The Cowboys lost key depth in free agency last week

Well, with free agent week last week finally done, we talked about all of the moves that the Dallas Cowboys made, but how about the guys that they lost?

We did not touch on that at all, and maybe you missed them, but at the end of last week, the Cowboys were one of only a few teams that did not lose anyone via free agency, but that did change.

They lost a total of five players last week, either via trade or a player signing elsewhere. One or two of them you may have seen obviously, but let’s dive into all of them to get you caught up, shall we?

Players Traded

So let’s start with the two that you probably saw happen last week: the Cowboys traded Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers for a 2026 third-round pick.

It was reported since the NFL combine that Osa did not like his new role on the defense, with Parker taking over as the defensive coordinator, and Osa was a great team leader and took a pay cut last season to stay with Dallas and the front office traded him, not a huge fan of that.

Not only did they trade Osa, but on the same day, they traded a solid depth guy on the defensive line, Solomon Thomas.

The Cowboys sent Thomas to the Tennessee Titans for a Day 3 pick swap. The teams exchanged picks No. 218 and 225.

Cowboys so far on defense:

Added edge rusher Rashan Gary
Added safety Jalen Thompson
Added CB Cobie Durant
Added safety P.J. Locke
Added DT Otito Ogbonnia
Added edge rusher Tyrus Wheat
Brought back edge rusher Sam Williams
Traded DT Osa Odighizuwa
Traded DT Solomon Thomas

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) March 13, 2026

In some ways, trading Thomas was more surprising than trading Odighizuwa. You can understand offloading a player who isn’t a fit in a new system, but trading Thomas took a hit on the defensive line.

Players Signed Elsewhere

So those are the two players above that got traded. Now let’s take a look at the players that signed elsewhere with other teams.

The first depth guy that they lost that stinks is Juanyeh Thomas in the secondary. He signed a one-year deal with the Colts.

He played a lot last year under Matt Eberflus, but they signed Jalen Thompson, who was their big free agency signing this season and will be needed in a very below average secondary. We will see how the draft goes, but losing Thomas takes a hit to that unit in terms of depth now.

Jalen Tolbert, who I had high hopes for in his first couple years, signed with the Miami Dolphins on a one-year deal.

With George Pickens and the way that Ryan Flournoy performed at the end of last season, it was writing on the wall for Tolbert and his time in Dallas after a decent year in 2024, but I would rather have Pickens than Tolbert and think everyone else that is a Cowboys fan would also.

Sources: Former #Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert is signing with the #Dolphins on a 1-year deal.

Tolbert is close with Malik Willis, who was his QB at the Senior Bowl when they were entering the league. The versatile WR had over 1,000 receiving yards and 10 TDs with Dallas over four… pic.twitter.com/B7T575RGGI

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 13, 2026

Guys like Donovan Wilson, Dante Fowler and Jadeveon Clowney are all still pending free agents and have not yet been signed by Dallas or other teams.

Depending on how the draft goes, I would like them to bring back Clowney, who led the team in sacks a season ago with 8.5, and Wilson only because the depth of the secondary is now lacking.

This has been a interesting offseason. Somehow they were the most active they have been in decades and yet it feels like the defense somehow got worse? That is just my feeling before the draft hits.

I am sure things may change here pretty soon after this post is live, but this is the main update as of now on who has left the team and who is still pending. I hope they also get Pickens signed within the next couple of months. He is a guy they need on the offense to help this defense out.