FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys had 18 unrestricted free agents when the market opened, and 11 of them have departed.
Only Terrance Williams, Brice Butler, Darren McFadden, Jonathan Cooper and Kellen Moore re-signed with the Cowboys. Williams was a surprising return with a four-year, $17 million deal. McFadden and Moore returned on minimum-salary benefit contracts with a combined $180,000 in guaranteed money.
Barry Church, Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, J.J. Wilcox, Terrell McClain, Jack Crawford, Ronald Leary, Ryan Davis, Mark Sanchez, Lance Dunbar and Gavin Escobar left for better opportunities, more money or both.
Only two unrestricted free agents remain unsigned -- linebackers Andrew Gachkar and Justin Durant -- and neither is expected to return.
With 2017 class of free agents largely settled, what will the Cowboys’ 2018 class of free agents look like, and how many of them will return?
DeMarcus Lawrence, Alfred Morris, Joe Looney, Anthony Hitchens, Kyle Wilber, Leon McFadden, Chris Jones, L.P. Ladouceur, Jonathan Cooper, Darren McFadden, Moore, Stephen Paea and Byron Bell are scheduled to be free agents. Free-agent pickup Nolan Carroll could be added to the list if the Cowboys choose not to pick up his 2018 option.
Of the 13 players, Morris, Looney and Leon McFadden are far from locks to make the 53-man roster in 2017. Morris is the third running back at present, behind Ezekiel Elliott and Darren McFadden, and because he is not a special teamer or a candidate to be a third-down back, his spot is in jeopardy. Cooper’s ability to play both interior offensive line spots makes Looney expendable. McFadden is currently fourth in the cornerback rotation, but the Cowboys could target cornerbacks early and often in the upcoming draft.
Wilber has been a special teams standout and can play either linebacker or defensive end, but there comes a time when a younger player has to take his role. Cooper and Bell could win starting jobs on an offensive line that features three All-Pros in Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin. If they perform well, the Cowboys could find themselves in the same spot as they did this year with Leary, who signed a big deal with the Denver Broncos. They won’t be able to pay everybody.
Paea is hoping that reuniting with defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli can get him back in form. Moore is connected to offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, so he could be back in a backup role.
Jones and Ladouceur are worth considering for extensions this year and could be off this list by the time training camp ends. Hitchens has been a productive fourth-round pick, but if Jaylon Smith produces the way the Cowboys believe he will, Hitchens could be just a spot player in 2017.
And that leaves Lawrence.
The Cowboys moved up in the second round of the 2014 draft to take him, giving up their second- and third-round picks to the Washington Redskins to do so. A broken foot limited his rookie season, although he had a sack in each of their two playoff games that year. He had a team-high eight sacks in 2015, which the Cowboys hoped was a sign of positive things to come.
But he had back surgery after the season, was suspended for the first four games of 2016 for violating the NFL substance-abuse policy and ended the season with just one sack. He had a second back surgery this offseason.
Finding pass rushers is a difficult task. Lawrence has shown flashes of ability, but the back surgeries are concerning.
If he lights it up next season, the Cowboys could always look to use the franchise or transition tag on him. If he doesn’t, then perhaps he'll return on a one-year make-good deal.
As much as some of the 2017 departures have been lamented, the Cowboys could be in the same spot next year at this time.
