The Dallas Cowboys ended their season with a thud. With several starters out and resting, the team barely put up a fight against the depleted Giants, falling 34-17. With the season over, fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief, hoping changes are coming soon. What will definitely change is who will be on the field as starters in 2026.
Certain players have proven time and time again that they don't deserve to stay in Dallas. The season finale was the final death knell that signaled the end of the road. These players do not deserve to be on this roster next season based on their performances against the Giants.
3 players who don't belong anywhere near the Cowboys' roster in 2026
1. Kenneth Murray
Many are hoping Sunday was the last time Murray will be seen wearing a Cowboys uniform. Some might also believe it will be the last time he wears any NFL uniform. The Cowboys traded a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for Murray and the Titans' 2025 seventh-round pick. Surely, they wish now that they had never made the trade.
Murray's last game of the season saw him only manage one tackle. On that tackle, he committed a bonehead penalty, pushing Giants running back Tyrone Tracy after he went out of bounds to draw an unnecessary roughness penalty. What hurt the most was that it gave the Giants an automatic first down after they were backed up to 2nd-and-21.
Sure enough, the Giants easily scored to take the lead to end the half and seized all momentum. There were plenty of flags thrown on Dallas all afternoon, but Murray's mistake arguably sent this team into a tailspin the rest of the day.
The Cowboys need to fix their linebacking group alongside DeMarvion Overshown, and Murray has constantly proven he is not worthy of keeping on this roster. His big mistake and lack of impact for this defense in the final game should sign his death warrant with Dallas.
2. Joe Milton
The Cowboys should still be in the market for a capable backup quarterback entering the offseason. Joe Milton played the whole second half and did little to prove he is worthy of staying on the team as the primary backup behind Dak Prescott.
Milton only completed seven passes in the second half and arguably looked more comfortable running as opposed to throwing. He also threw a terrible interception at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when the game was still in reach. The second-year QB stared down Brevyn Spann-Ford and threw the pass right at linebacker Bobby Okereke. He did a good job avoiding the sack, but that misread showed he is a long way from producing in meaningful games.
Dallas traded another fifth-round pick to acquire Milton from New England last May, and he is under contract through 2027. However, based on what he showed in the season finale, the Cowboys should be questioning whether he’s anything more than a practice-squad quarterback. With Dak Prescott only guaranteed to be on the roster through 2027, Dallas needs to begin evaluating what it truly has behind him.
3. Donovan Wilson
One position the Cowboys should be looking at in the draft is safety. The safety play this season has been some of the worst in recent memory for this team. Donovan Wilson might have very well played his last game as a Cowboy based on how he performed in the finale.
Wilson finished the game with five total tackles but should have had more. One key tackle he missed came on one of the most interesting touchdowns of the whole season, as hecould not bring down Daniel Bellinger on a shovel pass that went for a touchdown. The whole defense deserved to be laughed at after this play, but Wilson had the best chance at making the tackle to stop it.
The 30-year-old also got burned by Tracy on a wheel route that took him up the middle of the field. He was in the area, and it was a decent throw by Jaxson Dart, but getting burned like that is not good to have on film.
Wilson will be a free agent, and the Cowboys should have no interest in bringing him back after he gave them one final bad game. Wilson might have been the answer at strong safety a few years ago, but now Dallas needs to be looking for his replacement.