FRISCO, Texas – Monday marked the beginning of the NFL’s legal tampering period, which allows external free agents to begin negotiating terms with franchises from around the league. They can’t officially sign contracts until free agency begins at 3 p.m. (CDT) on Wednesday, but there’s already been plenty of moment around the league.
For the Cowboys, a lot of their free agency moves came from taking care of the players that were already on their roster in the 2024 season. That’s usually been the case for the franchise, and it was no different on 2025’s opening day.
They did however have a notable exit in the secondary, something we’ll cover along with more in our free agency recap. To follow along with all of the Cowboys’ free agency news this offseason, keep tabs on our free agency tracker by clicking here.
**Jourdan Lewis expected to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars**
Osa Odighizuwa and Jourdan Lewis were the Cowboys’ top two priorities going into the 2025 offseason. Dallas resigned Odighizuwa to a four-year, $80 million extension, but couldn’t land on a deal with Lewis, who reportedly will become the highest paid nickel cornerback in the NFL upon signing with the Jaguars.
Lewis had spent all eight of his NFL seasons with the Cowboys after the team selected him in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft and is coming off one of the best seasons of his career where he posted 71 tackles, 8 passes defended and an interception. His impact was also felt as a leader in the locker room, an aspect that Dallas will sorely miss.
Now, Dallas has some decisions to make in the cornerback room. With Trevon Diggs and Josh Butler potentially missing time next season due to injury, that leaves DaRon Bland, Caelen Carson, Andrew Booth, and Kemon Hall as the cornerbacks remaining on the roster. Whether it be through the draft or free agency, expect the Cowboys to look to bolster their personnel in that department.
**Markquese Bell signs multi-year contract extension with Cowboys**
Markquese Bell officially put pen to paper on a contract extension Monday, sticking around in Dallas for the next three seasons. Bell was one of two restricted free agents that the Cowboys had heading into the offseason, leaving KaVontae Turpin as the only one remaining on the roster.
Bell’s consistently been reliable for Dallas on special teams after being moved from safety to linebacker and back to safety in his first three NFL seasons. In 2024, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the Cowboys’ Week 11 loss to the Houston Texans and will look to bounce back in 2025.
**Chuma Edoga expected to join Jacksonville Jaguars**
After Jourdan Lewis reportedly agreed to terms with the Jaguars earlier in the day, Cowboys offensive tackle Chuma Edoga is expected to follow his teammate from Dallas to Jacksonville.
The Cowboys were the third team that Edoga has played for in his career after being drafted by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. He spent three seasons in New York and one with the Atlanta Falcons before landing in Dallas in 2023 to provide depth at left tackle.
Over the course of the 22 games that he was available during his time in Dallas, Edoga started 10 games and allowed 5 sacks and 23 quarterback pressures while playing both left tackle and left guard.
**Cowboys agree to terms on extension with long snapper Trent Sieg**
Brandon Aubrey made it clear at the Super Bowl that he wanted the Cowboys to retain punter Bryan Anger and long snapper Trent Sieg, and Dallas took one step forward in that department by resigning Sieg.
Sieg’s return gives Aubrey and new special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen some continuity in the kicking game from the snapping perspective, and now all that remains is Anger, his holder, who is an unrestricted free agent that has spent the last four seasons with the Cowboys.
