3 free agent targets the Cowboys could steal away from NFC East rivals

Now that the Dallas Cowboys’ season is over and we’ve had a final resolution on the Mike McCarthy contract drama, it’s time to look ahead. Of course, there’s the NFL Draft to prepare for, but free agency will roll around before we get there. While Jerry Jones hasn’t been as active as most would like in recent years, there is still some reason for optimism since Dallas has quite a few holes to fill.

Among those areas of need are wide receiver, defensive line, defensive back and a backup quarterback. Free agency has become a time of controversy for Cowboys fans because Jerry Jones seems to have lost his passion for making big moves. He’s been burned one too many times on big-money free agents that didn’t pan out like Brandon Carr, and Jones has gone away, almost entirely from the process.

Jerry would much rather go through the draft but it’ll be hard to do that this year and come away with a team that can compete. Over the years Jones has gotten cheaper and cheaper when it comes to free agency. Blaming the salary cap is a convenient excuse that Jones trots every offseason. Despite Jones’ objection to the free agent period, there are some names out there within the NFC East that could be good fits for the Cowboys to steal away from their rivals.

Josh Sweat, DE – Philadelphia Eagles

Dallas has plenty of holes to fill and no matter who replaces Mike McCarthy as head coach, defensive end will be toward the top of the list. Demarcus Lawrence missed most of the season with a foot injury and Josh Sweat could come in and help balance out the side opposite Micah Parsons.

Sweat had another good year with Philly posting eight sacks, the second highest of his career, 41 tackles and nine tackles for loss. The Cowboys’ defense is built to get after the quarterback and with Lawrence coming off an injury plus being five years older (32), Sweat could be an upgrade at this point. If Dallas decides they want to go offense with the No. 12 overall pick, then going after Sweat beforehand would be beneficial.

Darius Slayton, WR – New York Giants

This may not sound like a splashy pick up looking at Slayton’s season. The Giants wideout caught 39 passes for 573 yards and two touchdowns. Slayton has continued to slide down the Giants depth chart seemingly catching the third most receptions on the team in 2024 and finishing second on the squad in yardage. However, Slayton did finish first with 14.7 yards per reception.

That production of yards per reception was better than any Cowboys receiver who was targeted at least 50 times this season. Slayton isn’t going to come in and challenge CeeDee Lamb but he could potentially take a little pressure off of him. And a change of scenery could be exactly what Slayton needs to have a breakout year plus he’d be playing with a much more capable quarterback like Dak Prescott.

Marcus Mariota, QB – Washington Commanders

With Cooper Rush entering free agency and the Cowboys expected to move on from Trey Lance, Marcus Mariota just makes sense. The former Heisman winner has entered the phase of his career where he’s become a solid backup. Teams can count on Mariota to play when needed and keep the team competitive in place of their starter.

Mariota didn’t start any games in Washington this season but he did get a few reps, completing over 77 percent of his passes for 364 yards. At 32 years of age, Mariota is a pros-pro and can be trusted to run an offense when needed. He could slide right into the position that Rush has held the past few years in backing up Dak Prescott.