ClutchPoints
The Dallas Cowboys were one of the more disappointing teams in the NFL during the 2024 season. Dallas only managed to win seven games during the regular season and missed the playoffs. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury, but the team was already in a deep hole by the time he left the lineup. In short, the season was a complete disaster.
Now Dallas must transition into offseason mode and attempt to fix what went wrong during the 2024 campaign.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, that could be much easier said than done. Dallas has several needs to address on both sides of the ball. They also have an elite player in Micah Parsons who is due for a contract extension in the near future, possibly even this offseason.
The Cowboys enter the offseason with just $2.4 million in cap space available. If they want to make any moves to upgrade the roster, they’ll need to clear out more cap space.
This can happen in a few different ways. Dallas might trade away players for draft picks, or restructure contracts to push money into future seasons.
However, the most likely outcome is that the Cowboys will cut a number of players to get rid of bad contracts.
But which players can the Cowboys actually afford to part with? And which ones will provide the most cap relief when released?
Below we will explore three Cowboys players who could become salary cap casualties during the 2025 NFL offseason.
The biggest reason to part ways with Jalen Tolbert is that he is incredibly expendable.
Tolbert only has one season as a consistent contributor in Dallas. He hauled in 49 receptions for 610 yards and nine touchdowns during the 2024 season. That is respectable production, but it is by far the best season of Tolbert’s career and it took him three years to accomplish it.
Dallas would be foolish to assume that Tolbert has finally broken out and will become a top receiver. That likely would have happened before his third NFL season if it were going to happen at all.
But for the sake of argument, let’s assume Tolbert has broken out. In that situation, the Cowboys now have an entirely different problem. A blossoming wide receiver on the last year of his rookie contract. In this scenario, the logic move is likely to trade Tolbert away at his peak in value. Otherwise, the Cowboys take a risk of not being able to extend him next offseason.
Meanwhile, if the Cowboys cut Jalen Tolbert before June 1st, they will save $3.3 million in cap space. Obviously this is not a huge payday, but every little bit helps in an important offseason for the Cowboys.
Finally, Tolbert is expendable in part because he is replaceable. The Cowboys already have CeeDee Lamb, Ryan Flournoy, and Jonathan Mingo on the roster at receiver. They may even bring back...
