It is the NFL offseason, and free agency starts next week. The Dallas Cowboys cap situation for the 2023 season isn’t the best, but could be far worse. Here, we are diving into all things Cowboys cap space 2023.
The NFL salary cap will be $224.8 million in 2023. Going into next year, the Cowboys currently have $9.8 million in cap space. They recently restructured some contracts (Dak Prescott, Zack Martin) in order to clear room.
Here are the players that will have the largest cap hits for the Cowboys in 2023:
- Zack Martin: $28.6 million
- Dak Prescott: $27.15 million
- DeMarcus Lawrence: $26 million
- Tyron Smith: $17.6 million
Here are some potential money-saving moves to expect from Dallas this offseason. Some have already been made:
The elephant in the room
There’s been an abundance of speculation regarding the future of the Cowboys RBs. Elliott has been solid this season in short yardage situations. Zeke’s 12 rushing touchdowns are the most he’s scored since 2019. But his 876 rushing yards are a career low.
Tony Pollard has gotten more action in the Cowboys offense than ever before, and he’s flourished. Pollard set career-highs in total touchdowns, rushing yards and receiving yards in 2022.
Pollard will officially be back on the franchise tag in 2023, but Zeke will not, as the Cowboys announced they will cut him after June 1.
Bye bye Kelvin Joseph
This season has not been friendly to Kelvin Joseph. After a few injuries at CB gave Joseph more playing time, he didn’t perform well. It was so bad the Cowboys had to sign some players midseason to try to compete for the LCB spot.
In Week 18, Joseph didn’t get a single snap on defense. Instead, he spent all his time on special teams.
But even on ST, Joseph has struggled with penalties. His eight penalties on defense and special teams have cost Dallas 94 yards; the eighth-most penalty yardage in football.
Cutting Joseph will only cost $1.5 million in dead cap
Josh Ball likely gone
Josh Ball competed for the swing tackle role in the preseason, but struggled mightily. When rookie LT Matt Waletzko suffered a long-term shoulder injury before Week 1, Dallas was put in a bind.
Rather than give 24-year-old Ball a shot at regular season action, the Cowboys opted to sign 40-year-old Jason Peters. Ball has played a limited role for the Cowboys this year.
With his dead cap hit being just $250,000, all signs are pointing to Ball being out of Big D in 2023.
