3 contracts holding the Dallas Cowboys back right now

Although their seasons ended far too prematurely (again) the Dallas Cowboys still have a lot of talent on their roster which should give them hope going forward. They're also 36-15 over the past three years in the regular season, so they should be back in the playoffs once again following the 2024 campaign.

Having said that, they need to figure out how to get over the hump. That won't be easy to do, however, since they enter the offseason nearly $20 million over the salary cap. That means there will be more work to do in order to get out of the red and make room for new additions. With that focus, here are the top three contracts holding them back right now.

3. Terence Steele, RT: $11 million cap hit in 2024

Dallas has made a couple of mistakes lately when it comes to extensions with one of those being the five-year deal given to Terence Steele. The former undrafted free agent developed into a stellar starter on the right side and deserved to stick around. But the timing of his extension was an issue.

Steele played very well in 2022 but suffered a torn ACL and MCL in a Week 14 contest against the Texans. While recovering, the Cowboys gave him $86.8 million with $50 million of that being guaranteed. Unfortunately, he then struggled in 2023.

Heading into 2024, the Cowboys will be hoping Steele can improve as he gets farther from his surgery. If not, they have a guy who is struggling but carries an $11 million cap hit in 2024 that only goes up from there.