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The Dallas Cowboys are rarely active in free agency. Whether it’s re-signing their own or shopping the market for others, the Cowboys typically take a frugal approach to the NFL’s most expensive time of the season.
It’s become commonplace over the years for Dallas to lose more free agents than they sign during the early portions of free agency. Such an approach has caused the Cowboys to miss out on clear and obvious pathways to improvement. It’s also given the franchise low-cost roster building assets useful for a team handcuffed by their budget.
By losing more quality free agents than they’ve gained, the Cowboys are allowed to take advantage of special safety net designed to compensate the NFL’s biggest free agent losers. Compensatory draft picks are extra picks sandwiched into the later rounds of the annual draft which are created to be part consolation prize and part insurance policy.
With compensatory picks, teams who are unable to afford to keep their own players or sign quality outside players, still have a way to build a roster by way of the NFL’s most affordable method – the NFL draft. Each year the league distributes 32 compensatory picks, landing anywhere from Round 3 to Round 7. Their exact placement is based on a formula that looks at salaries, playing time, and postseason awards. The better the player, typically the higher the compensatory pick, as long as they aren’t cancelled out by an incoming signing that equals their value.
Over the years the Cowboys have been masters at maximizing their compensatory picks. They have altered their free agent strategy with compensatory picks in mind in an effort to maximize their returns in the draft. The NFL has capped total compensation at four picks and the Cowboys look intent on getting that max every year possible. It doesn’t mean they can’t sign any quality free agents it just means they need to take a four player net loss during the pre-draft free agent period of the offseason.
In 2025 the Cowboys have a six pack of players who should offer compensatory returns if allowed to leave. Again, the most Dallas could receive in a single year is four compensatory picks.