Inside The Star
Dallas’s Thursday night loss against the Detroit Lions has plummeted their playoff odds, forcing fans to start looking to 2026. In doing so, it is hard not to notice a few recently-extended Cowboys who may be cut loose this offseason.
There is no doubt that this roster needs a shake-up in a few key areas; the issue is that they don’t necessarily have a ton of money to spend, especially after George Pickens gets paid.
Therefore, the team will have to get creative while also bolstering the necessary units.
Here, we’ll look at three of the players in question, what they’ve done in 2025, and why, despite being under contract, this could be their final season with a star on their helmets.
Somehow, in two weeks, All-Pro returner KaVontae Turpin was flagged for something you rarely see in two full years. Against both the Chiefs and Lions, Turpin called for a fair catch before taking off running, causing a flag to be thrown on him both times.
The mistakes by Turpin this year have been hard to watch; at times, he feels like the one guy you don’t want to touch the ball, because you just don’t know what will happen.
I think I’m done giving KaVontae Turpin targets on offense.
Just not a natural WR
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) November 18, 2025
We’ve also seen, despite him being third in return yards, some regression on special teams. He just doesn’t look all that comfortable or confident in 2025.
Dallas extended him this offseason, but at 29 years old, it may be best to let that contract go and give the return duties and gadget role to a younger, cheaper, explosive option.
Let me first say, I have really liked Markquese Bell for a long time and had hoped that he would turn into something special.
Earlier this year, Dallas gave him a shot of confidence with a three-year extension worth up to $12M. Unfortunately, it just hasn’t worked out for the former Florida A&M defensive back.
The Cowboys gave him a shot against Jameson Williams on Thursday, and he got obliterated almost every time. Is that a fair matchup for Bell? Maybe not, but his role is supposed to be the hyper-athletic, play-him-anywhere DB.
PFF grades him as the 92nd safety in the league; the entire list is only 95 players long. Again, he’s a good dude who has certainly overachieved in Dallas, but you can’t keep paying him and playing him with how poorly he has performed.
Lastly, we have Terence Steele, the Cowboys’ starting right tackle since essentially the 2020 NFL season. In December 2022, he tore his ACL and MCL in a major knee injury; not even a year later, Dallas gave him a five-year, $86M extension....
