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  1. Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart 2026 (Fantasy Football Relevant)
  2. Dallas Cowboys Free Agency 2026
  3. Cowboys Quarterback Depth Chart
  4. Cowboys Runningback Depth Chart
  5. Cowboys Wide Receiver Depth Chart
  6. Cowboys Tight End Depth Chart
  7. Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings

There is a reason that Dallas Cowboys fans always say, “This is our year”. And, no, it’s not because they are delusional. It’s because Jerry Jones and company refuse to do a bridge year. They are always playing to win. And they typically have the key pieces that you need to win. Not long ago, this team won 12 games in back-to-back-to-back years and they haven’t had a truly terrible season since Dak Prescott took over.

So, once again, the Cowboys will enter the 2026 season with hope. The defense needs some work - that much we know. But the offense either has the pieces or has them hovering very close to the roster, with them hoping to lure free agents like George Pickens and Javonte Williams back. 

Let’s take a look at the depth chart, salaries, and cap space regarding the Cowboys' weapons to make some predictions for free agency. And, where applicable, we’ll discuss what kind of impact that might have for fantasy football. If you want to see where we have guys like CeeDee Lamb and Jake Feguson ranked, become a Fantasy Alarm Member today to access our full Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings along with our buy, hold, or sell recommendations!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

 

 

 

Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart 2026 (Fantasy Football Relevant)

QB

Dak Prescott

Joe Milton

   

RB

Javonte Williams

Malik Davis

Miles Sanders

Jaydon Blue

Phil Mafah

WR

CeeDee Lamb

Jonathan Mingo

   

WR

George Pickens

Jalen Tolbert

   

WR

Ryan Flournoy

KaVontae Turpin

   

TE

Jake Ferguson

Luke Schoonmaker

Brevyn Spann-Ford

  

FB

Hunter Luepke

    


 

KEY

  • White = free agent
  • Green = role is safe
  • Yellow =  role in flux
  • Orange = likely a depth piece
  • Red = roster spot not guaranteed

Dallas Cowboys Free Agency 2026

  • PROJECTED 2026 SALARIES: $357M
  • ESTIMATED 2026 CAP SPACE: -$31M

Free Agent Types

Unrestricted free agent: Any player with four or more accrued seasons whose contract has expired. They are free to negotiate with any team.

Restricted free agent: A player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. The CBA allowed for NFL teams to tender these players to one-year qualifying offers to retain them. Another team can sign them, but would need to provide the tendering team with compensation. In layman’s terms, if a new team signs a player, the current team can match it, or they receive the corresponding pick from the new team. These are the projected RFA tender levels per OverTheCap.com:

  • 1st Round - $7,893,000
  • 2nd Round - $5,658,000
  • Right of First Refusal - $3,453,000

Exclusive rights free agent: Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with other teams. If the team wants the player back, these contracts are a no-brainer, as the player either needs to play on the contract or sit out. 

 

 

 

Cowboys Quarterback Depth Chart

Dak Prescott

The Cowboys gave Dak Prescott a massive extension that locks him in as their starting quarterback for at least the next couple of seasons. And, with players like Dak, we have to acknowledge that two things can be true. Dak Prescott is an above-average quarterback. And winning a Super Bowl is incredibly hard. Dak is not prohibiting the Cowboys from winning a Super Bowl, and he has the weapons on offense to do it. Jerry Jones and his Cowboys never seem to bring it all together.

When it comes to fantasy football, Dak Prescott is no longer running as he did very early in his career, so it’s hard to bet on getting there that way - even just via rushing touchdowns. That said, he is one of the few quarterbacks who can throw for 5,000 yards and 40+ touchdowns if things break right, so he’s squarely a hold for me in dynasty. If the stars actually align one of these seasons and he looks to be starting very hot, we’re not scared to buy. 

Joe Milton

As far as backup quarterbacks go, Joe Milton is one of the more interesting ones to hold as well. He’s a physical specimen with an absolute cannon arm, and we know that Jerry Jones can become infatuated with those types of players. That’s mostly a take for superflex or very deep leagues with taxi squads, however. He’s on a rookie deal through 2027.

COWBOYS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: Call me crazy, but I kind of like what the Cowboys have been doing at the quarterback spot. You have Dak Prescott already, which is about as “safe” as it gets. You can win with that. But why not take some shots on high-risk, high-reward upside propositions just to see? Only special talent would have you move on from Dak, so I don’t mind kicking the tires on guys like Trey Lance or Joe Milton to see if you can catch lightning in a bottle. They always seem to have someone like Will Greier floating around the practice squad in a pinch anyway. 

  • POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: N/A

Cowboys Runningback Depth Chart

Javonte Williams

The running back position has been a point of contention for the Cowboys in recent years. And it really seems like, after spending a lot of money on Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys are now committed to a budget approach at the position. Which, in their defense, has worked with Rico Dowdle and Javonte Williams in back-to-back years.

As for Javonte himself, he’s a hold or even a buy for me in dynasty. In many cases, incumbent players just end up back with their current team, which is a good thing in the case of Javonte. And, at 25 years old, after the season he just had, I expect any deal he signs should be one to start. It seems he’s bounced back after some tough injuries, which is always good to see. 

Malik Davis

My initial thought is that I don’t think Malik Davis gets a chance to start for Dallas if Javonte leaves. But I also was not confident that Rico Dowdle would get a shot to start - but then he did and had 1,300 yards from scrimmage. We know that Davis’s roster spot is probably safe, as he not only served as the de facto RB2 but also played on four different special teams units. How involved he will be on offense will boil down to this offseason, but if you have him on a roster now, you might as well hold on to see.

Miles Sanders

Miles Sanders got some steam in camp. And he did have a bit of a role early on as the RB2 behind Javonte Williams. But I just don’t see a world where the Cowboys bring him back as an unrestricted free agent. There’s a real chance that the football-playing days for Miles Sanders are coming to a close. 

Phil Mafah

Phil Mafah ended up being a bit of a mystery as he hurt his shoulder and ended up on IR for virtually the entire season. He was activated for the very last game but only played 10 snaps. As a 7th-round pick with only ~$80K in guaranteed money, his roster spot isn’t necessarily guaranteed here.

Hunter Luepke

They like fullback Hunter Luepke. Not only does he serve in that capacity, but he played 240 special teams snaps, tied for the top 5 on the team. He’s under contract for two more years and should be back in 2026. 

COWBOYS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: Speculating on the Cowboys running back spot in free agency is always fun, even though they rarely ever do what we want. The obvious answer is that they could retain Javonte Williams. But it’s more interesting to look at the options out there.

They can move money around via restructures and releasing players (like Malik Hooker or one of their defensive tackles). So they could be in the market for bigger names like Breece Hall or Kenneth Walker. If they want to play the budget game like Jerry has recently, guys like Kenneth Gainwell, JK Dobbins, or Brian Robinson could be options. After how things just went with Javonte Williams, taking a shot on Najee Harris feels like a very Cowboys move.   

 

 

 

Cowboys Wide Receiver Depth Chart

CeeDee Lamb

There’s really not much to say here about CeeDee Lamb. He’s a superstar who can be lined up all over the formation. He’s the top target who primarily plays slot in three WR sets and flanker in two WR sets, so it doesn’t matter really for his targets if George Pickens is out there playing split end. In fact, it helps in many cases. We don’t discount Ja'Marr Chase because Tee Higgins is lining up out wide. You buy guys like CeeDee Lamb in dynasty whenever you can. 

George Pickens

George Pickens was awesome playing on the outside with Dak Prescott - no doubt about that. The volume was obviously better when CeeDee Lamb was out, but he was still a must-start fantasy asset regardless. The Cowboys are going to try to keep him, but you know how Jerry Jones can be with contracts. The franchise tag is absolutely on the table here.

The way I see it is this. Pickens returning gives him a decent floor, decent upside. Him leaving creates a lower floor if he goes to a bad spot, but the upside to be the WR1 overall in fantasy is there if he lands in the perfect spot (perhaps as the WR1 for Josh Allen or Drake Maye). Either way, though, how bad can the floor really get for a player like this, even if he takes the money from a bad franchise? I’m not looking to sell Pickens right now after what we saw, only hold or buy. 

Jalen Tolbert

Tolbert was effectively the WR2 for this team. And he did fine with 49 catches for 610 yards and 7 TDs. But he’s more of a WR3 in this league or, better yet, the WR4 who is the “next man up”. He’s on a cheap rookie deal, so I expect him to hang around. And he could be fantasy relevant if the Cowboys' offseason looks anything like it did last year. They don’t have much money, so Tolbert could be at the forefront again if they whiff in the draft.

Ryan Flournoy

If Pickens were gone, they would probably bring someone else in. But there’s next to no chance that whoever they bring in is as dominant as George Pickens. So that would be good news for Ryan Flournoy, who was really the only other Cowboys wide receiver to flash this season. Flournoy should be rostered in most dynasty leagues on speculation alone.  

KaVontae Turpin

We know what KaVontae Turpin is. He’s a great special teamer and a decent speedster on offense to stretch the field. At 29 years old, I don’t think there’s room for Turpin to really ascend into a difference-making dynasty fantasy football asset, however. Would have likely already happened before now.  

Jalen Tolbert

Jalen Tolbert had a number of chances to establish himself as a guy on this team, but never really took things to the next level. He’s an unrestricted free agent and, if they do bring him back, it would likely just be for depth. He doesn’t really even play special teams like Flournoy and Turpin. 

Jonathan Mingo

Jerry Jones traded a fourth-round pick for reclamation project Jonathan Mingo, but he sprained his PCL in preseason. That kept him out until Week 12, and he made a fairly minimal impact upon his return. He’s in the last year of his deal with no guaranteed money on it so he may not even make the team.

COWBOYS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: It really all boils down to George Pickens. If he’s back, great. He’s the split end with Lamb as the slot/flanker, so maybe they add a field-stretching element of some kind. If Pickens is gone, they have a major hole to fill. Maybe it will be Ryan Flournoy, but these are the best options for big-bodied guys who play outside. There’s no need for slot guys with Lamb doing great work from there. 

 

 

 

Cowboys Tight End Depth Chart

Jake Ferguson

The Cowboys extended Jake Ferguson, and it’s not realistic to release him until 2028. He’s a decent two-way tight end in terms of blocking and pass-catching, while not really being a world-beater at either one. But that’s all the need out of him.

He’s the one who stands the most to gain from George Pickens leaving. Ferguson isn’t particularly fast, so he doesn’t really create a lot of yards after the catch. He’s the first tight end to run a 4.8 or slower to finish top 5 in PPR since Heath Miller (and he needed injuries to CeeDee Lamb and other tight ends like George Kittle and Brock Bowers to do it). Jake Ferguson is the kind of player that I look to sell while folks are just seeing “top 5” and not thinking much about it.

Luke Schoonmaker

With Jake Ferguson as the starter, everyone else is relegated to jumbo snaps as the inline tight end. Schoonmaker is probably the next best pass-catcher, but he was asked to block on 23.5% of his pass plays (6% for Ferguson). He doesn’t need to be held in dynasty, though he’ll likely remain with the team as depth and for special teams (he was 5th on the team in special teams snaps with 240).

Brevyn Spann-Ford

Ford is even more of a blocking tight end than Schoonmaker, blocking on 30.8% of his pass plays. I expect him to be back, too, as he was fourth on the team in special teams snaps, with three more than Schoonmaker. 

  • Reserves/Futures: N/A

COWBOYS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Cowboys really don’t need to do much here with three guys under contract. Since the two backups skew blocking, maybe they could throw a pure pass-catching guy on as depth or on the practice squad. Here are some names.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings

Become a Fantasy Alarm Member today to access our full Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings along with our buy, hold, or sell recommendations!