The Dallas Cowboys addressed a major need by trading for Rashan Gary, so they haven't been active since the start of the NFL's legal tampering period.
The first wave is moving a mile a minute, and some of the Cowboys' top targets have come off the board. They've watched Jaelan Phillips land a gargantuan contract with the Carolina Panthers, and now one of the top linebackers on the market has found a home.
Veteran Demario Davis has reportedly signed with the Jets on a two-year, $22 million deal that includes $15 million fully guaranteed, marking a reunion with the team that drafted him in the third round way back in 2012.
The Dallas Cowboys lose out on ideal free agent LB Demario Davis
That hurts.
Cowboys fans have circled Davis as a free-agent target for what feels like years. The hope was that the five-time All-Pro would join a team with high ambitions after doing a lot of losing in New Orleans the last several years. That he landed with the Jets, who own the NFL's longest playoff drought at an impossible15 seasons, is a major letdown.
The Cowboys certainly could have matched the Jets' offer. While that's a lot of money to give a 37-year-old, Davis is an ageless wonder, notching a career-high 143 tackles in 2025 to go with a sparkling 88.9 run-defense grade that ranked seventh among LBs, per Pro Football Focus.
Davis is exactly what Dallas needs in the middle of its defense: a field commander who gets everybody into position and has elite gap discipline against the run. He's obviously lost a step, but his high IQ still makes him an effective player in coverage.
You'd be hard-pressed to name a better player to deploy next to DeMarvion Overshown. Alas, the Cowboys will have to turn their attention elsewhere.
Fortunately for them, the linebacker market hasn't taken off just yet. And they are still in a good spot after trading for Gary.