Dallas’ ownership went to work on Tuesday, trying to convince Cowboys Nation not to throw in the towel. Speaking from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL, both Jerry and Stephen Jones spoke words in an effort to mitigate the frustration and disappointment in the club’s early playoff exit, in an embarrassing double-digit defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers.
Dallas became the first No. 2 seed to lose to a seven, and they were the only home team to lose in the wild-card round. Fans, en masse, have let it be known they are not going to buy in to regular season success any longer. The Joneses decided to retain head coach Mike McCarthy and run it back, and that caused even more angst. On Tuesday, ownership vowed to go all in this offseason, hinting they wouldn’t be frugal in free agency.
But the Cowboys will have to do plenty of work even before free agency in order to be a part of the first wave; something they’ve avoided for over a decade. Dallas doesn’t spend on big-name free agents since they gave Brandon Carr a huge cornerback to entice the corner to join their club in 2012. To do so, they’ll need cap space, something they don’t have at the moment.
Dallas is one of 11 clubs over the expected $242 million cap for 2024. It’s going to take quite a few moves, a combination of restructures, extensions and possibly releases, for Dallas to get below the cap and start handing out deals to outsiders.
Here’s a look at how all 32 teams rank in terms of available cap space entering February. All cap space figures are courtesy of Over The Cap, and will be adjusted once all likely-to-be-earned and unlikely-to-be-earned incentives are adjusted.
May 6, 2022; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; The helmet of Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson (1) rests on the field during Washington Commanders rookie minicamp at Inova Performance Center In Ashburn, VA. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of a Bengals helmet on the sidelines in the game of the Indianapolis Colts against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Indianapolis Colts: $58,923,573
Jun 7, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts lay their helmets on the field as they stretch during mini camp at the Indiana Farm Bureau Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; View of a Detroit Lions helmet on the bench before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 12, 2020; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Houston Texans helmet during the AFC Divisional Round playoff football game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2018; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A Chicago Bears helmet and gloves sit on the field prior to the game between the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 26, 2020; Paradise, Nevada, USA; A Las Vegas Raiders helmet rest on the football field before a game against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 10, 2019; Green Bay, WI, USA; A Carolina Panthers helmet sits on the field during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; General view of a Atlanta Falcons helmet during warm ups against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2018; Orlando, FL, USA; A view of the helmet of Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey (20) on the sidelines against the NFC in the 2018 NFL Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 15, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Jets helmet on the sideline against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
ARLINGTON, TX – FEBRUARY 06: A Pittsburgh Steelers helmet sit in the endzone before the Steelers take on the Green Bay Packers during Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Oct 2, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Detail view of Cleveland Browns helmet against the Washington Redskins during the second half at FedEx Field. Washington Redskins wins 31 – 20. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Cowboys: -$19,740,700
Dec. 4, 2011; Glendale, AZ, USA; Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones (left) reacts alongside owner Jerry Jones prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2018; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a Denver Broncos helmet during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 2019; Nashville, TN, USA; Los Angeles Chargers helmet on the sideline during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 23, 2018; Costa Mesa, CA, USA: Detailed view of New Orleans Saints helmets during joint practice against the Los Angeles Chargers at the Jack. R. Hammett Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The news many fantasy baseball managers and MLB fans have been waiting for is here: The No. 1 prospect in baseball is coming to The Show. Scott Pianowski gives his take.
The last few weeks and months have been devastating across MLB with so many pitching injuries. Fantasy baseball analyst Scott Pianowski shares his thoughts.
The NBA MVP race doesn't always go hand-in-hand with the fantasy basketball one. Dan Titus makes the case for three underrated winners who made it happen this season.
Georgia's star tight end, Brock Bowers, is the top prospect at his position, but will he be another Sam LaPorta for fantasy football? Andy Behrens gives his thoughts.
Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab join forces to recap the biggest NFL news from the weekend before diving into the teams that changed our expectations the most (in a good OR bad way) the most compared to last offseason. The duo start with the biggest news from the weekend, including the update to the Stefon Diggs trade that revealed the Houston Texans voided the final years of his contract. Fitz and Frank speculate on why before discussing the Carolina Panthers extending DT Derrick Brown and the explosion of the interior defensive line market.
Things change quickly in the NFL, so Fitz and Frank decide to look at some teams who have changed our perception of them the most over the past year. The top risers include the Texans, Chicago Bears (and the NFC North as a whole) and Los Angeles Rams, while some teams that lost the benefit of the doubt include the Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills.
Fitz and Frank finish off the show with a dueling snake draft, as they compete to draft the best championship games of all time. Frank dominates.
![[Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/BQNHaaddC0FWmcoRJ7TsVQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/dallas_cowboys_wire_usa_today_sports_articles_693/e2785fe2fe1ff1d84eda40737644aec2)
