• Washington Commanders targeting an elite pass-rusher: After an NFC Championship berth, many of the top free agents in the class will be interested in joining the Commanders. With Washington’s lack of consistent pass-rushing on the edge, look for this front office to target top names like Khalil Mack and Josh Sweat to amplify this unit. 

• Dallas Cowboys find cap space breathing room: With CeeDee Lamb agreeing to restructure his contract, the Cowboys were able to clear significant money off of their 2025 cap sheet, which will allow them to address some needs in free agency.

• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

The offseason brings a clean slate for all 32 teams. Whether chasing a championship or rebuilding from the ground up, every franchise is preparing for one of the most pivotal moments of the year: NFL free agency.

The legal tampering period kicks off on Monday, March 10, opening the door for teams to negotiate with free agents and reshape their rosters. Some will make bold, franchise-altering moves. Others will find the missing piece to fuel a Super Bowl run.

With high-stakes decisions looming, here’s everything you need to know about NFL free agency in the NFC East.

Click here for more free agency tools:

Dallas Cowboys 

• Record: 7-10
• Rank in EPA per play (offense): 28th
• Rank in EPA allowed per play (defense): 29th

What went right?

Although wins were difficult to come by early in the year, Dallas was able to rally down the stretch to capture four wins in their last seven games. A credit to improvements on offense, but the lion’s share of credit belongs to the defense, which earned the fourth-highest team defense grade (73.6) from Week 12 onward.  

What went wrong?

No matter which side of the ball you’re looking at, the Cowboys were not strong enough on the ground. Offensively, Dallas earned just a 60.7 team rushing grade, totaling a league-low six rushing touchdowns, along with bottom-five marks in explosive run percentage (10.2%) and yards per attempt (4.0).   

Standout performers

Although Micah Parsons was hindered by an ankle sprain that forced him to miss four games, he returned without skipping a beat. Parsons continued his run as one of the most dominant pass-rushers in the game, earning the fourth-highest PFF pass-rush grade (91.6) in the NFL in 2024 – his fourth-consecutive season eclipsing the 90.0 threshold.

Pending free agents

• LB Eric Kendricks (75.2)
• CB Jourdan Lewis (71.7)
• EDGE Chauncey Golston (65.3)
• RB Rico Dowdle (73.9)
• WR Brandin Cooks (63.2)
• EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence (59.5)
• DI Linval Joseph (54.0)

Likely departures

After 11 seasons in Dallas, it appears the Cowboys are set to part ways with DeMarcus Lawrence. The veteran pass-rusher turns 33 years old this offseason and is coming off an underwhelming season marred by injury, where he clocked just 167 snaps and a 59.5 PFF defense grade.