Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys’ most expensive decision in the 2026 offseason will come at wide receiver. Do they re-sign George Pickens for what is sure to be one of this year’s most lucrative non-QB contracts? Do they utilize the franchise tag, which would cost them even more in salary cap space? Or do they let Pickens walk, losing one of their most important offensive weapons and creating a new, significant offseason need?
CeeDee Lamb – If Pickens does wind up on another roster in 2026, at least you still have a franchise WR to lean on. While it was a down year for Lamb, he still put up 75 catches, 1,077 yards, and three touchdowns. The contributing factors were logical: Pickens ate into his production, Jake Ferguson caught a lot more touchdowns than usual, and Lamb only played in 14 games. If the Cowboys have to rely more on Lamb next season, there’s no reason to think he couldn’t deliver.
Ryan Flournoy – Flournoy established himself as a reliable third receiver this year, leapfrogging Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, and KaVontae Turpin as the season progressed. Because he started the season on the practice squad, Flournoy’s original rookie deal from 2024 is gone. But Dallas wisely signed him to a two-year deal when they called him up in September, so at least he’ll only be a restricted free agent in 2027. The question now is, if Pickens doesn’t return, would Dallas consider Flournoy as WR2 next season?
KaVontae Turpin – It was a disappointing year from Turpin across the board. His offensive production didn’t really change from 2024, despite offseason talk that Brian Schottenheimer wanted him to be more involved. And his most important work as the return specialist fell well short of his previous standard, which made his selection as a Second-Team All-Pro hard to fathom. He’s set to count $4.7 million against the 2026 cap and Dallas can save about half of that if he’s released.
Jonathan Mingo – Now that Flournoy has fully supplanted him on the depth chart, Mingo may be in trouble. Counting only $2 million against the cap isn’t awful, but it’s a bit rich for a down-roster guy with minimal special teams value. Dallas may let him compete again in August, hoping he can finally contribute with better health and more time in the system. But if they’ve lost faith and are ready to admit they wasted that fourth-round pick, the Cowboys could just as easily cut their losses now and reallocate the cap space to a more useful asset.
Parris Campbell – The veteran signed a minimal one-year deal to try to revive his career in Dallas, but was injured early in training camp. Surprisingly, not long after releasing him from IR, Dallas re-signed Campbell to the practice squad and kept him there all year. He’s signed a futures deal to return in 2026, but turns 29 in July. Somebody must like something about this former second-round pick, but it remains a...
