The 2025 season has been stuffed with loads of ups and downs for the Dallas Cowboys. It’s been a rollercoaster trip of a yr, however Dallas will in the end miss the playoffs for the second-straight season.
Whereas the 2 video games left within the common season don’t imply something by way of standings, there are many gamers on Dallas’ present roster who might be enjoying their closing two video games as a Cowboy. With that thought in thoughts, at present we check out two impression gamers who might be suiting up as Cowboys for the ultimate two instances within the coming weeks.
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There isn’t a denying that Cowboys’ operating again Javonte Williams has had an excellent 2025 marketing campaign. After a breakout rookie yr in 2021, Williams suffered main accidents, together with a torn ACL in 2022, and lots of believed he would by no means attain his high type once more.
Dallas took an opportunity on the 25-year-old operating again, signing him to a one-year deal in hopes that he nonetheless had some juice left within the tank. The transfer turned out to be one among Dallas’ better of the offseason, as Williams has put collectively a profession yr in his fifth season within the league.
On the yr, Williams is fourth within the NFL in first downs speeding, sixth within the NFL in speeding yards (1,147), tied for seventh in speeding touchdowns (10) to go together with a career-high 56.1% Dashing Success Charge. Williams has slowed down significantly within the second half of the season, averaging simply 4.2 Y/A over his final 4 video games. Nonetheless, these shortcomings are extra a product of the latest struggles of Dallas’s offensive line, which has been a really inconsistent unit over the previous 4 to 5 weeks.
Williams has been a diamond within the tough discover for Dallas’ entrance workplace, however his excellent 2025 marketing campaign might value him out of a return to the Cowboys. Whereas the 2026 free agent operating again market does embrace some succesful gamers (Travis Etienne, Kenneth Walker), Williams will nonetheless be a sizzling commodity for operating back-needy groups.
At simply 25-years-old, a minimum of one group will probably be keen to supply Williams a multi-year contract. Spotrac tasks the operating again to earn a three-year, $22M deal on the open market. Whereas $7M a yr isn’t an enormous quantity, with all of Dallas’ wants to handle elsewhere on the roster, it appears unlikely they’d significantly take into account bringing Williams again to Dallas at that quantity.
If Williams has discovered a house in Dallas and is keen to take a extra modest quantity to stay right here, he could keep. If he’s trying to money in on his career-changing yr, which he virtually actually might be, there’s an excellent likelihood he’s about to play his closing two video games as a Cowboy.
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When the Cowboys acquired defensive sort out Kenny Clark again firstly of September, the 30-year-old veteran had huge sneakers to fill. Whereas nobody anticipated Clark to duplicate Micah Parsons’ manufacturing on Dallas’ protection, Clark crammed a giant want the Cowboys had at defensive sort out and figured to be a man who might make a major impression straight away.
With how unhealthy the Cowboys’ protection has been as a complete, Clark’s season has gone a bit unnoticed, however the 10-year veteran has had a really productive yr. When Dallas acquired Clark, they knew he can be strong towards the run, however questions remained about whether or not he had something left within the tank as a cross rusher. Surprisingly, Clark has turned again the clock a bit this yr and has been a greater than ample pass-rushing defensive sort out.
In 15 video games, Clark has recorded 43 whole pressures, 33 QB Hurries, and 4 sacks, through Professional Soccer Focus. With two extra video games so as to add to those totals, Clark will probably end with the second-most pressures, hurries, and sacks in his final 4 seasons. Whereas the totals aren’t near his star-studded 2023 marketing campaign, they’re nonetheless spectacular for a veteran inside defensive linemen.
Clark has had a greater than acceptable first season in Dallas, however his long-term future as a Cowboy is something however sure. With the Cowboys buying star defensive sort out Quinnen Williams, there’s an opportunity Dallas will be unable to afford to maintain Clark, Williams, and 27-year-old Osa Odighizuwa all on their roster in 2026.
Of these three, Clark is the obvious alternative if Dallas goes to chop ties with one of many defensive tackles. The way in which Clark’s contract is structured, the Cowboys can get out of the deal this offseason with no penalty. If Dallas had been to chop Clark (pre or submit June 1), they’d incur no lifeless cash and save $21M towards the cap this yr and $20M in 2027.
As talked about above, the Cowboys have so many different wants to handle on their roster this offseason, conserving Clark at a $21.5M cap quantity simply doesn’t really feel like a practical choice. Dallas might restructure the veteran’s contract to decrease his 2026 cap quantity and maintain him as a Cowboy for the rest of his deal, however the extra probably state of affairs appears to be Dallas releasing him sooner or later subsequent summer time.
