For Dallas Cowboys fans the offseason arguably began after just a few games in 2024. Now it is almost here for the team after next week's Super Bowl. If the Cowboys ever want to be preparing for that game again, Jerry Jones will need to get back to making bold moves.
In the past Jerry was not afraid to take chances. He gambled on trading Hershel Walker for a bunch of draft picks. He took a risk on trading for Charles Haley. He also gave Deion Sanders a very generous contract. All those moves in the 1990s led to Super Bowl wins. Now he just watches everyone else be active in the offseason.
If the Cowboys are as inactive this offseason as they were last year, this team will not be any better in 2025 and in reality will probably be worse. Fortune favors the bold and Jerry Jones needs to remember what that means. These bold offseason moves would be game-changing for Dallas.
4 bold 2025 offseason moves for the Cowboys
1. Cowboys sign Tee Higgins
This might fall more into the "wishing" category, but it is not impossible. Dallas has the opportunity to clear money off the salary cap if they want to. There would have to be a few cap casualties, but the team has done that in years past. If they make some room, Tee Higgins would be a big weapon to help this offense.
The Cowboys had another season where CeeDee Lamb was the only good option at receiver. He put together another 1,000-yard season before he sat out at end of the year due to injury, but did not see a lot of other production around him. Dallas' second-leading receiver was Jalen Tolbert and while he had his moments in 2024, there is belief he will not be back.
Getting Higgins would give Dak Prescott more confidence and new head coach Brian Schottenheimer a reliable asset. While his production dipped in receiving yard the past two seasons, Higgins had a career-high ten touchdowns in 2024. With Ja'Marr Chase as the main man in Cincinnati, many believe Higgins will be playing elsewhere in 2025.
That could be Dallas if Jerry wants to make it happen. He splurged a few offseasons ago by trading for Brandin Cooks so a move like this would not be too out of the question. While money would be the biggest obstacle, the Cowboys could make this happen. Signing Higgins would be a bold move, but it would pay off immediately for this offense.
2. Cowboys trade Micah Parsons for draft picks
When Micah Parson's got the green light to do his own podcast, everyone had to think things could have the potential to go south. While Parsons has never insisted he wants out of Dallas, Dallas could take advantage of his value before they have to pay a star player another big contract.
Parsons is on the last year of his contract in 2025. For a player Dallas drafted high in 2021, he has turned this defense around. The defense arguably carried this team in Parsons' first three seasons. Even when he missed time in 2024 because of injury, he still registered double-digit sacks and was named to another Pro Bowl. The man has solidified his place as a top five defensive player in this league.
If the Cowboys want to avoid another situation that could continue to put them in salary cap hell, they should try to get as much as they can from trading away arguably their best player. While Parsons never complained about going from Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer, yet another defensive coordinator in three years is hard to adjust to. That could be a motiving factor for him wanting to go elsewhere.
If Jerry were to pull the trigger on a trade like this, the draft capital would be almost to the level of the Walker trade in 1989. They might not get hauls of first round picks for several years in a row, but it would be a lot.
A move like this would mean being on the borderline of a full-on rebuild, but that is arguably what this team needs. The new coaching hire does not look promising and the NFC East is only getting better. It may take a few years after trading Parsons for the Cowboys to recover on defense, but the money saved could help upgrade other positions they have not because money issues.
3. Cowboys draft Jalen Milroe in the first round
The Cowboys currently have the 12th pick in the first round of the draft. No early mock drafts are projecting them to take a quarterback in the first round, but drafting Jalen Milroe would be bold and send a message to Dak Prescott. After failing so far to live up to both of his big contracts, many have to be wondering how much longer Dak will be in Dallas.
For at least the next few years Prescott looks like he will be in Dallas, but he is not the same. He is coming off another significant injury and even when he did play last season, the offense struggled to be polite. He threw 11 touchdowns to eight interceptions and every game things just kept looking worse. While everything that happened on that field last season was not his fault, many feel it is time for a change.
With Cam Ward and Shedur Sanders projected to come off the board within the first few picks, Milroe would be the best available quarterback for Dallas at number 12. The Alabama product might still be a project, but he has the look of a quarterback who could be a franchise player. While the first series of mock drafts have him going in the second round, Jerry could gamble and make sure he gets his insurance signal-caller.
Any team drafting Milroe that high would be taking a risk, but for the Cowboys it would be on par for a team desperately looking to always grab headlines. The move would make Prescott realize he has to fight for his job and could actually lead to one of his best seasons.
When Steve Young came in, Joe Montana stepped his game up and won two more Super Bowls. When the Packers drafted Jordan Love, Aaron Rodgers still played at an MVP level. While Prescott does not belong in the same stratosphere as those quarterbacks, something needs to happen to him in order for him to take the next step. Drafting Milroe would be bold and could set up the Cowboys for success down the road after Prescott.
4. Cowboys trade up to draft Aston Jeanty
This is a move more likely to happen and makes the most sense of any potential moves this team could make this offseason. NFL Draft analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks project Dallas to take Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty in the first round. However, Eric Edholm thinks he could go sooner, potentially to the Raiders at No. 6. If the Cowboys want to make sure they get their starting running back for next year in the draft, they need to do whatever they can to get him.
That could mean trading up to got get Jeanty. While Dallas could wait and potentially settle on someone like Quinshon Judkins, Jeanty is comfortably the best running back in this draft class. He will be an instant starter for whoever drafts him. The Cowboys whiffed on running backs this past offseason and they cannot make that same mistake again.
Rico Dowdle was a breath of fresh air in 2024 with over 1,000 yards, but he just played on a one-year deal. While having Rico alongside Jeanty would be ideal, there is no guarantee he will remain in Dallas. Dowdle will want a bigger deal having proven his worth in 2024. Based on the recent history of free agent role players, Jerry will likely let him walk.
After seeing Ezekiel Elliott break down and not resigning Tony Pollard, the 2024 Dallas Cowboys' offense was all on Prescott and the passing game's shoulders. With Schottenheimer and new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams having a philosophy of more of a ground attack, drafting Jeanty sounds like a winning move. This team cannot be afraid to make bold moves in the draft to go up and get him.