The Dallas Cowboys have had a busy offseason, adding pieces to a team that missed the playoffs in the last two years. Their biggest additions were trading for pass rusher Rashan Gary and signing safety Jalen Thompson to the biggest free-agent deal the team has done in 14 years.
And while both of those moves are solid hits in their own right, it’s the three misses for the Cowboys this offseason that could most work out in the team’s favor.
It’s no secret Dallas coveted a top edge rusher, making a hard push to land Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby. Their best offer of the 12th pick overall, a second-round selection in 2027 and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa wasn’t enough to get the trade done. Crosby was shipped to the Baltimore Ravens, a trade that was eventually rescinded, sending him back to the Raiders.
After failing to deal for Crosby, the Cowboys turned their attention to Gary, whom they acquired for a much lower cost of a fourth-round pick. Gary isn’t anywhere near the same class of pass rusher as Crosby, but he also came with a reduced salary after the team reworked his contract.
In addition to Gary, the Cowboys used the 12th pick overall (officially the 11th selection) on one of the best players in the draft in Caleb Downs. The defensive chess piece is a perfect fit for Christian Parker’s defense and was a consensus top-5 talent who fell outside the top 10.
The Cowboys could’ve had Crosby, instead they came away with Gary and Downs, while keeping a premium pick in next year’s draft, which is considered an elite class. Gary is younger and cheaper than Crosby, and Downs is a 21-year-old defensive player the team can build around.
It feels, for now, like the Cowboys won the situation, one that could grow if the team revisits trading for Crosby during the season.
The team also tried in free agency to land a high-priced linebacker, but struck out. The Cowboys wanted to sign LB Nakobe Dean, who played under Parker with the Philadelphia Eagles, to be one of the rebuilding centerpieces. It didn’t work; despite being offered a similar contract by Dallas, Dean chose to sign with the Raiders over a “gut feeling.”
Former Green Bay Packer Quay Walker was another LB the Cowboys tried to bring in, but he also signed with the Raiders.
The deals for Dean and Walker were for three years, at $36 million and $40.5 million, respectively. Missing out on the duo left the LB market bare and forced the team to look elsewhere for help.
It wasn’t until the draft where the Cowboys found an answer. The team made their second offseason trade with the San Francisco 49ers when they sent a fifth-round selection in exchange for LB Dee Winters. The four-year veteran LB has started 27 games over the past two seasons and appears to be an ascending player coming off a career best 2025 campaign.
The early reviews about Winters have been positive, giving him an edge as one of the starting LBs.
Dallas then supplemented the position when they drafted Jaishawn Barham in the third round of the draft. Barham offers upside as a pass rusher, as well as a thumper against the run.
Getting Winters for Day 3 pick, paying him just over $3.6 million this season and drafting Barham feels like another win for the Cowboys. The duo might not have been in the plans if the team were able to sign Dean or Walker in free agency.
Sometimes not getting what you want works out. For the Cowboys, missing out on Crosby, Dean and Walker was disappointing at the time, but it could end up being the best thing for the team.
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