2 Cowboys listed among top 2024 NFL free agents, including a surprise player

The Dallas Cowboys are currently in the midst of their best offseason in years. With the NFL Draft taking place in a few weeks, Dallas has a golden opportunity to cement itself as the biggest offseason winner of any team and one of the favorites to represent the top-heavy NFC in the Super Bowl.

It’s most definitely too early to look ahead to next offseason.

For the Cowboys, though, a quick look at their current roster underlines the fact they have big decisions looming. The list of free agents is substantial, to say the least, and a number of those players are considered vitally important to Dallas’ success, including Tony Pollard, Jayron Kearse, and Malik Hooker.

It speaks to the talent on that list neither of those three players made The Athletic’s listing of the 2024 top NFL free agents.

The two that did? Trevon Diggs (No. 13) and Terence Steele (No. 29).

Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs, Terence Steele among top 2024 NFL free agents

Diggs’ inclusion was expected. His 11 interception rookie season was obviously an outlier, but he became more reliable in man coverage in 2022. He’s established as one of the game’s premier corners and should become the fourth player at the position to sign a contract worth $20 million or more per year.

A second round pick in the 2020 draft, Diggs doesn’t have the fifth-year option of first-round selections. It would behoove Dallas to get Diggs signed long-term before the start of next season, and it’ll be interesting to see when negotiations start. Sometime over the summer feels like a safe bet.

Steele, on the other hand, is a big surprise and it’s great to see him get the recognition he deserves after a breakout 2022.

The Cowboys placed a second-round tender on Steele to all but guarantee he’ll be with the team next season. If the former undrafted free agent returns to form post ACL surgery — all signs point to him being cleared for training camp — author David DeChant believes he could command close to $17 million annually.

Everyone should be rooting for that, as it would mean Dallas has its left and right tackles of the future.

Already one of the best run blocking tackles in the NFL, Steele made notable strides in pass protection in 2022. Per Pro Football Focus, he allowed one sack, 20 pressures and six quarterback hits on 413 pass-blocking snaps.

Diggs and Steele headline a long list of Cowboys 2024 free agents, but something tells us the front office will see to it that both players stick with the team for the long haul even if they’re signed at different times.

Cowboys Rumors: Trevon Diggs’ Twitter likes hint at scary NFC East rival trade

Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs' latest Twitter likes hint that a scary NFC East trade involving his brother Stefon Diggs is about to go down.