For Jerry Jones, the end of a losing season is the start of a war in the front office. The Dallas Cowboys have to deal with 22 free agent players, with 16 of them being unrestricted. However, based on the season’s performance, Jones is likely to bring back only five of them.

“On the offensive side of the ball, the two names that jump off right away that should be brought back are George Pickens and Javonte Williams,” wrote reporter Shane Taylor on his blog. “No questions asked. The next who is more offense, even though he is a special teams guy, is Brandon Aubrey, who is another no-brainer.”

WR George Pickens has been exceptional for the Cowboys. He covered 1,429 rushing yards and scored nine touchdowns in 93 receptions. His stats are among the best in the league, not just in Dallas, helping the franchise become one of the leading offenses in the NFL. The same goes for RB Javonte Williams. 1,201 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 252 carries speak volumes about his performance.

Placekicker Brandon Aubrey has scored 155 points for the Cowboys and ranks third in the league. He may have missed a few points during the end of the season, but his 85.7% success rate in field goals and 97.9% success rate in extra points. Keeping the kicker is probably a no-brainer for the team, given his prowess on the field, but keeping the contractual drama to a minimum? That may just prove to be the bigger storyline here.

While the defense has accomplished barely anything this season, there are still a couple of names that could return in a Cowboys shirt. Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is the first one, and Sam Williams is the second. The first one has 8.5 sacks and 24 solo tackles to his name, indicating a small light in the downtrodden defense. Clowney joined the Cowboys in September, after the franchise had already played four games. On the other hand, Williams was not as impressive as Clowney, but he has shown signs of improvement. He can become a good pass rusher for the Cowboys in the upcoming season.

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Although the Cowboys have many free agents, only a few key players are likely to return. For instance, safety Malik Hooker is scheduled to earn $7 million in 2026, but none of that money is guaranteed. Because of that, moving on from him would save cap space and give the team flexibility to add players who better match what the new defensive coordinator wants to run.

Nevertheless, all these won’t stop the owner from splashing the money.

Jerry Jones is ready to go all in during the offseason

The Dallas Cowboys have parted ways with their defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus, and are ready to begin the overhaul. Now, it is time for Jones to use the offseason to bring the best players to the roster.

“We want to, while Dak [Prescott] is playing the game and got it down the way he’s got it, we want to get out here and do better than what we did this year,” Jones said. “So a combination of those things give us the incentive to, dare I say it, bust the budget to try to get something down now, yes. We’ll do some dramatic things.”

“Dramatic things” have a nice ring to it, but it is easier said than done. He will look to re-sign George Pickens, but it won’t be cheap. The wideout is still in his rookie contract, and after such a performance, a $100 million contract comes as no surprise. CeeDee Lamb has a $136 million contract, so Pickens can easily demand it.

Shifting focus from the offense, the draft is only a few months away. The franchise will hope to strengthen its defense. Thanks to the Micah Parsons trade, they have one extra pick in the first round, courtesy of the Green Bay Packers. And the Cowboys COO, Stephen Jones, named the positions they will be targeting.

“I think, obviously, linebacker,” Stephen Jones said. “We love Overshown, I think he’s a core piece of the defense, but certainly we could use some help there at linebacker…”

He further added, “It’s always important to be able to cover the guys. Between injuries, between [rookie CB Shavon] Revel being a little slower getting into the mix coming off his injury from college, he was obviously a little raw… I still think though we need help in the back end.”

From the looks of it, the franchise’s focus during the upcoming draft may lean towards strengthening its defense. It will be a crucial draft for the Cowboys. With Eberflus’ firing and hopefully a new DC coming soon, the Cowboys are en route to a massive defense reshuffle. Texas Tech’s David Bailey can be a good signing for them. With 14.5 sacks, 52 tackles, and three forced fumbles, the linebacker could easily fit Stephen Jones’ description.

Coming back to free agency, Jerry Jones confirmed that he does not want to force things. The same goes for free agents of other franchises, too. If an opportunity presents itself, then he will be happy to grab it.

“I don’t want to sound by saying we’re going to be active in free agency, then disappoint and say that we weren’t,” Jones said. “But if we have an opportunity in free agency, and if we have more than one opportunity, we’re going to take advantage of the fact that we’re in better shape today to play free agency than we thought we might be. And so we’re going to use it.”

As things are lining up, the Cowboys executives have a few challenging months ahead. They will need to bring all their guns in to reshape the roster. Several franchises like the Giants are already eyeing Pickens. So, it may not be a good idea to wait on the wide receiver’s contract any longer.

“My goal in life is to retire as the owner that won the most Super Bowls,” Jones said.

If Jones hopes to fulfill his goal, he needs to act fast and “bust the budget.”