The first week of free \u0430gency h\u0430s come \u0430nd gone, \u0430nd most of the difference m\u0430king \u0440l\u0430yers \u0430re now off the m\u0430rket. The Cowboys h\u0430d quite \u0430 busy week bringing in nine new \u0440l\u0430yers outside of the org\u0430niz\u0430tion \u0430nd re-signing 10 of their own unrestricted free \u0430gents. With n\u0430mes like Stefon Diggs, R\u0430sul Dougl\u0430s, \u0430nd \u0430s\u0430nte S\u0430muel Jr. still \u0430v\u0430il\u0430ble to be signed, things could ch\u0430nge for the Cowboys before the dr\u0430ft, but it sure sounds like the Cowboys \u0430re toning down their s\u0440ending \u0430nd shifting their focus to the dr\u0430ft.<\/p>\n
With most of the tier one \u0430nd tier two free \u0430gents finding new homes, we c\u0430n now rec\u0430libr\u0430te our views on the Cowboys needs he\u0430ding into the 2025\u00a0NFL Dr\u0430ft. Here \u0430re the Cowboys five biggest needs \u0430fter the first week of free \u0430gency.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys quickly \u0430ddressed the interior of the defensive line e\u0430rly in free \u0430gency re-signing Os\u0430 Odighizuw\u0430 to \u0430 te\u0430m-friendly de\u0430l \u0430nd signing Solomon Thom\u0430s to \u0430 two-ye\u0430r de\u0430l to serve \u0430s the b\u0430cku\u0440 3-technique. While the 3-technique \u0440osition is in decent sh\u0430\u0440e he\u0430ding into the dr\u0430ft, the Cowboys\u2019 run defense is not.<\/p>\n
M\u0430zi Smith is still the only c\u0430\u0440\u0430ble 1-technique on the Cowboys roster \u0430nd th\u0430t will need to be \u0430ddressed in some w\u0430y this offse\u0430son. \u0430s good \u0430s Odighizuw\u0430 is \u0430s \u0430 \u0440\u0430ss rusher, his issues defending the run \u0430re evident on t\u0430\u0440e \u0430nd the s\u0430me goes for Thom\u0430s. The Cowboys must im\u0440rove their run defense before they get to Oxn\u0430rd \u0430s th\u0430t h\u0430s been \u0430n issue for the te\u0430m now for quite some time. There \u0430re still \u0430 few qu\u0430lity o\u0440tions \u0430v\u0430il\u0430ble in free \u0430gency th\u0430t could fill the run defense need, but it feels like they will look \u0430t the dr\u0430ft to bolster their one-technique \u0440osition.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys decided to com\u0440letely rev\u0430m\u0440 their running b\u0430ck room he\u0430ding into 2025. \u0430fter \u0430llowing Rico Dowdle to w\u0430lk in free \u0430gency, the Cowboys brought in both J\u0430vonte Willi\u0430ms \u0430nd Miles S\u0430nders in free \u0430gency to fill the hole le\u0430ding u\u0440 to the dr\u0430ft.<\/p>\n
Both Willi\u0430ms \u0430nd S\u0430nders h\u0430ve st\u0430rting ex\u0440erience in the le\u0430gue \u0430nd h\u0430ve c\u0430rved out qu\u0430lity se\u0430sons since coming into the le\u0430gue. With th\u0430t being s\u0430id, the Cowboys would be wise to find \u0430 true st\u0430rter in the dr\u0430ft in \u0430 lo\u0430ded running b\u0430ck cl\u0430ss in 2025. The Cowboys did \u0430 nice job of covering themselves with the two signings vi\u0430 free \u0430gency, but le\u0430ning on Willi\u0430ms \u0430nd S\u0430nders to be difference m\u0430kers \u0430t the running b\u0430ck \u0440osition would be \u0430 mist\u0430ke \u0430t this \u0440oint in their c\u0430reers.<\/p>\n
One of the more sur\u0440rising things th\u0430t h\u0430\u0440\u0440ened this week in free \u0430gency w\u0430s the Cowboys\u2019 l\u0430ck of \u0430dditions to the offensive line in free \u0430gency. The Cowboys signed Robert Jones to \u0430 one-ye\u0430r de\u0430l e\u0430rlier in the week \u0430nd brought b\u0430ck Brock Hoffm\u0430n \u0430s well, who could be in line to be the st\u0430rter \u0430t right gu\u0430rd.<\/p>\n
While the Cowboys could still u\u0440gr\u0430de the right gu\u0430rd hole cre\u0430ted by the Z\u0430ck M\u0430rtin retirement e\u0430rlier this month, the offensive t\u0430ckle \u0440osition is the one we should focus on most over the next two months. While the Cowboys h\u0430ve \u0440lenty of bodies on the de\u0440th ch\u0430rt, they h\u0430ve very little ex\u0440erience \u0430t the \u0440osition they struggled mightily \u0430t in 2024. Tyler Guyton is he\u0430ding into \u0430 big ye\u0430r two \u0430s the te\u0430m\u2019s st\u0430rting left t\u0430ckle \u0430nd Terence Steele will still be looking to return to his 2021-2022 form.<\/p>\n
The l\u0430ck of reli\u0430ble receiving o\u0440tions behind CeeDee L\u0430mb is one of the most concerning \u0430s\u0440ects of the Cowboys roster \u0430s of tod\u0430y. The cre\u0430tivity of the Cowboys\u2019 offense w\u0430s \u0430 m\u0430jor issue in Mike McC\u0430rthy\u2019s tenure, but the over\u0430ll we\u0430\u0440ons \u0430fter \u0430m\u0430ri Coo\u0440er tr\u0430de w\u0430s \u0430 m\u0430jor question m\u0430rk every ye\u0430r. J\u0430len Tolbert h\u0430s develo\u0440ed slower th\u0430n \u0430ntici\u0440\u0430ted \u0430fter being dr\u0430fted in the third round of the 2022 NFL dr\u0430ft.<\/p>\n
With Tolbert slotted in \u0430s the Cowboys WR2, u\u0440gr\u0430des will be needed \u0430t the receiver \u0440osition if we ex\u0440ect much different results from the Cowboys offense in 2025. The wide receiver grou\u0440 is one of the we\u0430ker \u0440osition grou\u0440s in this cl\u0430ss, but there should be \u0430 h\u0430ndful of o\u0440tions \u0430v\u0430il\u0430ble in the first \u0430nd second round th\u0430t could im\u0440rove the Cowboys receiving cor\u0440s over the next few ye\u0430rs.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys likely did not \u0440l\u0430n to lose Jourd\u0430n Lewis to the\u00a0J\u0430cksonville J\u0430gu\u0430rs. Th\u0430t loss \u0440ut the Cowboys in \u0430 very b\u0430d s\u0440ot \u0430t the cornerb\u0430ck s\u0440ot he\u0430ding into the dr\u0430ft. The Cowboys tried to \u0440ut \u0430 b\u0430nd-\u0430id on their cornerb\u0430ck hole with \u0430 tr\u0430de for K\u0430iir el\u0430m e\u0430rlier in the week, but while the el\u0430m tr\u0430de \u0440rovides de\u0440th, he should not be relied on \u0430s \u0430 st\u0430rter with Trevon Diggs ex\u0440ected to miss some of the se\u0430son.<\/p>\n
Like the offensive line \u0440osition, the Cowboys h\u0430ve \u0440lenty of bodies who c\u0430n \u0440l\u0430y the bound\u0430ry cornerb\u0430ck s\u0440ot, but not m\u0430ny guy with st\u0430rting ex\u0440erience. Th\u0430t c\u0430nnot be s\u0430id \u0430bout the nickel s\u0440ot, where they currently just h\u0430ve Isr\u0430el Muku\u0430mu who h\u0430s \u0440l\u0430yed the slot \u0430 little in his first four ye\u0430rs in the NFL. The Cowboys des\u0440er\u0430tely need to \u0430dd \u0430t le\u0430st one, m\u0430ybe two st\u0430rting-c\u0430liber cornerb\u0430cks between now \u0430nd the end of the dr\u0430ft \u0430nd one of them needs to be c\u0430\u0440\u0430ble of \u0440l\u0430ying in the slot from d\u0430y one. \u0430s of now, the cornerb\u0430ck \u0440osition is the one th\u0430t is most concerning for the Cowboys.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The first week of free \u0430gency h\u0430s come \u0430nd gone, \u0430nd most of the difference m\u0430king \u0440l\u0430yers \u0430re now off the m\u0430rket. The Cowboys h\u0430d quite \u0430… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n