Brandin Cooks and 4 Cowboys who are nearing the end of their Dallas tenure

The Dallas Cowboys said goodbye to several high-profile players this past offseason.

They cut ties with future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith, lost Tony Pollard to the Tennessee Titans, and watched Dorance Armstrong, Tyler Biadasz, Dante Fowler, and Noah Igbinoghene follow Dan Quinn to the Washington Commanders.

And make no mistake about it; once this dreadful 2024 campaign comes to a close, America's Team will be parting ways with several more big names, whether for financial reasons or because some of these players just need to go.

On that note, let's look at five current Cowboys who likely won't have a star on the side of their helmet in 2025.

5. Brandin Cooks, WR

Prior to being traded to the Cowboys ahead of last season, Brandin Cooks had notched at least one 1,000-yard season with every single one of the four teams with which he played. But that historic streak is about to come to an end.

Cooks had one of the worst statistical seasons of his career in 2023, catching 54 passes for 657 yards with eight touchdowns. Now, that's not bad when you're the No. 2 option behind CeeDee Lamb, who set all sorts of franchise receiving records last year.

But Cooks' game was clearly on the decline coming into this season, and the fact that he only had nine catches for 91 yards in the four games he played before suffering the knee injury that landed him on injured reserve confirmed that.

Even if he plays well down the stretch after being activated ahead of the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day matchup with the New York Giants, Cooks and his $10 million cap hit are as good as gone.

4. Ezekiel Elliott, RB

After claiming he couldn't afford Derrick Henry or any other big-name running back in free agency, Jerry Jones made the decision to bring Ezekiel Elliott back to town, which has been an absolute disaster.

Clearly lacking both the power and speed he possessed during his Pro Bowl days in Big D, Elliott is barely averaging three yards per carry this season and has seen his playing time drop significantly as the year has progressed.

While it should be clear that his career with the Cowboys will soon be over, one has to wonder if anyone will take a chance on him moving forward.

3. Trey Lance, QB

Speaking of poor decisions made by Jerry Jones, we come to quarterback Trey Lance, who never should have been acquired in the first place.

In addition to the fact that he was seemingly never going to replace Cooper Rush as Dak Prescott's backup, the fact that Lance carried a $5.3 million cap hit this season cost the Cowboys a shot at a guy like Henry, even if Jones refuses to admit it.

That's not Lance's fault, of course, as the blame lies solely with the front office. The 2021 No. 3 overall pick has a ton of talent and probably should've gotten a shot to start when Dak went down this year with a season-ending hamstring injury.

As he's still only 24, Lance will hopefully get his chance to prove himself in the near future. It just doesn't need to be in Dallas.

2. DeMarcus Lawrence, DE

With all the money Jones is paying to Prescott and Lamb, combined with the cash he's going to have to shell out to get Micah Parsons to stay, the Cowboys are going to have to part ways with some high-priced veterans.

And DeMarcus Lawrence will likely be a part of that process.

When healthy, of course, the 32-year-old can still produce, as evidenced by the fact that he made the Pro Bowl just last year and had three sacks, four tackles for loss, and five QB hits in four games this season before sustaining a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, which has kept him out of action for the last two months.

Even if the 11-year veteran agreed to a pay cut once he hits free agency this spring — he had a cap hit of $20.445 million this season — it's likely the Cowboys still wouldn't bring him back.

1. Zack Martin, G

Much like the Cowboys had to say goodbye to Tyron Smith, they'll likely have to do the same with future Hall of Fame guard Zack Martin.

Taken 18 picks ahead of Lawrence in the 2014 draft at No. 16 overall, Martin has been nothing short of spectacular for Dallas over the last decade, earning nine trips to the Pro Bowl and seven First-Team All-Pro selections.

But his game is on the decline as well. After topping out at 91.9 three years ago, Martin's overall PFF grade is the lowest it's ever been at 65.6. That's still better than many guards out there, but his pass protection is slipping, leading to increased pressures.

Martin may still have a year or two left in the tank, but with the cost-cutting coming down the pipeline, he'll likely spend that time wearing a different uniform. Perhaps Dan Quinn has one for him in Washington.

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