Dallas Cowboys DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The Dallas Cowboys are re-signing running back Rico Dowdle to an undisclosed deal on Monday. With Tony Pollard moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, Dowdle is now No. 1 on the Cowboys' RB depth chart, for now. The 25-year-old former undrafted free agent out of South Carolina entered the league in 2020 with the Cowboys and has just 96 carries for 385 yards and two rushing touchdowns in his three NFL seasons, adding 17 receptions (22 targets) for 144 yards and two more touchdowns through the air. Eighty nine of his career carries came in 2023, when he rushed for 361 yards and two TDs in 16 regular-season contests. Depending on what Dallas does at the position in the upcoming NFL draft, Dowdle could see a substantial role increase in his fourth NFL campaign.

The Dallas Cowboys converted a $5 million roster bonus due to quarterback Dak Prescott on Sunday into a signing bonus, creating $4 million in salary cap space for the 2024 season. The move reduces Prescott's salary cap number this year to $55.455 million, while two extra void years were added to his deal for cap purposes (void years now through 2028). It doesn't prevent the Cowboys and Prescott from further negotiating a long-term contract extension, but it gives the team some immediate cap relief. The 30-year-old made his third Pro Bowl in 2023 and had an excellent regular season, throwing for a league-high 36 touchdowns and 4,516 yards while completing a league-high 410 passes. Prescott isn't an elite fantasy QB because of his lack of rushing ability, but he's a fine consolation prize if you don't spend big money on the elite tier.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has faith that he and the team will be able to work out a new long-term deal. "I'm definitely confident, obviously it helps the team and it's important for the numbers. I've heard Jerry say that. This is a process, both sides understand that. Everything is great. It will happen," Prescott said. The 30-year-old carries a $59.455 million salary cap hit in 2024, so the Cowboys were hoping to work out a new deal with Prescott before the start of free agency next week. He'll have a base salary of $29 million, and the Cowboys currently sit just over $4 million over the cap. While Prescott isn't an elite fantasy QB1, he's right behind the top tier after delivering a league-high 36 touchdown passes and only nine interceptions while throwing for 4,516 yards in 17 regular-season games in 2023.

ESPN's Dan Graziano isn't as convinced as most people that quarterback Dak Prescott will get a lucrative contract extension from the Dallas Cowboys. His current salary cap number for 2024 is $59.455 million, which is huge, and an extension would be the obvious way to reduce that number. However, Prescott has a lot of leverage with one year left on his current deal and a clause in his contract that prohibits the team from franchising him. The 30-year-old hasn't made it easy on Dallas in the past, either. If the two sides don't make progress on a deal, the Cowboys could save around $18.5 million in cap space by converting Prescott's 2024 salary into a signing bonus without adding any more void years. However, doing that would result in Dallas carrying a cap charge of around $55 million on Prescott in 2025.

The Dallas Cowboys will pick up quarterback Trey Lance's $4.25 million roster bonus for the 2024 season, but they also elected not to pick up his fifth-year option for 2025. The Cowboys acquired Lance from the San Francisco 49ers during training camp last summer, but the former first-rounder didn't play as a single snap in his first year with the Cowboys behind starter Dak Prescott, who had a career year. The 23-year-old will now return as Prescott's backup next season, but he'll likely be on the free-agent market next offseason since the Cowboys understandably didn't want anything to do with his $22.4 million fifth-year option for 2025. Unless Prescott misses extensive time with an injury in 2024, Lance won't be worth rostering in fantasy.