3 salary cap casualties for the Dallas Cowboys after the 2020 season

Darian Thompson had a solid 2017 campaign with the Giants in a season that saw him have 75 tackles, six pass breakups, and an interception. In 2018, Thompson was cut by New York, signed onto Arizona’s practice squad, and then signed onto Dallas’ 53-man roster.

Thompson played sparingly on special teams throughout the 2018 season with Dallas, but proved his worth in an expanded role in 2019. With 45 tackles and 1.5 sacks, Thompson parlayed his 2019 into a two-year contract extension with the Cowboys.

Here is a key detail for Thompson’s deal: following the 2020 season, there is a potential out where Dallas can save $1.2 million in cap space and only have $100K in dead money if it were to move Thompson.

While Thompson is a solid safety, bringing in HaHa Clinton-Dix from Chicago should put Thompson on high alert in 2020. Clinton-Dix had a really good 2019 season as the Bears’ starting free safety with 78 tackles, five pass breakups and two picks. If Clinton-Dix comes to play in 2020 like he has his whole career, he could flip a “prove-it” deal into an extension with Dallas.

With Xavier Woods also playing safety with one year left on his deal, Thompson could be the odd man out in the room. Be on the lookout for Dallas trying to clear money to keep veteran players around for the long term. If this is the case, Thompson could be affected.