5 dream Cowboys free agent targets if money was no object

4. Tyron Smith, OT, Dallas Cowboys

The current plan for the Cowboys is to move on from Smith, who has been injury-plagued over the past few years. The 2023 season saw Smith stay relatively healthy as he played 13 games and produced at an elite level, showing that there are still a few years of top-tier performance left in his game.

Cap concerns have been a big reason why the Cowboys are moving on from Smith, who can't afford to gamble a ton of money on a guy who may miss some time. It would be cost-effective for Dallas to try and draft a younger replacement for Smith, but that player's development could come with some lumps that could impact Dallas' window to win.

The perfect world scenario where money was no object would be to simply sign Smith to a short-term deal while also drafting a young player to succeed him. That plan would allow the Cowboys to have high-level protection for Dak Prescott's blindside while also giving them an insurance policy if Smith gets hurt again.

The free-agent alternatives for Smith are mediocre so Dallas is set to take a downgrade at the position. Avoiding that possibility would make a ton of sense if the Cowboys didn't have to worry about the salary cap.