Will the Cowboys spend at the linebacker position in free agency? The domino effect could be major.
There’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys have had nothing but issues in trying to correct their linebacker position over the last several seasons. The club has drafted top-100 picks at the position, while also signing and trading for former first-round picks, but to no avail. The position group continues to have problems and it remains a question mark heading into the 2026 campaign.
With the scouting combine drawing near, and free agency on its heels, the club once again has to make decisions here. Should they loosen the purse strings and pay for a free agent? Should they use one of their two first-round picks, knowing they won’t hit the clock again until Day 3? Or should they do as FOX Sports predicts, and spend in free agency?
In his latest projection for landing spots of their Top 100 free agents, Greg Auman thinks that current Browns LB Devin Bush will end up donning the star and sign with the Cowboys.
Bush, 27, found himself this past year in Cleveland, filling up the stat sheet with 125 tackles, three picks (two returned for touchdowns), two sacks and two forced fumbles. Once the 10th overall draft pick with the Steelers, his play there dropped off after a promising rookie year. He made $3.2 million with the Browns and should be a coveted free agent. Pro Football Focus is high on him, ranking him as the No. 8 overall free agent and projecting $12 million a year.
Prediction: Signs with Cowboys
Bush is a slightly smaller linebacker, standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 234 pounds. After four years with the Steelers, he played in Seattle for one season before joining Cleveland where he’s spent the last two years. Bush had his best season to date in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus, where he graded out at a 87.6 overall, with a stellar coverage grade of 80.4.
That was good to rank Bush third of all linebackers who saw significant snaps across 2025.
The Cowboys are returning a young core of linebackers at this point, led by DeMarvion Overshown, entering his fourth year. Overshown came back midseason after his second torn ACL, and seemed to still be working out the kinks. Also on the roster are soon-to-be third-year Marist Liafau, and second-year Shemar James.
While PFF thinks that Bush will land a deal around $12 million per year, the more conservative Spotrac is predicting a three-year, $27 million deal, or around $9 million per season.
The Cowboys have several holes to fill, and not enough draft picks to adequately address them. That is putting the burden on their front office to decide the best use of their resources. Does it make more sense to sign players at less prestigious positions, such as linebacker, running back or safety, allowing them to draft the more expensive positions?
