3 free agents Cowboys should have targeted who are making Jerry Jones look foolish
Jerry Jones should ultimately feel responsible for how this season is playing out for his beloved Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys haven’t looked any bit as dominant as they did a season ago. They have hobbled their way to a 3-2 start and with a little luck in Sunday night’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, are just a game over .500.
Jones is to blame for the early season struggles. He mentioned the Cowboys were “going all in” this past offseason after they were embarrassed in the Wild Card round against the Packers in Arlington.
I guess Jones has a different definition of all in than most of us because this couldn’t have been a quieter offseason. Especially with how things are going and who the Cowboys could have signed to add both depth and much needed production.
As the 2024 season takes shape, let’s take a look at some of the players Jones and the Cowboys have to feel ridiculous about not signing ahead of this season.
3 free agents the Cowboys should have targeted in free agency
3. Tyler Boyd
Tyler Boyd more of a low-risk, high reward signing. The Cowboys have struggled passing the ball this season compared to years past and history says it's because they don’t have No. 2 receiver. Dak Prescott thrives on having multiple weapons to go to and with a terrible run game – we’ll get to that shortly – only having CeeDee Lamb as a comfortable option at receiver is hurting this team right now.
While Dallas has been a team that’s utilized its tight ends in the passing game, that hasn’t been much of the case since Jason Witten retired.
Boyd didn’t have a great 2023 season. He only had two receiving touchdowns and had 667 yards. Granted he was the No. 3 option in a crowded wide receiver room on the Cincinnati Bengals, but it wasn’t one of his better years. That could have provided the Cowboys a chance to lowball him knowing Lamb and Prescott’s contracts were upcoming and given him a chance to prove himself.
He hasn’t been much of a factor for the Titans this season with just 10 catches, 108 yards and no touchdowns. But neither has much of the Titans offense. But who knows, maybe Boyd could have thrived on the Cowboys, especially with Brandin Cooks on the sidelines.
2. Leonard Floyd
On a defense that features Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and Chavarius Ward, it was also going to be hard for Leonard Floyd to be a featured player on the defense. That said, he’s been a welcomed addition to the San Francisco 49ers, who let Chase Young walk after trading for him last season.
Floyd was coming off a 2023 season where he had 10.5 sacks, tied for the most he’s had in a season since entering the league. The 49ers signed him to $10 million a year for two years. I’m sure the Cowboys could have found a way to make the swing. Especially with the lack of depth in pass rush they are facing right now.
DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons are out and the Cowboys need reinforcements. Imagine if Floyd joined that line. Maybe the Cowboys don’t go into panic mode when losing their two best defensive lineman. Floyd has two sacks and 15 tackles in 2024.
1. Derrick Henry
This is the move the Cowboys and Jerry Jones have to be kicking themselves over. According to Henry, Jones didn’t even give Henry an offer. So not only did the Cowboys not find a way to pay Pollard and bring him back, they didn’t even try to sign the league’s best rusher this season.
Rough. To make matters worse, Jones openly said that they couldn't afford Henry.
Henry has 572 yards and six touchdowns, both tops in the NFL through five games. The Cowboys? They have 410 rushing yards. Bet they would have at least called. Maybe they would have realized they could have afforded him. Because the Ravens only coughed up $16 million over two years.
The Cowboys are skating by in 2024 and I’m not saying if they would have signed all three, they’d join the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs as the league’s only undefeated teams. But you’d at least feel a bit better about the season than you do now.
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