cowboys still have 12 players of their own that have not either re-signed or signed with another team yet.

Most of them are depth guys, but this team might have no choice but to bring three of them back, and that is their own fault.

All three of these are on the defensive side of the ball, and not George Pickens does not count, since he has been tagged, but, of course, they need to get a contract done with him so he can be with the team long term.

Jadeveon Clowney

This is the main guy that should be at the top of everyone’s lists. He had 8.5 sacks last season with the Cowboys, doing so in only 13 games. It is obvious that Clowney can still be a good pass rusher, and the issue with Dallas is not only at linebacker, it is a true guy that can get to the quarterback.

Clowney, right now, would be their best pure pass rusher, regardless if he has lived up to his draft status or not. I will take 8.5 sacks against this season, adding Gary to the defensive front.

Just ask yourself, would you rather bring Clowney back on a two-year deal for a reasonable amount of money, and know the type of production you are going to get, or bank on a above-average pass rusher being available at pick 20 in the first round?

Ranking the Best Remaining Free Agent Edges:

(Availability per Spotrac)

1. Cam Jordan
2. Al-Quadin Muhammad
3. Derek Barnett
4. Samson Ebukam
5. Arnold Ebiketie
6. Jadeveon Clowney
7. Joey Bosa
8. Kyle Van Noy
9. Von Miller
10. Dante Fowler

Who do you want your team to sign? https://t.co/kaglYNUPms

— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) March 12, 2026

Dallas should take the best corner on the board with their 12th pick, and then who knows what happens with pick 20, but they only have one day two pick in the 3rd round, and I am not holding my breath that you can find a better player right now than Clowney at that spot.

Donovan Wilson

Call me crazy, but with how poor the secondary still is, I would bring Dono back, and I think he would be just fine under new defensive coordinator Parker.

Last season in Dallas wasn’t great. The veteran defensive back had 71 combined tackles, five pass deflections, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.

Yes, they signed Jalen Thompson and he could be gone, but he has a history with Parker when he was at Texas A&M, so you never know.

Of note, Christian Parker’s time as an analyst at Texas A&M (2017) overlapped with Donovan Wilson’s time as an Aggie. Wilson is an impending free agent.

— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) January 22, 2026

It was the second-straight season that Wilson had a passer rating of over 120 (130.0 in 2024), which means he’s a liability in coverage, he clearly can’t find a job for the money he wants, etc. I bet he would be willing to take a lower deal with Dallas, and if he does, he adds depth and if isn’t good, don’t play him.

Pretty simple if you ask me.

Dante Fowler

At some point, this team has to have some type of depth that have at least shown they can play at a high level.

Bringing him back for a cheap deal and using him for depth is just better than adding a late round draft pick and hoping they can just plug him in and make it work.

I don’t know, that is just how I think about things. I would bring back Fowler and add him for depth if he takes a team-friendly deal.

These three guys remained unsigned, probably for a reason, and you know if Jerry Jones can get them back into the building for cheap and hope they have a decent year, he is going to do it.

Let’s see how the next month goes with the draft and if they plan to sign any of these guys, but I think it would be worth trying to get at least one or two of these guys back in the building, if, for nothing else, use them as depth because we know someone is going to get hurt on that defense at some point in time.