We've had two games since our last look at Dallas' impending 2027 free agents: the tough win over Houston and the ugly, ugly loss to Tampa Bay. How did some Cowboys with expiring contracts help or hurt their stock in recent weeks?
The real George Pickens has finally arrived
After two slow games to start the year, Pickens began to look like himself in the Ravens game in Week 3.
While he only had two catches last Sunday against Houston, they were both big gains totaling 75 yards, CeeDee Lamb's monstrous 17-catch performance didn't leave on the table for the rest of Dallas' receivers, but Pickens' presence was a big reason why Lamb could eat so freely.
For all that went wrong Thursday night for Dallas, Pickens avoided the doghouse. He led the offense with nine catches for 130 yards and finally got his first touchdown of the season. Targeted 13 times, Pickens was one of the few star players who capitalized on nearly every opportunity. Lamb's big game in Houston no doubt helped some, but Pickens was still drawing a lot of defensive attention throughout the night.
In a game when we watched Dak Prescott, Jake Ferguson, DaRon Bland, and other big names shoot the team in the foot, it was nice to see Pickens step up and still be elite. That may very well stick in Jerry Jones' mind this offseason when deciding if Pickens is worth a long-term deal, or at least a second franchise tag.
This cute Von Miller story may need to end soon
In 72 defensive snaps so far this year, Von Miller has registered two tackles, one QB pressure, and not much else. While he almost certainly wasn't coming back in 2027 anyway, Miller's retirement tour may need to end before Week 18.
Given all that he accomplished in the NFL, that Miller got such joy from finally getting play for the Cowboys was great for all the off-field reasons. But unfortunately, so far, it's not paying any dividends where it matters most. We're also not seeing any benefit from having the veteran around in terms of improvement from Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence, or other pass rushers.
It also doesn't help that, last Thursday night, we saw former Cowboy Sam Williams get a sack and help Cleveland upset the Steelers. Between Dallas' anemic pass rush and special teams issues so far in 2026, it stings knowing that Williams might have been able to help in one or both areas. But he was arguably the fall guy to make room for Miller.
Granted, Miller may be as much a victim of schematic issues and an epidemic of injuries as the rest of Dallas' defense. But suffice to say, the "feelgood" in this story has worn off pretty fast.
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