Jerry Jones’ goal of bringing back the Vince Lombardi trophy to Dallas while building a roster that yields results requires some major rebuilding. But the road hasn’t been smooth thus far and the team owner is currently facing one of the toughest offseason challenges. The Dallas Cowboys are now in the process of making the tough decisions to get their salary cap in order. When a team is $60 million over the salary cap, every roster spot is under scrutiny. And for one Cowboys defensive player, a brief return to the NFL from the UFL wasn’t enough to survive the financial crunch.

“The Dallas Cowboys have waived DT Perrion Winfrey,” Nick Harris posted on his X account. ”He appeared in one game last season after making his way back to the NFL through the UFL. The move saves the team $1.075 million toward the cap in 2026.”

Given the circumstances, Jones’ decision to move on from defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey doesn’t come as much of a surprise to fans. Winfrey signed a two-year contract with the Cowboys in 2025 worth a little over $2 million. However, the team decided to waive him this offseason.

After returning from the UFL, Winfrey didn’t get off to a strong start last season. He began the year dealing with a back injury that landed him on injured reserve. The defensive tackle only played against the Los Angeles Chargers, which turned out to be his only appearance for the season.

With the Cowboys facing major salary cap issues, the setbacks for Winfrey meant that he did not end up on the team. According to Harris, the decision frees up only $1.075 million for the 2026 salary cap, which does little to address their salary cap deficit.

The Cowboys started the offseasonwith almost $60 million over the salary cap. The team has already renegotiated contracts with Dak Prescott, Tyler Smith, and CeeDee Lamb. The team has freed up $66 million in cap space with all the deals.

The Cowboys are still not finished, as they want to be part of the free-agent market, which means they still need to create more cap space to sign more players, especially for a defense that finished last in the NFL in 2025.

Dallas plans contract extension for DT Kenny Clark

That said, the Cowboys still have significant money tied up in the contracts of Kenny Clark, Osa Odighizuwa, and Quinnen Williams, whose combined cap hits sit somewhere around $60 million.

From the NFL scouting combine, Jones has indicated that restructuring their deals could create more financial flexibility.

“All of those players have a long future relative to their careers with us,” Jones said. “Those three interior guys, if there’s room to keep them and still create space to help the defense, we’re going to do that. I’m not going to sit there and leave room unused when we could use it to bring in help on defense in free agency.”

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The defensive tackle currently has a three-year contract extension signed with the Green Bay Packers in 2024, which is worth $64 million. With the cap situation involving Clark, Odighizuwa, and Williams, it was assumed that Clark might be traded or waived. It seems, however, that the Cowboys have other plans for him.

“The expected Dallas Cowboys restructures have begun, as the contracts for Dak Prescott and Tyler Smith have officially been adjusted, creating $47 million in 2026 cap room,” Nick Harris wrote. “CeeDee Lamb’s contract is also expected to be restructured. Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa are on the list as well. A Kenny Clark extension is also expected to free up more room.”

The three-time Pro Bowler played his first season with the Cowboys in 2025. Entering his second season with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who has worked with him during their time with the Packers, things may become even more interesting.

Parker believes Clark “plays with good length and has a strong anchor,” which means the Cowboys likely won’t hesitate to invest in a player who could become a cornerstone of their defense.

With the Cowboys now compliant with cap limitations, Jerry Jones’ vow to make an aggressive push this free agency gives them quite a situation to navigate. But the team owner remains steadfast in his hope to win another Super Bowl, and in doing so, ensuring that his squad is covered on both sides of the ball is a priority. Now, with free agency right around the corner, Cowboys Nation will be keeping tabs on the developments coming out of Dallas, as they anticipate a rebuild that finally brings them tangible results on the field.