Dallas has already gone to work, first agreeing to terms with running back Javonte Williams on a three-year, $24 million extension. The Cowboys also prevented their top playmaker from hitting the market by placing the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens on Friday.
Along with free agency, the Cowboys have an opportunity to add talent in April with two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Jones added that he won’t rule out the possibility of making trades, something Dallas hasn’t been wary of doing recently with the acquisitions of Clark and Quinnen Williams — additions prompted by the the blockbuster trade of Micah Parsons.
“I don’t know that I’d expect it but we have the ammunition to be good at it,” Jones said. “And I wouldn’t hesitate to be good at it if it will help our team and help the timeline that we’re talking about.”
In 2025, Dallas once again fell short of the postseason despite boasting one of the league’s top offenses. The Cowboys defense finished 30th in yards allowed (377.0 yards per game) and last in points allowed per game (30.1).
Improving the defense will first begin with a whole new structure following the hiring of Christian Parker as the new defensive coordinator. Parker will bring a new 3-4 scheme to a unit that has a bolstered defensive front and several key pieces that are expected to be healthy in 2026, including linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and cornerback DaRon Bland.
With an offense already poised to compete, Dallas’ potential free-agent spending figures to have a defensive focus. Trey Hendrickson, Devin Lloyd, Odafe Oweh, Boye Mafe, Jamel Dean are among defenders ranked in the top 20 of Gregg Rosenthal’s Top 101 free agents list.
It remains to be seen how far exactly the Cowboys are willing to go in free agency this spring, but Jones is promising a change in approach in order to quell the underlying frustrations of a franchise that hasn’t seen an NFC Championship Game since 1995.
“I really can’t accept just the thought of winning one Super Bowl and then what?” Jones said. “I’ve got more time on my clock than that in my mind. And so I don’t see it that way. I see a chance to put a team together and basically be knocking at the edge and get another one or get a chance at a another one.
“It runs that way in my view. … Make no mistake about it now, if you told me I could, because I’ve done a lot of hitchhiking in my life. … I’d start here with you right now and hitchhike back to Dallas to win a Super Bowl.”
