The first week of the 2022 NFL Free Agency period has passed, and many notable Cowboys players already know where they will suit up next season.
Dallas entered the off-season with one of the NFL’s most challenging salary cap situations and more than 20 players who were free agents. While many of the biggest questions have been answered, several key players are still waiting to determine whether they will be back in blue-and-white for 2022 or wearing a new uniform.
Eight of the initial 21 unrestricted free agents have re-signed with the Cowboys. Key starters that the team was able to keep with new deals include safety Jayron Kearse and defensive end Dorance Armstrong. In contrast, others, such as Randy Gregory, who was anticipated to re-sign with Dallas, have decided to take their talents elsewhere.
One of the first moves the Cowboys made was somehow both anticipated and shocking at the same time: wide receiver Amari Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns for what amounts to little more than a fourth-round draft pick.
The Cowboys gave up a first-round draft pick to get Cooper from the Raiders, who was playing in Oakland. In a move that Bleacher Report writer Ian Wharton listed as the third-worst decision this offseason, the Cowboys gave up on Cooper and re-signed Michael Gallup to a $12.5 million annual contract.
Gallup showed flashes of promise last season but ended 2021 on Injured Reserve with a torn ACL that is expected to require rehabilitation well into the preseason.
The Browns then restructured the contract they inherited with Cooper to release $15 million in cap space, a move the Cowboys could have made had the team been interested in keeping Cooper in the fold.
In a sounder decision, the Cowboys acquired the talents of James Washington from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Washington will become either the No.2 or No.3 receiver in the lineup pending Gallup’s injury recovery.
The Cowboys also allowed Cedrick Wilson to sign with Miami after the receiver put up respectable numbers in 2021 in a limited role.
Joining Wilson in Miami is former Cowboys guard Connor Williams. Williams was a solid piece on the offensive line but also led the entire NFL in penalties, a fun fact that likely contributed to several close Cowboys losses last season.
The biggest O-line shake-up for Dallas is undoubtedly the March 17 release of La’el Collins. While Collins has struggled to stay on the field — missing all of the 2020 season with a hip injury and five games in 2021 after skipping mandatory drug testing — the Cowboys still elected to move on from one of the most dominant linemen in the NFC East.
The brightest spot of the 2021 Cowboys season was the revamped defense led by Dan Quinn. Quinn was a popular name in the head coaching carousel but decided to remain with Dallas. He now faces a monumental task in keeping the positive progress from last season as many key players head elsewhere.
The most shocking development was the failure of the Cowboys to retain Randy Gregory. The team allegedly had a contract offer prepared on which both sides had agreed, but the Cowboys inserted language restricting player conduct at the 11th hour, and Gregory walked away from the team. He will line up with the Denver Broncos in 2022.
Possibly taking Gregory’s spot, the Cowboys agreed to terms with Dante Fowler Jr., who played with Quinn for Atlanta and was released this year ahead of the free agency period. Fowler was set to become an unrestricted free agent.
In acknowledging roster moves many fans and sportswriters are criticizing, head coach Mike McCarthy likened the process to winning a football game.
“The first quarter isn’t even over yet,” McCarthy said to Sports Illustrated. “If people are frustrated, well, sometimes games are a little frustrating.”