This 2024 season is slowly coming to a close, but the focus on 2025 may have already started in Dallas. The upcoming Cowboys free agents compile a lengthy list of key players needing new contracts.
However, spending is not Dallas’ forte, and Stephen Jones has already promised a “tight budget” in 2025.
As we’ve seen in offseasons past, this strategy will likely lead to a slew of player departures, with only a select few guys getting the contract extensions they deserve.
The question facing Dallas is which key players will get new money in 2025.
To answer that, let’s take a look at the three Cowboys free agents who most deserve a new contract to stay in-house going forward.
Chauncey Golston: Dallas’ Emerging Rusher
During this season, the Cowboys had weeks when Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Marshawn Kneeland, and Sam Williams were all out from injury. How has Chauncey Golston responded? By marking career highs in every single statistical category.
Dallas’ third-round pick in 2021, this former Iowa Hawkeye, has made a name for himself in an otherwise lackluster season.
Golston, 26, has not missed a game yet and has doubled his previous career high in sacks; he even reeled in an interception against the Commanders. The numbers speak for themselves: the Cowboys have an emerging starter on the roster.
The only problem is Golston won’t be a Cowboy on the first day of free agency; this is the final year of his rookie contract.
With such a significant weakness at the defensive end spot, Dallas would be silly not to be aggressive in its pursuit of a Chauncey Golston extension. This one is a must for the Cowboys’ 2025 offseason plans.
Jourdan Lewis: Steady Hand At Cornerback
There may not be a more reliable player on the Cowboys roster than veteran Cornerback, Jourdan Lewis. 112 games deep into his tenure, Lewis is playing better than ever, and Dallas can’t afford to let him walk.
Lewis is performing at an elite level in the slot; he continues to be one of the most underrated players in the entire NFL.
His outright competitiveness is another key part of his game. The Cowboys have long lacked the toughness and fight that Lewis possesses, and letting him slip away would only cement that issue.
With a few weeks to go, the former Michigan Wolverine is on track to surpass his 2023 numbers by a good margin, though he is still looking for his first interception.
All in all, Jourdan Lewis is a key component of a Dallas secondary that is on the brink of upheaval. With Trevon Diggs out for the foreseeable future, and safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson aging, Lewis will be one of the most important Cowboys free agents.
KaVontae Turpin: Blossoming Secret Weapon
We’ve been waiting for KaVontae Turpin to have the kind of season he’s having now for years. The Cowboys special teams’ monster, and emerging weapon at wide receiver, is finally breaking out.
In his third NFL season, Turpin is shattering his previous career highs in nearly every category. On the receiving end, and in the return game, he has taken a major step up.
The threat he poses on special teams essentially won the Cowboys that thrilling game against the Commanders.
On the offensive side, Head Coach Mike McCarthy is finally using him at a higher rate, and it’s paying off. Turpin ranks fourth on the team in receiving yards, second in yards per reception, and has the second-longest reception of the year.
While this performance has been great to see, it also comes at an inopportune time for Dallas’ financial situation, as Turpin is a restricted free agent this offseason. That is preferred to him being an unrestricted free agent, but it puts the Cowboys in a bind regardless.
Dallas can’t let a weapon like KaVontae Turpin go, even if it means saying goodbye to one of the other Cowboys free agents this year.