7 realistic free agents Cowboys could sign in 2024
The 2024 season is going to be a massive year for Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys, to say the least. This team has been on the cusp of greatness, and probably should have done much better in January based on the talent on the roster. But there are areas this Cowboys team will clearly have to address in 2024 NFL free agency if they want to maintain their contender status in the NFC.
Dallas has said goodbye to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who finally got a head coaching gig with the rival Washington Commanders. The departure of Quinn and the arrival of Mike Zimmer to take his place will ultimately lead to some personnel change on the defensive side of the ball, but the Cowboys could be in line to make some moves offensively thanks to some pending departures on that side as well.
The Cowboys will have to maneuver some salary cap space to get under before the start of the new league year. They are currently more than $16 million over the cap according to Spotrac, and with QB Dak Prescott occupying nearly $60M of the team's overall cap space, extensions need to get done or cap casualties need to start coming through the wire.
Realistically speaking, NFL teams are always able to maneuver the salary cap and make the additions they want. The Cowboys won't exactly be handcuffed if they play their cards right. Who could be some good fits in free agency that the Cowboys might actually be able to sign?
1. Marquise Brown, WR
Although it's not going to help them in March necessarily, the Dallas Cowboys could make both Michael Gallup and Brandin Cooks post-June 1 salary cap casualties. Those two moves alone would add $17.5 million in total cap space for Dallas, even though they'd have to wait until June to see that reflected on the books.
I think we could see those moves happen relatively early in the offseason, and in the meantime, the Cowboys should be looking at signing Marquise "Hollywood" Brown to reunite him with his old pal CeeDee Lamb. Lamb and Brown once terrorized defenses together as members of the Oklahoma Sooners, and it would be a blast to see them do it again at the NFL level.
Gallup and Cooks just aren't good enough and won't cut it for the Cowboys' passing game. Brown is a younger option than both and would probably love to play with Lamb again.