Jerry Jones is one of the most vocal owners in all of sports, and given his standing as the owner of “America’s Team,” the Dallas Cowboys, he gets a lot of press. Jones and the Cowboys disappointed in 2025, and he has made his intentions to be aggressive and compete again in 2026 very clear.
Skip Bayless Rips Jerry Jones for Quiet Start to 2026 Offseason
As with Jones, many Cowboys fans are vocal about their pleasure or displeasure with their team. This is no different with Cowboys superfan, sports columnist, and television personality Skip Bayless.
After Jerry said he’d “bust the budget” in free agency, I dared him to pull off any one of these in order: sign Trey Hendrickson, trade for Maxx, sign Devin Lloyd or Riq or Nakobe. He pulled off none of the above. He just blew smoke, then blew it. He just busted.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 11, 2026
“After Jerry said he’d ‘bust the budget’ in free agency, I dared him to pull off any one of these in order: sign Trey Hendrickson, trade for Maxx, sign Devin Lloyd or Riq or Nakobe,” Skip Bayless said on social media. “He pulled off none of the above. He just blew smoke, then blew it. He just busted.”
Bayless and many other Cowboys fans are disappointed with how the team has approached free agency thus far and with the lack of big-game hunting for high-profile names. However, Dallas hasn’t been silent and has made its share of moves early in the offseason.
Dallas entered the offseason well over the salary cap, leaving the team with work to do financially before making additions. The Cowboys restructured the contracts of Dak Prescott, Kenny Clark, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyler Smith, and have mentioned plans to restructure Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa as well to create more financial flexibility.
As a result, Dallas was able to make several moves to bolster its roster for 2026, including re-signing Javonte Williams to a three-year contract, franchise-tagging George Pickens, signing Jalen Thompson to a three-year contract, and acquiring Rashan Gary in a trade with the Green Bay Packers. After these additions, Dallas remains over the salary cap as the team continues to work on freeing up additional space.
While Dallas made some moves to bolster the roster, Bayless and others are not satisfied because of the desperate need to address the defense this offseason. The Cowboys ranked dead last in PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric (DEFi) in 2025, allowing the most passing yards per game (251.5), the third-most total yards per game (377), and one of the highest point totals in the league.
While Gary and Thompson are nice additions for Dallas, fans wanted one of the big-name free agents, such as Devin Lloyd or Trey Hendrickson. Lloyd signed with the Carolina Panthers, and Hendrickson signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
Gary has shown upside in the past but is coming off a season in which he ranked as the No. 41 edge rusher in PFSN’s EDGE Impact Metric (EDGEi). He registered 45 tackles (25 solo, 20 assists), seven tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in 2025, which is in line with his 2024 season numbers, but many expected him to take the next step playing alongside Micah Parsons.
Dallas is a team to watch as the offseason progresses, with Pickens still without a long-term deal and the team still needing help on defense. Despite cap constraints, there are still moves the team can make as it looks to rebound in 2026 and return to the playoffs.
