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If you listen closely you can probably hear Stephen Jones readying excuses for why the Dallas Cowboys sat on the sidelines twiddling their thumbs during the first wave of free agency.
Jones loves nothing more than to paint a picture that Dallas is tight on money, but he could create ample cap room by simply snapping his fingers. Whether it be restructuring contracts, releasing players or extending Micah Parsons, the quick-fixes are staring Jones right in the face.
As far as releasing players, the Cowboys have a number of candidates. Jon Machota of The Athletic circled safety Donovan Wilson as a potential cap casualty. Safety partner Malik Hooker and right tackle Terence Steele are other possibilities.
However, the Joneses suddenly have more wiggle room after the NFL confirmed the 2025 salary cap will increase by some $25 million relative to last year. The number will reportedly fall between $277.5 million and $281.5 million. A truly astronomical leap.
The stunning news may give a recent Cowboys draft disappointment one final chance to prove himself to the five-time Super Bowl champs.
NFL’s salary cap surge may save Damone Clark’s Cowboys career
A fifth-round pick in 2022, Damone Clark is someone many expect to be cut this offseason after his spot in the linebacker rotation vanished under Mike Zimmer last season.
After starting 17 games as a sophomore and playing 784 snaps on defense the previous year under Dan Quinn, Clark logged just 163 defensive snaps in 2024, equating to an 18% share. He played almost exclusively on special teams. Meanwhile, Marist Liufau played 521 snaps as a rookie.
With newfound cap space, though, the Cowboys might find a way to keep Clark on the roster. They would save just $3.325 million on the cap if they designate Clark as a post-June 1 release while absorbing a palatable $60,639 in dead money.
Given the state of the linebacker room, can Dallas afford to cut Clark loose? Kendricks is a free agent and likely to test the open market, while DeMarvion Overshown isn’t expected back until late November at the absolute earliest following knee surgery. The underrated Nick Vigil is also a free agent.
The Cowboys have Buddy Johnson on the practice squad and they signed Brock Mogensen to a reserve/futures contract after the season. Liufau has a promising future, but he’s the only linebacker on the roster who played extensive snaps in 2024.
Clark clearly wasn’t a fit with Zimmer. With Matt Eberflus presiding over the defense, it’s possible Clark is given a final chance to prove himself. That’s not to say he will have a prominent role, but the linebacker room simply does not have enough bodies right now to warrant cutting him.
Maybe Clark’s confidence is shot after last season and he needs a change of scenery. At that point, the Cowboys should just move on. If that is not the case, though, he should stick around. The cap savings from releasing him are not significant enough to make it a slam-dunk move.
