Cowboys have brought in 9 new players during free agency, but how many starters?

The Dallas Cowboys have been uncharacteristically active in free agency this year. Just days into the new league year the Cowboys are already spending far more than they have in the past. At a time of the year when the front office is typically sitting back and waiting for deals to fall into their laps, they’ve been uncharacteristically forward in 2025. In Stephen Jones’ prophetic words at the 2025 NFL combine, they’ve been “selectively aggressive.”

The qualifier used by Jones wasn’t clear at the time, but having seen it in application, it’s been a fair descriptor of what’s transpired. At the time of this article the Cowboys have signed Dante Fowler, Soloman Thomas, Robert Jones, Payton Turner, Javonte Williams, Jack Sanborn and Miles Sanders, while trading for Kaiir Elam and Kenneth Murray. This was all done in addition to locking up a handful of their own free agents. Unlike Jerry Jones’ deceptive “all in” decree from a year before, the front office was honest and accurate in communicating their offseason strategy.

This isn’t to say the Cowboys 2025 offseason strategy calls for handshakes and hugs throughout Cowboys Nation. No, things are just as controversial than ever ‘round these parts. The front office just found new ways of doing it.

Despite all the additions made and all the money spent, there’s question as to how many starter roles have actually been filled. Looking at roster today there are plenty of starting roles up for grabs, so the odds are in the Cowboys' favor.

Dallas has one, if not two, starting linebacker spots open in the starting lineup. 1-tech defensive tackle is open, as is the defensive end spot opposite Micah Parsons. With Jourdan Lewis gone, Dallas has a starting cornerback open for competition. On offense the offensive line is anything but settled. Zack Martin retired, and a clear replacement has yet to be identified at right guard. Left tackle is tenuous at best but for the sake of this discussion we’ll call it good with Tyler Guyton on roster. Receiver is looking for a clear No. 2 and possibly even a No. 3. And running back is auditioning for their lead back as well.

In all, a conservative estimation says Dallas is looking for seven starters this offseason. How many did they find with their free agent frenzy?

One?

Maybe two?

Cornerback Kaiir Elam may get forced into the lineup early but that would probably just be as an injury replacement to Diggs while he rehabs. At this point the nickel CB spot is still unfilled, and Elam is primarily depth.

Murray has all the physical gifts in the word to win a starting linebacker spot outright, but he’s struggled with the decision-making aspect of the pro game and Matt Eberflus isn’t known for his patience when players miss their assignments. Sanborn probably has the inside track on a starting LB role and his gifts in run stopping make him a great candidate to be a starter before and after DeMarvion Overshown gets back on the field.

Williams and Sanders at RB are not ideal starters and should be seen as depth and insurance rather than potential RB1s. Turner and Thomas on the defensive line have not played like starting quality players so it would a bit irresponsible to call them that today. Thomas has just nine spot starts over the last six seasons and Turner has yet to start a single game in the NFL. Fowler, signed on Friday afternoon, is the only one of the three likely to get a starting spot.

Robert Jones has starts on his resume, starting all 17 games for Miami last season at guard. Unfortunately, he started out of necessity and graded out 58^th in a field of 66 players by Pro Football Focus. Odds are at this point Brock Hoffman and Cooper Beebe have the inside track on Martin’s right guard spot in 2025.

Truth be told, it looks like the Cowboys only filled one starting spot amidst all their free agent signings and tradings. Their flurry of activity addressed depth but did little to address the many holes in the starting lineup.

It is possible these new players could win starting roles by default or maybe even rise to the challenge and meet their potential. But rising to the challenge is typically something teams hope for from rookies. Teams use free agency and trades to add "likelihoods" and "sure things" to the mix. Except for the Cowboys, of course.

Dallas again seems to be marching to the beat of their own drum. They are spending money and filling roster spots, but they aren’t clearly addressing their many holes in the starting lineup. It gives the team a chance, which is more than what we have been able to say in the past, but it still may not call for handshakes and hugs quite yet.

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Free Agency: Dallas Cowboys have 9 new players, but how many starters?

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