The Dallas Cowboys’ season can only be described as disappointing. “Unfortunate” is another nice word, but you get the idea.
In what could be Mike McCarthy’s final game as head coach, Dallas faced off against the Washington Commanders. While Trey Lance was up and down in the pocket, Mike Zimmer’s defense had Jayden Daniels in a blender before Dan Quinn resorted to backup Marcus Mariota in the second half.
It was fantastic to witness the team fight tooth and nail in another meaningless game. However, numerous players who entered the field on Sunday may not return in 2025.
The Cowboys’ roster of free agents is extensive, and the front office must set aside funds for in-house extensions. This will lead to some harsh conclusions. We’ll find out what happens to each player soon enough, but for the time being, it’s reasonable to assume they won’t be returning.
These Cowboys players definitely won’t be back next season
6. Linval Joseph, DT
Desperate for defensive depth, the Cowboys signed Linval Joseph in August to rotate with Mazi Smith at nose tackle. While Smith improved significantly in the second half of the season, Joseph outperformed the 2023 first-round pick for long stretches. Isn’t it rather outstanding for a 36-year-old?
Joseph was signed to shore up the run defense, but he shone brightest as a pass rusher. He had the second-best pass-rush grade of his career, according to Pro Football Focus.
Joseph may be able to make the 2025 roster if Mike Zimmer returns as defensive coordinator and Dallas continues to ignore the DT position until August, but he turns 37 in October. In an ideal scenario, the Cowboys would sign a (younger) veteran in free agency and draft a day one contributor in April.
Furthermore, the organization just re-signed 2024 seventh-round selection Justin Rogers to the active roster after he was unexpectedly left off the 53-man roster after preseason.
While Smith and Rogers are the only DTs under contract in 2025, the Cowboys will release Joseph. Who knows. The two-time Pro Bowler might even retire. He exceeded his admittedly low expectations, but the front office needs to find a more impactful rotation player to complement Smith.
5. C.J. Goodwin, CB
The Cowboys named Goodwin one of three captains for Sunday’s game against the Commanders. That could be a sign that they will move on after the season. Regardless, Goodwin should not return in 2025.
Goodwin, widely regarded as one of the NFL’s most useful special teams gunners, was a disappointment for John “Bones” Fassel’s club this season. He committed five penalties and missed half of his tackle attempts (ten made, five missed), according to PFF. He finished with a special teams grade of less than 60.0.
Does that scream value to you? While Goodwin was the second-leading tackler on special teams, Dallas can find a better player in free agency or through the draft. Ideally, his replacement will be capable of playing defense.
Goodwin played 67 defensive snaps for America’s Team over the course of seven seasons. That works out to less than ten every season. While the league’s finest special teams players rarely play defense, Goodwin’s one-dimensional tendencies make him expendable.
4. Andrew Booth, CB
Interesting fact: Andrew Booth is the only non-free agent in this article. That really sums up his performance this season.
The Cowboys acquired Booth in a preseason trade with the Vikings. While they did not exchange a fourth-round pick for him (too soon?), it was a no-win situation for both parties. He did make a good impression in preseason, but it was short-lived.
Booth’s 28.7 coverage grade this season was dead last out of 269 (!) qualified cornerbacks, according to PFF. His 17.4 yards per catch allowed was second-worst, while his 157.1 passer rating allowed when targeted was fourth-worst at the position. He miraculously allowed only two touchdowns. That his coverage rating was so poor demonstrates how ineffective he was.
We don’t blame Dallas for making the move, but Booth can’t be on the 2025 roster. He didn’t belong on the field, and with Trevon Diggs and Josh Butler unlikely to be ready for the start of next season, the team will have to rely on its depth at the position.
3. Chuma Edoga, OT
Re-signing Edoga was one of the Cowboys’ few transactions in 2024 free agency. It was regarded as a safe signing, however Edoga’s season was halted by a toe injury sustained during training camp.
Edoga, a former third-round choice of the Jets, made his season debut in Week 10. Much to the displeasure of Cowboys supporters, Tyler Guyton was in and out of the starting lineup throughout the last two months of the season, so Edoga ended up starting four games.
Edoga’s play, as it did last season, left much to be desired. His 52.5 PFF player grade rated 106th out of 138 qualified offensive tackles, and his 50.5 pass-blocking grade ranked 105th. He gave up two sacks, seven pressures, and three quarterback hits.
Not bad numbers, but Dallas might consider promoting 2023 fifth-round pick Asim Richards to the swing tackle position. Richards showed some promise in year two, playing almost exclusively at left tackle, but a high-ankle sprain forced him to go on injured reserve just as Edoga returned.
2. Dalvin Cook (RB)
This place was originally allocated for Ezekiel Elliott, but the Cowboys released him last week when he requested it, intending to sign with a contender before the playoffs. Elliott still has time to find a new home, but he went unclaimed on waivers, so he can join with any team.
Cook, however, is an appropriate successor.
Cowboys supporters were so desperate to breathe new life into the rushing assault that they demanded Cook’s promotion from the practice squad. That ultimately happened in Week 9, when Elliott was effectively suspended for one game after missing a team meeting.
The Cook experiment went as expected. He played in two games and rushed for 20 yards on eight runs (2.5 yards per carry). He had a 49.5 running grade and did not force a single missed tackle, which is precisely why Cowboys supporters opposed the signing in the first place.
All eight of Cook’s carries should have gone to Rico Dowdle. The experiment was an absolute waste of time. Of course, we told you that over the summer when it was originally reported that Dallas was interested in Cook.
1. Brandin Cooks, WR
This offseason, the Cowboys need to add more explosive wide receivers. Cooks, who is 32 years old, clearly does not meet that criteria.
While Dallas didn’t trade for Cooks until he was 31, Cowboys supporters certainly expected more from the former first-round pick when he was acquired from Houston two years earlier. Cooks, who couldn’t help but average 1,000 yards every season regardless of team or quarterback, failed to eclipse 1,000 yards in two seasons in Dallas.
To be honest, Cooks missed part of the 2024 season due to a knee illness. Last year, he played 16 games and finished with 657 receiving yards. Granted, he caught eight touchdowns and CeeDee Lamb controlled the target share, but fewer than 700 yards is far from the mark Cooks set for himself during his career.
The front office needs to improve the WR2 and WR3 positions this offseason. The presence of Jalen Tolbert and Jonathan Mingo (sigh) will make that difficult, but choosing a wideout with one of their first three picks must be the strategy if the Joneses do not want to spend money on the position in free agency.
Having said that, Dallas should make more trades like the one with Cooks. Cheap, low-risk transactions for established veterans are the ideal way to flesh out a playoff-caliber team. It didn’t lead to any success in January, but it was an overall organizational failure.
We’ll root for Cooks in 2025 as long as he doesn’t end up in the NFC East.