The Dallas Cowboys have some work to do to get compliant with the salary cap. They are currently just over $16 million over the salary cap, so a few more restructures and cuts will be required. At that point, the Cowboys can get to work upgrading their roster for the 2023 season.
Last season, Dallas was solid on both sides of the ball with a top-10 unit offensively and defensively. There is a lot of good talent throughout the roster but depth is needed at a few spots as consistency was sometimes lacking.
The Cowboys have consistently been a playoff team but have lacked the firepower to make any real noise in the playoffs. They haven’t advanced beyond the Divisional Round since winning the Super Bowl following the 1995 season.
If they can make a few changes to the roster this offseason, their chances of snapping that streak will improve. Who could the Cowboys land to achieve that? Here are three free agents that the team should pursue this offseason.
3. TE Mike Gesicki
The Cowboys need to add some juice to their offense this offseason. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has proven to be a legitimate No. 1 option in the passing game but he needs help. Michael Gallup can hopefully provide more another year removed from his knee injury, but additions are still needed.
With Dalton Schultz on his way out of town as a free agent, signing a pass-catching tight end would make a lot of sense. Mike Gesicki would fit the bill in that regard as essentially a big slot receiver.
Gesicki was a poor fit for Mike McDaniel’s offense with the Miami Dolphins in 2022 but still showed his elite pass-catching skills. Adding him to the Cowboys’ offense would more than offset the departure of Schultz and give Dak Prescott another reliable weapon in the passing game.
2. IDL Sheldon Rankins
If there was any glaring weakness of the Cowboys in 2022 it was their production on the interior of their defensive line. Dallas got virtually zero production from their defensive tackles last season, registering some of the worst interior linemen grades in the NFL.
Stopping the run was an issue for the Cowboys as well. They ranked 22nd in rushing yards allowed, so adding a defensive tackle would be ideal. Options could be limited with their cap space, making someone such as Sheldon Rankins a good target.
Rankins had a grade of 73.1 in 2022, the second-best of his career with 33 tackles as a new career-high. While he isn’t a star as either a run stuffer or pass rusher, he is serviceable in both areas, making him a good affordable alternative option after the top-of-the-market players receive their deals.
1. CB Marcus Peters
Finding a running mate opposite Trevon Diggs could be atop the Cowboys’ to-do list this offseason. Diggs is a star, but there isn’t a clear-cut option to start opposite of him currently on the roster. Rookie Daron Bland could be the answer, but Dallas may be more comfortable with him handling a role in the slot.
Anthony Brown is hitting free agency, so an addition will have to be made if he departs. A veteran on a one-year deal with something to prove, such as Marcus Peters, would be an ideal target.
Peters began returning to form near the end of the 2022 season after tearing his ACL in 2021. A prove-it deal as the No. 2 behind Diggs on a team looking to contend could lead to Peters finding a more lucrative market in 2024 as a free agent.
