Every week this season, we'll be checking in with the Dallas Cowboys' 2027 free agents to see how their performance in the previous game either hurt or helped their market. Last week, we set the stage with where various players stood going into the year.
You have to fight the urge to overreact after any game, and especially the first one. But even some of last Sunday night's events helped to preserve current evaluations or raise new concerns,
Given how ugly the season opener was for the Cowboys, you can't really say that any of the upcoming free agents improved their stock. The couple of players who did stand out, like TE Brevyn Spann-Ford or OLB Donovan Ezeiruaku, are already under contract for the next several years.
So after a bad overall game for Dallas, which 2027 free agents are still treading water, and whose stock sank a little?
Cowboys 2027 free agents who maintained value in Week 1
QB Sam Howell (DNP)
RB Emari Demercado
WR Jonathan Mingo
TE Luke Schoonmaker
OT Broderick Jones (DNP)
OL Nick Leverett (DNP)
OLB Von Milller
OLB James Houston
OLB Tyrus Wheat (DNP)
S P. J. Locke
S Alijah Clark
P Bryan Anger
Not playing is a great way to make sure your stock doesn't go down, and that's the case for many on this list. You hope that guys like Howell or the backup offensive linemen don't see much action, unless it's in a blowout win. But let's talk about a few of the guys who did get snaps.
New backup RB Emari Demercado only saw five offensive snaps in Week 1, as Javonte Williams rarely left the field. It's not surprising that Dallas needed to give him more time with the playbook, having just arrived about two weeks ago. He will likely get more work as the weeks go on, though now he may have to fight Tyler Goodson for touches.
WR Jonathan Mingo and TE Luke Schoonmaker got about what you'd expect in their limited offensive roles: just one catch each on a single target. They have no real stock to lose at this point.
It's a little harder to single out the defensive players because the whole unit wasn't good. Nobody really stood out with good individual plays. Some, like Miller and Houston, barely got enough playing time to make an impact. But we'll get to some of the weak points in the "stock down" section.
One deserved shout-out goes to Bryan Anger. He only had two punts, but they were good for a 48.0 average and zero return yardage. Those numbers will keep him near the top of NFL punters this year if he maintains them. It's not really a raise in his stock, as he's already a very respected veteran. But it's cool to see him still doing it at nearly 38 years old.
Cowboys 2027 free agents whose stock dropped in Week 1
WR George Pickens
G T.J. Bass
DL Otito Ogbonnia
DL Jonathan Bullard
LB DeMarvion Overshown
LB Dee Winters
S Malik Hooker
Arguably the biggest names of Dallas' entire free agent crop are on this unfortunate list, which is partly why the Cowboys looked dysfunctional last Sunday.
Pickens had an unusually low impact on the game, just three catches for 28 yards on six targets. Two first-half drops were especially damning, which helped Dallas out of rhythm. We're sure Pickens will bounce back quickly, but this certainly didn't help his franchise WR argument.
T.J. Bass got the start at the LG for injured Tyler Smith, and it wasn't great. After a week of expressed confidence in Bass' ability to perform, the Cowboys' run game was stagnant and Bass led the linemen in allowed QB pressures. We always knew Bass wasn't going to truly replace Smith, but he needs to do a better job of at least keeping his spot solvent.
It was also a rough day for some key defensive players. Ogbonnia and Bullard were brought in to help fix the Cowboys' run defense, but the Giants obviously had little trouble there.
Both starting linebackers, Overshown and Winters, also got bullied and made little impact. Concern about their lack of size as 3-4 ILBs was validated, and Overshown picked up yet another injury.
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