Dallas’ ownership went to work on Tuesday, trying to convince Cowboys Nation not to throw in the towel. Speaking from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL, both Jerry and Stephen Jones spoke words in an effort to mitigate the frustration and disappointment in the club’s early playoff exit, in an embarrassing double-digit defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers.
Dallas became the first No. 2 seed to lose to a seven, and they were the only home team to lose in the wild-card round. Fans, en masse, have let it be known they are not going to buy in to regular season success any longer. The Joneses decided to retain head coach Mike McCarthy and run it back, and that caused even more angst. On Tuesday, ownership vowed to go all in this offseason, hinting they wouldn’t be frugal in free agency.
But the Cowboys will have to do plenty of work even before free agency in order to be a part of the first wave; something they’ve avoided for over a decade. Dallas doesn’t spend on big-name free agents since they gave Brandon Carr a huge cornerback to entice the corner to join their club in 2012. To do so, they’ll need cap space, something they don’t have at the moment.
Dallas is one of 11 clubs over the expected $242 million cap for 2024. It’s going to take quite a few moves, a combination of restructures, extensions and possibly releases, for Dallas to get below the cap and start handing out deals to outsiders.
Here’s a look at how all 32 teams rank in terms of available cap space entering February. All cap space figures are courtesy of Over The Cap, and will be adjusted once all likely-to-be-earned and unlikely-to-be-earned incentives are adjusted.